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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Mike Holmes – I disagree that permits mean anything

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I just finished watching the HGTV show, “Holmes on Homes“, the show showcasing Mike Holmes unearthing shoddy workmanship in home renovations.  In this episode, a very smart-looking house ends up being gutted due to poorly done renovations in the past (prior to this couple buying the home).  The sad thing is, they relied on a house inspection by someone who I guess wasn’t overly qualified to do inspections.

One point Mike Holmes kept making in the initial inspection was “permits”.  I know some see permits as a tax grab by the municipality while others state that a permit increases the possibility of quality work.

I’d like to agree but can’t totally.  In my case, Mattamy Homes wired my furnace to the uninhabited home next door and a Town of Oakville inspector passed the furnace.  Mattamy pointed out this permit when I questioned the legality of the furnace hookup and thus the house sale went through.  Illegal wiring that certainly put my children’s lives at risk.

So, Mr. Holmes – so much for a permit being a guide to better construction.

When this issue was brought to the attention of the Town of Oakville and the then mayor, Ann Mulvale, nothing was really done.  So, I guess in the Town of Oakville, at least, permits really don’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things.

But Mulvale did manage to get a worthwhile  donation from Mattamy Homes for Wellspring.

I sort of wonder why she wants to be mayor of Oakville again and is running in this fall’s municipal elections?  I wonder how much Mattamy Homes is helping in her campaign?  Will permits mean anything in the future?
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IN THE PREVIOUS OAKVILLE TOWN COUNCIL AND HALTON COUNCIL, WHO WAS IT THAT SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPERS? DO YOU WANT MORE OF THE SAME TO COME BACK AFTER 4 YEARS ABSENCE?

YOUR VOTE WILL DETERMINE JUST HOW BAD YOUR POCKETBOOK WILL SUFFER – TAXES HAVE STAYED THE SAME THIS LAST FOUR YEARS – REMEMBER THAT WHEN PEOPLE ASK YOU TO VOTE FOR THOSE WHO RAISED TAXES FOR DEVELOPMENT.

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Somethings rotten in your sub-division?

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I decided to take another look at Garth Turner’s blog and he put forward a good argument about renting instead of owning.  I’ll let you visit the blog if you want to read his argument.  But, it got me to thinking – especially in light of his previous blog on July 13th titled: Burbicide.

I live in Oakville and, like a lot of places in Ontario, it has its older section.  Historical in nature.  I look at these homes and they stand out in terms of “substance” and “character” and,yell out “quality”.  You can feel the “passion” that was put into the building of these structures.  Oh, I know that in real life they have their maintenance issues like any house but, these are over a 100 years old and still look good.  Brick facades that shout out – we’re here for the long run.

I look at today’s homes and what do I see – planned obsolescence and,”here today and gone tomorrow”.  Shoddy workmanship, lax quality control, fake wood, glues, poor joints, leaky basements right from the start, illegal wiring, plastics, etc, etc, etc.

Assembly line homes made with a cookie cutter.  Some, like Mattamy’s, just moved down an assembly line like a Ford or GM or Toyota and, from what we are hearing, had the same quality issues.  The builders want their profit and cutting corners ensures a larger profit margin.

Our society is very “me generation” now and, we think for today, not tomorrow.  Our cell phones, computers, TV’s and cars are meant to be throwaways.  How often do you change your cell phone or car?  Lease the car for 3 and get a new one.  You lease for 3 years – how quaint.  Must like antiques.

And we push that a house is an investment, not a home.  Yes, buy in small, stay for a year, sell higher and move to higher.  Etc, Etc, etc.  That is why quality is pushed only at the surface level.  As long as it looks good and lasts for a year and you dump it and move on- who cares?  Those that hire house inspectors do care but, sometimes they also buy,sell, and move for years.

Seeing homes as investments has led to this idea of cheap construction.  You want to originally buy cheap to ensure a good profit yourself.  This is addressed by the builders as they will build cheap to profit and make the house more attractive to speculators.  Even their own sales people will buy before you have a chance so as to speculate.

For those wanting a home for their family to grow and be nurtured in, speculators only hurt them as real families can’t buy into this dream.  They want a home, not an investment.  Yes, when they get old and have to downsize, they would like the place to give them some profit but they are looking at long-term, not a year or two.  I’m making my profit by paying down the mortgage.  But then,  my next move will be in a body-bag.

Yes, take a spin at Garth’s blog and see the viewpoint that shows why we are going down a path that will reap rotting houses.  Just like those you see in the “Apocalypse” style movies.  Only these were built to rot.

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CBC – Mike Holmes, support House Inspectors

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Well, I lost out on this one. I don’t watch a lot of CBC and it seems I missed a very informative show back on January 9th. CBC Marketplace ( I did watch this show once when a friend was featured – good article) did an expose on new house construction, where they found some < 5 year old homes in just as bad shape as ones older and needing a reno. 

If you want to see the entire show with Mike Holmes go to this link.  But be prepared, it isn’t pretty and I can tell you from personal experience with Mattamy – it has substance.  Like Mike says:  Same shit, different pile.

Of course, any reader of this blog wouldn’t be surprised but nice to know that even Mike Holmes of reno fame isn’t surprised either.

They offered the following advice:

• Get references from your builder — and don’t just call the homeowners the builder might recommend, knock on their door and talk to them

• Before buying, make sure your lawyer checks for any liens against the house

• Check that all proper building permits are issued

• Ensure that all safety inspections are done and in the right order

• Get an independent inspector to check your home BEFORE you take possession

And why should you follow this advice you say?  I mean, Mattamy has won awards so they must be alright – must be all those other builders that haven’t won the awards that need the special attention of a house inspector – NOT

Here is one comment from a Mattamy Home buyer – after you read this maybe you’ll understand that not all homes are built equal and advertising/award hype doesn’t always cut it.  Look at all the Olympic athletes that have to return medals…….

 

I watched your recently televised show on “new home nightmares” with great interest. Although our home is not the same nightmare as the ones you investigated with Mike Holmes, we can relate to these families frustrations. We bought our new home from Canada’s largest builder, Mattamy homes. At first, we believed all of their marketing hype claimng they were the best but we ended up being very disappointed. During construction, I found all of the errors on my own that included building code violation, breach of contract and structural upgrades we chose not being completed. On three separate ocasions I discovered the wrong R-value insulation being installed and I had to have several two hour meetings with building staff to resolve these issues. On closing day we ended up with unbelievably poor workmanship in our home that had over 300 deficiencies. So far there have been 8 roofs on our street that have been totally re-shingled due to the lack of ice-shield which is required by the Ontario Building Code. The bottom line is that builders, trades and inspectors rely on most buyers ignorance to facilitate cutting corners to save money and time. I did not have much faith in tract builders until I fell hook line and sinker for all of Mattamy’s promises and positive marketing. Never again will I buy another home from any tract builder – especially not during a housing boom when you can guarantee that everyone is rushed and workmanship suffers. We’ve had some success in having deficiencies corrected but it is a full time job.

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Sage advice from Mattamy Homes

Well, not so much advice but advertising. In today’s Toronto Star (the one who won’t report on the recent Mattamy charges in Ottawa) there is an ad by Mattamy Homes.

“Remember what home was like when you were young?”

Yes I do. It was well built, solid and built to last a 100 years. Just like my grandparents home. Straight walls, windows that lasted beyond 6 years and professional workmanship on the woodwork. No drywall there – plaster and it was smooth and no nail pops springing up like fleas on a dog. Yes, Mattamy, I do remember those well built, substantial homes of my youth. (sigh)

“Before buying a new home, rely on the wisdom of your parents”

They had one advantage. They got to walk through their home before buying. Yes, even I was able to walk through a brand new home that was as fresh as a baby’s bottom and view it before signing on the dotted line. No, not a model home that is built to a T so that it shows well but can’t be replicated when you get yours built. Not the model home that shows all sorts of stuff you won’t get unless you pay a premium and, that will have adjusted walls, etc that don’t conform to the house you buy. Yes, I walked the empty halls of this fresh paint smelling home and said, YES, I’ll buy it. I knew what I was going to get and maybe we didn’t need a house inspector in those days.

But times have been a changin’ and now you buy a home from a floorplan and maybe a model but you know right off, it won’t be the same when you move in. You don’t get the preview of the house before signing on the dotted line, unless you call the rushed PDI a preview (but you still have to sign). That’s why a good real estate lawyer and house inspector are paramount if you’re going to get anywhere near to what your parents experienced.

“We know that you expect your family home to provide as great a place to grow up as you had when you were young”

Yes, your right Mattamy – something we both agree on. Unfortunately my family didn’t get that chance, what with the illegal (code) wiring that put them at risk and all the other complaints I have come across. We’d all love a place that was like when I was young but I don’t think you’ve shown you are up to it. Some builders might but I know I’d hire a house inspector to ensure I was in the ballpark at least. By the way, are you using the Chinese Drywall???

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Special announcement on Mattamy tonight

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll see more of their shoddy work on a special tonight – with video.  Stay tuned!!!

Mattamy Homes house from hell – do you know what your’s will be?

I thought I had it rough when I bought a Mattamy home.  I mean, I only had  my children put at risk by Mattamy and the Town of Oakville when illegal (code) wiring was used, plus a plethora of other problems.

You’ll notice that someone in Florida had the house from hell sold to them by Mattamy.  Here is another one, which only shows I’m not alone in this problem but Mattamy, I guess, works the laws of average and doesn’t mind pissing off a few people considering what they make and donate.

 

I’m not sure where to go with this, but I’m seriously fed up with the BS Mattamy’s been giving us since we moved in. I’m in HVE Phase I (closed end of May) and have had nothing but problems with the speed at which our 100+ list of PDI/30-day issues is being completed.

Our master ensuite bathroom is unusable due to the fact that we don’t have a counter top or sink yet, as well as Mattamy installing the shower head on the wrong wall (I pointed this out to them at the frame walk and they did nothing about it) so that every time you turn on the shower tons of water is sprayed on the floor, not to mention getting drenched in cold water. A guy has come twice to install the sink but couldn’t because of a lack of counter top. Is Mattamy really this disorganized? Furthermore, the entire counter needs to be replaced because whoever tried to install it completely ripped up a bunch of the boards trying to screw it all together.

The bedroom above our garage is at least 5 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, which will end up being 5 degrees colder than the rest of the house in the winter. An obvious insulation issue. How it passed Mattamy’s “rigorous” energy-efficient test to obtain the certificate is a really good question.

Parts of our basement floor are bulging and has burst through at one location allowing one to see that it’s only 1/4″ thick. Minimum code states it needs to be at least 3″ thick.

The engineered beams for the main floor have holes cut out of them larger than what is allowed, as well as some of the squash blocks completely removed to run wiring. This is a serious structural problem.

But, it only goes to show you that hiring a house inspector is the way to go.  Do you want to take a chance that you will get the Mattamy House of Hell or the flowers?  It’s your choice, your investment and, the safety of your family that is at stake.  Push for the house inspector and at least you’ll know that you did everything you could to protect yourself.  And when you take on Mattamy with your lawyer, he/she will have a much more powerful arguement in court to protect your investment.  In today’s economy, everyone is cutting back to save money.  Why should a builder cut out the quality at your expense and put you through hell.  Buying a home is pressure enough and one doesn’t need to increase the heart attack risk with undue pressure brought on by shoddy workmanship at premium price.  Protect your right to proper/legal construction.  I know the Town of Oakville didn’t with me.