Mike Homes is back

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

http://www.canada.com/Production+bui...594/story.html Production-built homes may be cheaper, but the quality suffers


By Mike Holmes, For Postmedia News


Don't expect custom quality in a production-built home, like this one, says Mike Holmes.

Photograph by: Handout, The Holmes Group




Not all new homebuilders are the same. They all build new houses from plans, but there's a big difference between custom homebuilders who may do a couple of houses per year, and a production homebuilder who will build hundreds.

It's an entirely different reality.

Custom homebuilders will build unique houses from a set of plans made just for your home. They build one house at a time and work with a small crew and regular set of subtrades — sometimes the same team for years.

A custom home is going to cost more money, period. Even a small one will, since it's unique, designed and built to your specifications and finished the way you want.

A production home is one built in high volume, as you see in a typical subdivision. They cost less, generally, which makes them more affordable, and are great for people to get into a first house. There may be three or four different designs you can choose from, but there are hundreds of that style of home built. They are built from stock plans, with minor variations in floor plans offered, as well as some upgrades and options in finishes.

Production builders are able to save money, due to the huge quantity of materials purchased, and in labour costs. They give you a limited selection of house designs to choose from, and that reduced choice helps keeps the process cost- and time-efficient.

With so many houses being built at the same time, there are cost savings to be had. Prices of the homes drop below what custom costs, in the same way a car built on an assembly line is cheaper than one that's handmade by a team. Construction is standardized and it's faster and more efficient.

But sometimes building this way loses sight of quality construction; fast and cheap doesn't usually add up to good. When volume builders start to spend more money on customer service to satisfy deficiencies, then you have to ask if those cost savings are so wise.

Production builders' houses are priced lower than custom homes of the same size would be, which makes their profit margins narrower. And they have to work really hard to be cost-efficient and protect those narrow margins. Materials that are used are standard — minimum code and legal —_but not necessarily the best choice to make your house stand up over a longer time.

Their trades are paid based on volume: on the number of homes they work on. It's mass production, as on an assembly line. In my opinion, this is not the best way for trades to work: Often, they're racing to get as many houses done as they can, and they will often end up working against one another. A framer isn't going to be looking out for the HVAC, plumbing guy or drywaller who's working behind him.

They are just trying to make money, so they need to get it done as fast as they can before they move on to the next house. What I'm seeing is that don't care about the other guy, or how it affects the project overall. It's a twist on the old expression "mind over matter," but, in this case, the guys act as though they're thinking, "It's not mine, it doesn't matter."

And, in the end, let's not forget it's your house. You and your family are going to be living in it for years. It should matter. It should be built with care and attention.

It's not as if they're working together on a small crew; they might not even meet during the development's build. The quality of the home suffers. It's piece work — and, to be honest, I don't think the trades are treated with respect, when their work is seen that way.

Building a house is something we take completely for granted, because so many houses get built every day. A Boeing 747 costs around 200 million dollars. It has 6 million different parts and fasteners, and takes a highly trained team weeks to make. That's not much different from what we do when we build a house. There are literally millions of parts, and dozens of skilled workers who come together to construct the average home.

Minimum code is the standard for all new home construction. That's the law and the standard that production houses are built to, in structure, envelope, mechanicals, etc.

For the most part, when a homebuyer gets the chance to upgrade any features on her new production home, she can upgrade, maybe on windows, on quality of exterior brick veneer/cladding, and on the interior finishes, such as tile and counters — the lipstick and mascara. Some production builders include sustainable elements as a selling feature — usually something like bamboo flooring or low-VOC paint — to keep up with the latest green building trend.

But you can't upgrade on the bones of your house: the structure, the insulation, the building material. You can't choose to use fire-resistant and mould-resistant framing material, or mould-resistant drywall.

Shouldn't we have more choice in products that are used behind the walls in production homes? This is where a homeowner's real cost savings are.

Catch Mike in his new series, Holmes Inspection, airing Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. For more information, visit www.hgtv.ca. For more information on home renovations, visit makeitright.ca.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Earn AIR MILES® reward miles with a Mike Holmes Inspection


TORONTO, Feb. 1, 2012 /CNW/ - Mike Holmes Inspections is proud to announce that it has become an official sponsor of the AIR MILES® Incentive program. The partnership means that Mike Holmes Inspections clients now have the opportunity to earn AIR MILES® reward miles on their home inspection service.
All homeowners who book and receive a Mike Holmes Inspection Essential package can now earn up to 50 AIR MILES® reward miles, while those who choose an Extended package can earn up to 75 AIR MILES® reward miles.
"Mike Holmes Inspections is a premium service," stated Mike Holmes. "Clients who book an inspection with us are homeowners who are willing to invest in the value of their home. It just made sense to increase that value by giving them a first-class bonus for the trust they have in our service."
In addition to the AIR MILES® reward miles earned on each home inspection, clients will also earn 50 AIR MILES® reward miles for every successful customer referral.
"You know I love working with the pros. And every part of Mike Holmes Inspections reflects that - from our inspectors and the equipment they use, right down to the extra incentives. That's why we partnered with AIR MILES®," added Holmes.
For more information on Mike Holmes Inspections and the AIR MILES® Reward Program, please visit www.mikeholmesinspections.com.
About Mike Holmes Inspections
Mike Holmes Inspections is an independent home inspection service company providing thorough, fair and educated assessments of building structures and systems by integrating advanced technologies with sophisticated industry techniques. It invests in the development and augmentation of industry standards through collaborations and third-party ventures with educational institutions and industry associations.
For further information: For all queries concerning Mike Holmes Inspections, please contact:
Liza Drozdov, Director of Communications - The Holmes Group publicity

[Gary Farnsworth]

Anything for publicity.

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

are the miles rewarded thru American Airlines?

[Eric C. Van De Ven]

Originally Posted by gfarnsworth

Anything for publicity.

Can't argue with success....

[Kathleen Luuk]

Custom doesn't always mean quality, we have a huge range being built here from $2 mil up in custom homes as far as $7 mil+. One near us for example will be in the $2 mil + range and the workmanship is shoddy to say the least. the home will only ever be as good as the men you hire, if you hire cheap, you get cheap. Even in custom homes.

[Russell J. Hensel]

Originally Posted by kluuk

Custom doesn't always mean quality, we have a huge range being built here from $2 mil up in custom homes as far as $7 mil+. One near us for example will be in the $2 mil + range and the workmanship is shoddy to say the least. the home will only ever be as good as the men you hire, if you hire cheap, you get cheap. Even in custom homes.

I think the biggest problem is people are not hiring "cheap", but still getting cheap. That is one of the most frustrating aspects down here, people pay top dollar and get cheap and crap craftsmanship. Sure, they brag about their "quality" and deliver crap.

[Gilles Larin]

Mike Holmes only sells one product-service HIMSELF!
G

[Wayne B. Wilson]

I wonder if he gives coupons for products at the grocery store

[Scott May]

You have to admit one thing...he has the best marketers around! Love him or hate him ...everybody knows him.....just sayin!

[An HI]

Originally Posted by rhensel

I think the biggest problem is people are not hiring "cheap", but still getting cheap. That is one of the most frustrating aspects down here, people pay top dollar and get cheap and crap craftsmanship. Sure, they brag about their "quality" and deliver crap.

My most recent phrase being used fairly regularly- "Quality has become simply a word!"

In the last 6-7 weeks have inspected 7 new or totally renovated homes from $500,000 tp $1.1 million. The last was the worst of the bunch but all homes had some elements of sub-contractor "cheapness" in them with HVAC being generally the worst overall.

[ROBERT V. YOUNG]

Originally Posted by An HI

My most recent phrase being used fairly regularly- "Quality has become simply a word!"

In the last 6-7 weeks have inspected 7 new or totally renovated homes from $500,000 tp $1.1 million. The last was the worst of the bunch but all homes had some elements of sub-contractor "cheapness" in them with HVAC being generally the worst overall.

Now HVAC is the energy component that is sub contracted.
I see a run to the lowest element when I am inspecting new subdivisions.
I will also note that the first time buyer has the chance to UPGRADE that component. Also the chance to have a home inspector do a phase inspection during the building process. Hmmmm.!!
He or she is also party "as guilty" of pour oversight and conditions.

Mike Holmes loves to point to the end result of the builders trying to save money through sub contacting.
Yes but it is only one element of the problem.

He should start-with TEARING HIS OWN INDUSTRY APART. RIGHT????
Create a school for contractors.
Get the government involved with training more code inspectors and municipal inspectors.
Get invested in contractor and labor FARE WADGES reinforcement!!.
That bloody fool.
How the weak love to point at others to shed the light away from their own short comings.
Smoke and mirrors.
Geez Louis.

[Shane Goguen]

Good lord he's such a douche. What qualifications does he have? I wonder if there is a disclaimer on his show stating that he has his own home inspection company and that people are watching an infomercial.

[Pete Cobb]

I wonder if the real reason so many Internachi members seem "down" on Mike Holmes is because he points up things that should have been found on house inspections?

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by Pete Cobb

I wonder if the real reason so many Internachi members seem "down" on Mike Holmes is because he points up things that should have been found on house inspections?

No, it is his near constant trashing of home inspectors for things that are hidden defects and not part of a normal home inspection.

It gets old.