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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Mattamy – can a cheaper house have the same quality?

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A recent thread on the Hawthorne Villager Blog was brought to my attention and it focuses on cracking tiles.  Points were brought up about the floor joists being too far apart in Mattamy Homes (using structured I beams and placed at minimum code separations) and, being the cause of tiles in the kitchen cracking due to flexing.  Further investigation by the homeowner showed that the tiles were only held down by the grout and not by the glue/concrete under them.  It was pointed out that the installer was probably using the cheap glue/concrete and thus the tiles did not adhere properly to the sub-strate.

I won’t go into what I think of Mattamy quality here, as you’ve probably read it enough already in my other postings but would like to point out something that would be relevant no matter who the builder was.

In some of the forums I have read people state that they have liked other homes better but picked Mattamy as they were cheaper. 

It’s the old adage – you get what you pay for. 

I think we have pointed out enough things to show why Mattamy might be cheaper – cutting corners, etc.  Paying a premium price does not guarantee quality but buying at the low end, well you’ve already set yourself up for shortcuts, etc that a builder will use to save money and thus be able to offer a cheaper house.  A sub-contractor who is paid less (and thus the builder can charge you less) still has their costs and might save money by using cheaper material and sticking to code, even though the code may cause problems such as bouncy floors.

We’ve shown what Mattamy quality is like.  Do other builder’s use the same tactics to save money?  I don’t know as I have really not read anything about them.

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