Saratoga Upgrades

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
Thought I would continue this thread.

Little more than a month away from closing.  Few mistakes/problems found already in the house.

  • First, they put in standard countertop in our bathrooms where we updated to granite and caesarstone.  That was clear mistake that they couldn't dodge.
  • Then soft-close cabinet doors are not soft-close at all.  The saleslady said they need to adjust them so soft-close is not install yet.  I doubt it.
  • Found out (spotted easily) the wood particle bar between stovetop and oven becomes broken.  Complained about it.  Fixed the next time I went in.
  • Some other stuffs I'm just not sure they're work-in-progress, or totally forgotten.  I have to wait and see.

The question I have is for some of the small tears and wears during to construction environment, are they going to replace them?  For example, I saw lots of cabinet corner surfaces have been chipped, exposing wood particle inside.  Doubt that they will replace the particle boards for this.  But are they going to just touch it top and cover it?  For people moved in to their new IP homes, what do you think of the quality of your house?  How new are they?
 
Irvinecommuter said:
1)  We have serious cracks in the sink countertops in our downstairs and master bathroom.
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I assume this is granite, correct? It is possible that what looks like a crack is actually a "fissure". Granite can have deep fissures, a natural characteristic of the stone, which do resemble cracks. I've talked to installers that say they've gotten lots of calls about people thinking their stone is cracked when it's actually not. Not saying it couldn't be a real crack, though. I had so many problems with granite from cracking to staining and poor repair jobs that when I moved into my most recent home, I picked a different material altogether (one that could be repaired easily.) Where is the location of the cracks? If it's on a narrow arm, say, in front of the sink then I do believe it could be a crack due to stress.
 
Do you have a pic of the range being off-kilter?? It's hard to picture that one in my head. Sorry you are having these problems.
 
I would not have closed on that house. I would have pushed back the closing and have them fix all that. Some of those things sound somewhat significant. Too many repairs and too many days off work to deal with that. Minor cosmetic stuff I can understand but cracked countertops, off center ranges, etc. - I'm not closing
 
Irvinecommuter said:
We just moved in and the verdict is not great.

1)  We have serious cracks in the sink countertops in our downstairs and master bathroom. 
2)  Edges of the cabinets are chipping/scrapped in many areas.  You can see paint over in some of the cabinet edges
3)  They set our range off center because it didn't fit right.  This has caused damaged to the range and the range is moveable. 
4)  Cracks in windows.
5)  Issues with cabinets being off center or not closing right.

I'm reserving the rage until they have had a chance to remedy the issues.
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Sorry to hear this.

With so many bad stories about IP and my own experiences with it, I'm lowering my expectation of the "New" house.  I'm going to have many eyes to go through the walk-through. sigh.
 
qwerty said:
I would not have closed on that house. I would have pushed back the closing and have them fix all that. Some of those things sound somewhat significant. Too many repairs and too many days off work to deal with that. Minor cosmetic stuff I can understand but cracked countertops, off center ranges, etc. - I'm not closing
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They [intentionally] make that hard by not allowing you into the house during the last month before closing.
 
What I heard wasthat  they block access during the last month and one week before the closing date, they allow a final walk-through and then they don't allow any more access to the house.  But if we find out any problems during the walk-through, how can we check if they fix anything before the closing?  Are we going to take their words for it?
 
irvinehomeowner said:
So the day/week before you close, you don't get a final walkthrough? Strange.
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You can't access the house in the last month.  Your walkthrough is scheduled about 1-2 week before closing.  Even then, you are on your own.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
So the day/week before you close, you don't get a final walkthrough? Strange.
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Oh, duh. Sorry, no of course you do get the final walkthrough. I totally forgot and was just thinking about all the times we wanted to come take a look and they wouldn't let us.
 
lucky said:
Oh, duh. Sorry, no of course you do get the final walkthrough. I totally forgot and was just thinking about all the times we wanted to come take a look and they wouldn't let us.
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Sidetrack topic little bit.  lucky, whom did you choose to do your tile work and what the price/sqft?
 
To be fair to IP, cabinets and such are done through 3rd party contractors who are making so much money they aren't giving a shit.  I've seen the cabinet guy responsible for repairs almost everyday since I've moved in fixing issues around the neighborhood.  A tip...be nice to the trade guys who are doing the fixing...they went out of their way to get things done for me since I was being pretty cool with them.

Also beware of your Walk Through Reps boss...I think his name is Dennis and he is a complete A-Hole.  He will try to avoid fixing everything at any costs.
 
Irvinecommuter said:
songkou said:
What I heard wasthat  they block access during the last month and one week before the closing date, they allow a final walk-through and then they don't allow any more access to the house.  But if we find out any problems during the walk-through, how can we check if they fix anything before the closing?  Are we going to take their words for it?
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You have to take their word for it.  They fixed a light bulb and some paint issues from the walkthrough.
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They won't fix bad lightbulbs they give you...so you have to tell them you want them to inspect the electrical to make sure it's just the light bulb....they have to put in a new bulb to verify it's just a bulb.  I had like 4 bulbs replaced that way.
 
we bought from william lyon recently and we did our walkthrough 3 days before closing, brought our inspector, gave william lyon the inspectors report, then the morning of closing we met again to sign off on their walkthrough sheet that they had fixed (or if they had not fixed then you didnt sign off) - then it was up to us if were were willing to live with the things they didnt fix and have them fixed under the warranty and go ahead and close or push back the closing.
 
i dont give a shit what the contract says that dont have to let you in etc, i would have marched in the sales office made a huge ass stink, have your lawyer call them, etc. you guys are too nice.  you cant be mr nice when making the largest purchase of your life.
 
qwerty said:
i dont give a shit what the contract says that dont have to let you in etc, i would have marched in the sales office made a huge ass stink, have your lawyer call them, etc. you guys are too nice.  you cant be mr nice when making the largest purchase of your life.
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Word to the chimichanga!
 
Irvinecommuter said:
qwerty said:
i dont give a shit what the contract says that dont have to let you in etc, i would have marched in the sales office made a huge ass stink, have your lawyer call them, etc. you guys are too nice.  you cant be mr nice when making the largest purchase of your life.
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I get the sentiment but you can reserve the rage for a later date.  Pushing back the closing does not really do much.  You can also sue later...you have 4 years.
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i disagree, it would light a fire under them to fix the items ASAP. they know you mean business. if you go crazy in their office and they here from your lawyer they will take you seriously.  pushing back the litigition until after you are in the house just creates a whole different headache.  and once you move in you are less likely to sue anyway.
 
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