Estimate for Covered Patio & Warranty claim list

Hello all and thank you for taking a look at my blog!

Last week we met with the designer from Texas Custom Patios to go over the design and see the final figures for the covered patio we would LOVE to add to our home.

The guy was very nice and went over the materials that would be used for our patio cover and what would be included with the price of our patio. So here are the details for what we wanted.  We wanted a covered 340 soft patio with attached composite shingle roof to match current roof. Stucco would be used to match our home as well with arches to match the rest of the exterior of our house. Pre-finished pine is to be used for the patio sealing. The company would install 2 ceiling fan connections, 6 can lights and necessary switches and the floor would be stamped concrete.

In addition to the standard covered patio we requested pricing for an outdoor kitchen to include granite counters and backsplash as well as appliances (grill, drawers, double side burner, fridge).

For the concrete area we have now we felt it would be a good idea to have a pergola installed constructed of stained Cedar.

If you have a weak heart, please stop reading now.

The total for the above-listed items came to --- (drum roll please)

$62,500

No covered patio for us. lol

At least not with this company.
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Now that everyone has been given smelling salts and returned to being conscious,  I'll give a little info on how the process is going with warranty claims.

In my previous post I showed how buyers submit warranty claims to Toll Brothers.  Almost 1 month ago I submitted the following claims:

• missing electrical outlet in laundry room
• door trim coming loose on front door
• bubbling of one of the doors to the study
• flashing on roof and 1 shingle lifting
• Exterior trip chipped
• Soffit light hanging

Honestly, the process is not easy despite me not having another process to compare it to. The online submission is easy, but afterward trying to coordinate with the all the trades is very challenging.  First someone from the warranty department contacts you, then the construction manager. Then they want to see the items in person (during the week). Then the trade companies contact you directly to schedule the repair. Toll Brothers should consider paying the companies a little extra to come out on weekends. Every person that we've had do warranty repairs did not work on weekends. This means that you have to take off from work to have a repair done. And if you cannot try to schedule different trades on the same day, that means more time missed from work.

So far only the electrician has contacted us and WE are being asked by Toll Brothers to supply them with the electrical plans so they can verify that there should have been an outlet on the long wall in the laundry room. I'm sorry -- but I thought the builder would have a copy of the electrical plans. 

I'll update as more repairs are made.

Thinking about building with Toll Brothers? Consider a different neighborhood to save $$

I happen to live in a neighborhood, Riverstone, that has a neighboring master planned community by the same developer. My master planned community is in 2 different cities - part of the neighborhood is in Sugar Land and the other is in Missouri City. If you anything about real estate then you know it is all about location, location, location. The neighboring community is in Missouri City just does not sound as sexy as Sugar Land when you say it out loud.

Several months after I moved in I decided to pay a visit to the Toll Brothers model in the next community - just because I felt like it. Well! As soon as I told the sales person that I had just purchased in Riverstone he gave me a list of reasons why I should have come and spoken to him first. So, since this community is in the less-sexy city, the builder throws in some perks to attract people to the community. The community itself is beautiful, but saying you live in Sugar Land has a certain 'je ne sais quoi.' I was informed that in that neighborhood, the model floor plan, the Sandhaven, comes as shown in the model. Say what?! Yes.

As far as my floor plan, the Vallagio, there was a $60k price difference between the communities when I signed my contract and the lots were a lot larger. In addition, the Vallagio in the less-sexy city comes with a pergola. The tax rate is also slightly less at 3.03% vs 3.3976%. Yes the difference is slight but if you consider the final price difference, then you could save yourself $2k/year.  For those of you who do not live in the Houston area, you are likely appalled that $2k could be saved by such a small tax difference. Houston area property taxes are ridiculous, but there aren't any state income taxes. On a house valued by the appraisal district to be $600,000, approximate taxes could be $18,000 without exemptions. That equates to an additional $1,500 per month; more if you escrow because a cushion is required. So take that into consideration.

With all the statements above, I do not regret choosing Riverstone because the location works better for me. If the floor plan is more important to you than the location or your commute to work, then consider finding a neighborhood where there base price is cheaper and more incentives are given. If location is more important, choice the location that you like and be willing to pay more.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Post-closing Toll Brothers experience

We closed on our home in October and we have truly been enjoying the past 8 months living in our new home and taking advantage of our the amenities in our new neighborhood.  Overall, we have been pleased with the finished product and I do like the method that Toll Brothers uses to submit claims for warranty issues. For now I will simply go over Toll Brothers' warranty claim process.

Claims are submitted at www.tollhomecare.com. The state and community are selected, then the log on information provided at closing are entered.

Once you log in, you select the type of issue (i.e. electrical) and then the area of the house experiencing the issue. After selecting those things you have the opportunity enter free text and elaborate further. You can enter several issues during one warranty request/inspection submission.

After you are done entering your requests, you submit it and a message is shown stating that you will be contacted shortly.

Voila!!!!  Your warranty request has been submitted. No speaking to someone on the phone. No visiting a sales office. No fuss.

I will post soon about our experience with Toll after submitting previous requests and will also share what he have had issues with.

Thanks for looking!

I'm baaaaaacccccckkkkk!!!!

Hello everyone,

I took quite a long hiatus from blogging after moving into my home.  We are certainly enjoying our home and even more so, our neighborhood. The neighborhood is beautiful, the homes are gorgeous and the neighbors are friendly.

Since moving in I've been making mental notes about all the little things I SHOULD have done or even COULD have done, but did not think about before signing the contract.  I will be making posts about these things and also discussing my plans for decorating - including the costs of such projects.

Here's to more posts!!!