Building 101

     Unfortunately, it seems that many people have blinders on or easily become enamored or distracted when it comes to new home construction. They see the obvious and become mesmerized, granite in the kitchen with stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors or large volumes of tile throughout the home, a fireplace, lots of decks, landscaping packages or trendy interior decorating. Buyers in some instances are doing themselves a great disservice and are even possibly being deceived. These items may simply be a facade for a poorly built home and are covering up a host of current or future problems. You could even say that these items would be no more than mere window dressings. The home may have curb appeal but what exactly is lurking just beneath the surface? What is the quality of this build? You need to know so many different details and aspects of construction and be somewhat familiar with building as a whole to have an understanding of the entire process. You need to look at the entire build process from start to finish to know the true quality of a home or have a sense of the big picture. If you do not have any experience in construction or have never built a new home you need someone in your corner or an advocate looking out for your best interests. A prime example of this would be to have two new homes built side by side. Both homes look identical at first inspection by the untrained eye. These homes could easily differ in costs to build by tens of thousands of dollars. Enter the home inspection professional or an honest and knowledgeable builder and just what is the situation? Were corners cut? Were certain materials or products substituted for cheaper or inferior ones? The list goes on and on. It is very easy for a builder or subcontractor to shave their costs down to put more profit in their pockets and all without the knowledge of an uneducated homeowner concerning the building process. It is what you do not see that matters. It is easy to cover things up or hide things. It is easy to substitute cheaper building materials or products. That is not to say that the home would not still pass building codes and building inspections by the local building departments. But, has the home been compromised has far as the integrity and life of the home? It is not the number of homes that a builder has built as some are advertising but the quality of those homes which should be the standard or measure as well as the satisfaction of the homeowner. Are the contractor and homeowner still on speaking terms at the completion of the project and would the homeowner give a letter of recommendation or a testimonial on behalf of the builder? Can the homeowner get the builder back for any repairs if needed or did he just take the money and run? Is the builder still in business or in the area? Has he fled or even filed for bankruptcy? Some builder/developers have resurrected themselves from bankruptcy to build again under yet another name, even on the Island again! That is just unbelievable but true. The photos displayed on this page are of ten fairly new homes on the Island. In this case a picture is truly worth a thousand words for obvious reasons. These are just some recent examples of what occurs when shortcuts are taken or someone does not know what they are doing or just plain out does not care. I could devote a whole web site to some of the inferior building practices on this Island as well as the shady deals and characters that have been a part of it. The damage to Home #1 will be very costly to repair not to mention the frustration and anguish that the homeowners have been subjected to. You would have to ask yourself what else is wrong with this home that has not surfaced yet? Is this just the tip of the iceberg? The one photo of Home #2 is of an outside entry door. Hello, who installs a steel exterior door on an Island with nothing but salt air to constantly corrode it? This was a common practice years ago, then builders switched to wood, composite or fiberglass exterior doors. The irony is that this home was built only 2 to 3 years ago. Home #3 shows builders spec or grade exterior air condenser units which for this size home are minimal at best. Big cost savings to the builder and more profit for him but big headaches down the road for the owner or buyer. At least the home does have 2 zone air. Some spec homes were built with only 1 zone which is a disaster. You freeze on one floor and roast on the other. There is no way to correctly balance or regulate the air once this mistake is made without a great expense. In addition, several photos show the paint peeling from metal wrap and extensive blistering. There is also rust bleeding through the fiberglass decking (nails,screws?). Lastly, look at the shortcuts taken in installing the rail system around the columns. This was obviously done to only save the builder time and money. Certainly not for esthetics. Shame on this builder. With just a little more time and effort the rail system could have been tied in neatly with the columns for a much better look. This home was just built! Who will suffer in the end and pay the price for these types of shabby building practices? The homeowner of course. These homes are suppose to be million dollar homes! Home #4 is probably 15 years old or so but shows a very expensive rebuild for the decks and rails. Composite decking and vinyl rails are the only way to go. No reason to skimp here. Materials cost more but are worth it due to their longevity and no maintenance feature. Home #5 these photos beg to ask the question who builds a house in a hole? What happened to fill material and grading? Who surveyed this one? So much for the building inspection process to insure all is done right and all codes are met. Is it a house or a boat? Maybe it's the ark. Nothing but continuous water problems and severe water damage here not to mention the horrid four letter word, MOLD. No inexpensive way to correct this short of raising the home and fixing the grade. That build had to be profitable for one person only, an attorney. Home #6 shows vinyl soffit that just fell off. How long till the builder returns to make repairs and what else might be wrong with this home? How well was it actually built? Home #7 Another case of vinyl fascia not being installed properly on a new home. Home #8 Just look at these photos. Poor workmanship leading to major rot on support beams and who knows what else. Just a very costly mistake that should not have happened. Home #9 An older home yes, but the vinyl siding is not. Someone in a hurry cutting corners looking to get their money fast and get out. Home #10 An exterior nightmare yes but that begs to ask the question about the way the rest of the home was built? Right now it is evident that at least the siding, spindles, posts and rails are being addressed. What else will rear its ugly head? And this is on a newer home! Home #11 As in home #7 another new home with the vinyl fascia being poorly installed. Home #12  One of anyones biggest nightmares! A home sitting for a prolonged period of time, unfinished and falling apart from neglect. Only framing is done on the inside and as evident from the outside, construction has come to an abrupt stop. Who walked away from this and why? Who knows exactly why these circumstances occurred but be certain some ones dream home is unfinished and falling prey to the elements. It is only a matter of time before minor problems become major ones. The only winner in a case like this is the attorneys if involved. Home #13 Extensive rot and mold issues. Home #14 Another improperly vinyl sided home shredded by the high winds that are common to Long Beach Island. These photos are very compelling and unfortunately I know of many more examples of this type of workmanship on the Island. Some of the repairs are minor in nature, can be made quickly and are not that costly. On the other hand some are not. But the point is most of these problems did not have to occur. If these homes were built properly to begin with you would not be looking at these photos and the owners would not be stuck dealing with these issues. All it would have taken to alleviate these problems was someone who was conscientious and took their time. Someone who cared and took pride in their work. You be the judge.