Will Monarch quality survive a buyout by Mattamy – doubt it.

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Back in April, 2009, there was the following comment made in a forum:

“Friends of mine bought from Monarch in Caledon a few months ago on opening day. They and all the the other buyers were just informed at a seminar this past week that due to the economy Monarch was now offering what amounts to rebates. They all had the choice of taking $15,000 of their purchase price or getting $18,000 in upgrades. My friends took the upgrades as they had already gotten that amount in upgrades added to their purchase price. So they now get to knock $18,000 off their purchase price and have all the upgrades still they had previously chosen.

I thought this was pretty good as the builder was under no obligation to do this for any of these buyers who had already bought firm. “

A number of responses but, they tended to revolve around the following: “I doubt you’d ever see a gesture like that from Mattamy lol.” and, “Thanks to God if Mattamy would like to pay a little more attention to their workmanship.”

If you are aware of the issues with Mattamy, the above statements are hardly new and, it is a shame that Mattamy is trying to buy Monarch.  I doubt if you will see the same level of quality and customer service that Monarch took for granted.  If the sale does go through, I can see a lot of Monarch executives leaving as they would not be able to work under the Mattamy formula.

At the moment, I am helping to tear out a Mattamy built shower stall.  I understand that originally there was a leak (showed through kitchen ceiling) and Mattamy did quickly attend and fix the problem.  They should have dug deeper as the issue was more than just a leaking tile shower floor.  Over time, the small leak under the glass door has rotted the support 2X4’s to the point where they were close to collapse due to dry rot.  So, if you have your Mattamy shower fixed for a leak, have someone knowledgeable take a closer look to see if there is more of a problem.  Otherwise, it will be off warranty and your problem.

I’d hate to be buying a Monarch home right now, knowing that Mattamy might take over.  I’d be tempted to write it into the contract that if it happens, you have the option of bailing out.  Of course, maybe Mattamy will just change their name to Monarch and thus solve their quality issues.

Cheaper than actually doing it right in the first place.

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Tiger Woods – Mattamy * Birds of a feather??

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The weekend is coming up and if the weather is good in your area, you might just get the itch to go out and do some house viewing.  On some forums, I have seen people pooh pah the idea of a house inspector as an unnecessary expense.  Considering the cost of a house inspector in relation to upgrades, I find it hard to believe most would not see it as an investment (and no, I have no connection to a house inspector – just an inconsiderate builder).

I know some are very confident that they can do the PDI without help.  But a PDI is not just to find out where the scratches are but also to find other faults that maybe should be corrected prior to you moving in.  (cupped hardwood floors, joists not being sufficient for ceramic floors, poor venting of the roof, etc).  Yes, the full monty of a house inspection is better at the 30 day or 1 year when a house inspector can really roll up their sleeves and dig in, so to speak, but having a professional back up your concerns or find concerns right at the start will show the builder just how serious you are in getting your money’s worth.

Yes, you might feel confident that you can do it all on your own.  I’ve known people to do their own divorces or, at least with a mediator, and not a lawyer.  Great savings there but there was one thing that stood out.  They were both mature and decided to save money by not disagreeing on every little item.  They were professional. 

But, what if your builder isn’t overly conducive to making the fixes and tries to make you feel like an idiot who doesn’t know anything.  I know the electrical code but not professionally and, my knowledge will not stand up in court.  But a certified house inspector will give you that extra edge.

Tiger Woods had his one sided press conference today.  He stated: “I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself.”

For those who bought Mattamy Homes 20 years ago, you will remember the Mattamy reputation at that time.  Large and expensive single lot homes.  Then Mattamy went to smaller and more congested housing.  Did they take their core values with them?  In my case, I bought on those core values but if you think doing illegal wiring to enable a sale is a good core value, then I’ve got some Ponzi scheme to interest you in.

I think Mattamy has gotten too big and, like Tiger, aren’t necessarily worried about who they hurt.  Illegal construction on land fertilized with human waste, illegal berms in Ottawa and flooding basements in Bracebridge, just to name a few documented cases kind of shows a company that thought only about themselves.

Look at the Mattamy experience of others and if you like craps, go for it and d0n’t hire the house inspector. 

You’ll only have yourself to blame – like Tiger.

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Does your ceramic crack with Mattamy?

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“It’s about time  that Mattamy stopped their ongoing love affair with minimum standards.”  I saw this quote over at the Hawthorne Villager forum, put forth by Andy Shaw of Halton Home Inspection Service.  It is in response to a discussion on cracking grout, largely attributed to those homes built in the now defunct Mattamy factory in Milton.  Will we ever know the real story??

You pay for the upgrade and the grout starts to crack within, in some cases,  3 months of occupancy.  Reminds me of my floor, which has some low spots that give that ripple effect to the floor.  I found the Mattamy installation to be very poor in quality.  Each tile, and we are talking kitchen, main hallway and downstairs bathroom, had a hardened piece of something on each tile.  These had to be scrubbed by hand and, along with the red clay that arose, made quite a mess.  Oh, and Mattamy couldn’t be bothered with it.  My wife and I spent a day doing the job.  Just the kind of thing you need the first week in a house.

I only wish I’d had the advice of a professional house inspector as I feel they may have given me some worthwhile advice that would have saved my back for the day.

And do they really repair the damage?  According to Stevenr:  “Yes, this happened in my kitchen. I am in a phase two powell constructed in 2002. we complained to mattamy and they came in and sprayed the tiles with a sealer which halted the chipping, but, it did NOT repair the already chipped areas.”

I know in my case, I did a walkaround of the basement and noticed that under the kitchen there were two  areas that were unsupported that would eventually lead to the ceramics cracking.  Reluctantly, they put in some boards as support.  If I hadn’t pushed for it, my ceramics there would have cracked for sure.

In another forum, they noted you get what you pay for.  In Mattamy’s case, you don’t seem to get the quality you pay for unless you are vigilant.

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