Anyone familiar with the builder Mattamy Homes?

[Scuba]

We are exploring in FL and found an area we like that they are developing. Apparently they’re a Canadian-bases homebuilder and are one of the largest in North America. We aren’t familiar with them but a cursory search of online reviews wasn’t encouraging.

Has anyone purchased a new home built by this company and if so, how was your experience?

 

[Jerry1]

We are exploring in FL and found an area we like that they are developing. Apparently they’re a Canadian-bases homebuilder and are one of the largest in North America. We aren’t familiar with them but a cursory search of online reviews wasn’t encouraging.

Has anyone purchased a new home built by this company and if so, how was your experience?

I’m not saying to ignore online reviews but remember that they’re definitely bias to the negative. Far more people are motivated to write something to complain than to praise. Plus, home building is very stressful and it highly likely that something(s) will go wrong along the way. I’d pay attention to whether the review indicates a decent resolution. The main thing I’d look for it to see if there’s a pattern of not completing tasks in a timely manner. Builders that have too much on their plate for them to handle are a nightmare. They’ll always “get right on it” and fail to do so.

Try to find some recent homes finished and even in process and see if you can talk to the owners to see how it’s going.

 

[Scuba]

I’m not saying to ignore online reviews but remember that they’re definitely bias to the negative. Far more people are motivated to write something to complain than to praise. Plus, home building is very stressful and it highly likely that something(s) will go wrong along the way. I’d pay attention to whether the review indicates a decent resolution. The main thing I’d look for it to see if there’s a pattern of not completing tasks in a timely manner. Builders that have too much on their plate for them to handle are a nightmare. They’ll always “get right on it” and fail to do so.



Try to find some recent homes finished and even in process and see if you can talk to the owners to see how it’s going.

Good point!

 

[brett]

I would spend some time visiting homes that under construction. And if you get a change....speak to some of the sub trades.

Even better, if you know someone who knows a little about home construction and materials take them along.

 

[Walt34]

Try to find some recent homes finished and even in process and see if you can talk to the owners to see how it’s going.

This.

We did that when considering a house in a new development and boy, did we get an earful! We walked, and not surprisingly heard later that the builder was dealing with multiple lawsuits from unhappy homebuyers.

No question, asking questions of current owners saved us a lot of grief.

 

[brett]

Not a fan of buying a new build home from a developer.

From a custom home builder perhaps. We have always preferred an existing home in a good location.

New developments often come with higher taxes to pay for the infrastructure. Depends on what basis taxes are levied in the area of course.

 

[Koolau]

Keep in mind that most big builders hire local crews to actually put up a house. So, it depends on the local talent and how much due diligence the builder has done (not to mention some form of QC during the job.) There are horror stories of the shoddy craftsmanship based on hiring lowest bidder, etc. I wouldn't build a home without being there at least some each day - looking for "issues." One guy in our lab would stop by each morning (early) with a box of donuts and talk to the guys, getting to know their names, family situations, etc. It seemed to w*rk well for him in the long run.

 

[Ronstar]

I would spend some time visiting homes that under construction. And if you get a change....speak to some of the sub trades.

Even better, if you know someone who knows a little about home construction and materials take them along.

+1. I wouldn't buy any home without going through some of the builder's homes during construction. And drive through phases of the subdivision to review site improvements. Construction practices and materials dictate whether you get a quality home or not.

 

[Midpack]

There are several Mattamy home communities where we live. We looked at them, and they seemed nice, but not what we were looking for, so I didn’t look into them further. And we didn’t care for the model home rep, but that’s random. Sorry.

 

[Badger]

I have only bought 2 houses and presently live in the second one. Both were 50's houses so wiring was copper but not like the present NMD copper wire. I knew what I was getting and could deal with any of the issues but I wouldn't want the hassle of a new house. They have issues too and I would be upset with having to deal with them after paying for what should be a worry free purchase. Parents, siblings, and friends buying new houses have had to stay on top of construction almost daily and even then there were issues.
I would look for an older home but nothing before 1980 when they may have had aluminum wiring. I would consider something at least 5 years old that may have had most of the "bugs" worked out.
Since it is Florida I would make sure it is on high ground out of a flood zone, followed all the codes for hurricanes, prefer concrete block over stick frame, have a crawl space at least 3 feet (or 4 blocks) high, and a standing seam metal roof. But those are just my preferences from living here for the past 50+ years.
Good luck with your search.

Cheers!

 

[Fermion]

While building our house my wife has looked at hundreds of videos of the things builders have done in new home construction. Things like installing p-traps incorrectly, cutting nearly all the way through joists for vent pipes, horrible electrical wiring that I have to think must mean a paid off inspector. Makes me not want to ever buy a home I didn't build but then again I don't want to build another one lol.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Our first preference would be a home built in the last 2-3 years with a pool. However those are fewer and further between. We’ve seen homes that are 20-50 years old in nice neighborhoods, but we would have to do significant upgrades to make them into a home we’d be comfortable in. We’d have to manage that process daily, and remodeling costs would likely make these properties more expensive than new construction.

Great idea to speak with people in the target neighborhoods and see how happy they are with their homes. We did walk through some that were under construction but we don’t know much about the construction process and don’t know anyone in the area.

 

[Music Lover]

I would spend some time visiting homes that under construction. And if you get a change....speak to some of the sub trades.

Even better, if you know someone who knows a little about home construction and materials take them along.

I could be wrong, but I expect that most builders don't want random people showing up at a job site, especially someone that isn't a customer. It's a construction site, not a show room.

 

[Koolau]

I could be wrong, but I expect that most builders don't want random people showing up at a job site, especially someone that isn't a customer. It's a construction site, not a show room.

My buddy from the lab had no problems accessing his home under construction. Maybe it was the donuts! In any case, he watched, asked questions and even questioned a few "issues" he saw. The results were a very well built dwelling that he didn't have to worry too much about. It DID require a lot of his time (and a lot of donuts.) BUT he was quite pleased with the trade of his time for a good house. YMMV

 

[Music Lover]

My buddy from the lab had no problems accessing his home under construction. Maybe it was the donuts! In any case, he watched, asked questions and even questioned a few "issues" he saw. The results were a very well built dwelling that he didn't have to worry too much about. It DID require a lot of his time (and a lot of donuts.) BUT he was quite pleased with the trade of his time for a good house. YMMV

Was it already his home when he went there?

The OP is considering a builder so I'm assuming that means they haven't bought a home yet. In that case, they would be a "random person" showing up on a construction site. In their case I'd contact one of the builder reps and ask for a tour of homes in progress.

 

[Koolau]

Was it already his home when he went there?

The OP is considering a builder so I'm assuming that means they haven't bought a home yet. In that case, they would be a "random person" showing up on a construction site. In their case I'd contact one of the builder reps and ask for a tour of homes in progress.

He paid to have the house built. SO he watched the original staking out of the floor plan on the bare ground to watching the final piece of trim placed on the doors inside the house.

 

[Sunset]

He paid to have the house built. SO he watched the original staking out of the floor plan on the bare ground to watching the final piece of trim placed on the doors inside the house.

Had an old neighbor once that came out to watch his house being built. Good thing too, as he noticed they forgot to frame out his fireplace and pointed it out.
Good thing it was not too late or they might have just 'stuck' on on the side

 

[Music Lover]

He paid to have the house built. SO he watched the original staking out of the floor plan on the bare ground to watching the final piece of trim placed on the doors inside the house.

Yeah, that's a different situation. My friend did the same thing.

But a house under construction that no one has bought yet would be off limits to the general public. At the very least it's private property and someone entering without permission is trespassing and a liability issue.

 

[Walt34]

But a house under construction that no one has bought yet would be off limits to the general public. At the very least it's private property and someone entering without permission is trespassing and a liability issue.

Well, maybe. I suspect it depends on if a supervisor is on site at the time. The construction guys don't care if someone watches as long as they're not in the way. At least that was our experience when our house was being built. We walked through from time to time and no one said a word but we did take care to stay out of anyone's way.

Wish I'd thought of the donuts though.

 

[OldShooter]

I could be wrong, but I expect that most builders don't want random people showing up at a job site, especially someone that isn't a customer. It's a construction site, not a show room.

That wouldn't slow me down a bit. I'd be interested in the explanation if someone showed up and told me that I couldn't look at the work in progress. And, more likely, no one would show up and I could get some comments from subs that were working.

Boring old rule: Easier to apologize than to get permission.

 

[Koolau]

Well, maybe. I suspect it depends on if a supervisor is on site at the time. The construction guys don't care if someone watches as long as they're not in the way. At least that was our experience when our house was being built. We walked through from time to time and no one said a word but we did take care to stay out of anyone's way.

Wish I'd thought of the donuts though.

Heh, heh, no one can ignore donuts. They were a big hit and quite a "lubricant" for my buddy when approaching "the guys."

 

[Music Lover]

That wouldn't slow me down a bit. I'd be interested in the explanation if someone showed up and told me that I couldn't look at the work in progress. And, more likely, no one would show up and I could get some comments from subs that were working.

Boring old rule: Easier to apologize than to get permission.

Remember, the OP hasn't even contracted for a home to be built. I don't know why people think that it would be okay for them to walk onto private property that they don't own to check things out without getting permission first.

As I said earlier, there's a big difference if it's your lot and house that you're already paying for compared to a random person that hasn't signed a contract showing up at building company's construction site.

 

[Koolau]

Remember, the OP hasn't even contracted for a home to be built. I don't know why people think that it would be okay for them to walk onto private property that they don't own to check things out without getting permission first.

As I said earlier, there's a big difference if it's your lot and house that you're already paying for compared to a random person that hasn't signed a contract showing up at building company's construction site.

I agree, but most developments don't even offer security at build sites. DW and I were interested in a couple of places over the years and went onto the build site and walked through them. Probably technically illegal, but we had no intent and we didn't take or disturb anything, so I'm sure the worst that would have happened would be that someone would have told us to get out.

 

[Scuba]

Music Lover is correct. We have not contracted for a build. We did walk through a couple of homes under construction with a sales rep, but since we are not construction experts, that didn’t really help us assess the quality of the build.

Most of the communities we’ve looked at so far have manned gates 24/7 so unauthorized access wouldn’t be easy. I’m sure if we were close to putting down a deposit and had a construction expert working with us, the company would allow access. However we don’t know a resource such as this.

 

[Ronstar]

I have walked through hundreds of homes and other buildings under construction. Most walk throughs were made as part of my job. I've never been questioned as to what I was doing. I've asked the developer for permission to walk through houses a couple of times and they told to me that it was ok.

It was a great help when I bought our condo. I went through a building similar to ours while it was in the rough plumbing/AC/electrical stage. I could see how they built everything. Later that knowledge came in handy when I was securing things to walls, talking to a contractor about new floors, plumbing fixes, etc.