MAYBERRY HOMES

We have built 2 other houses and completely remodeled another so we know problems are expected. But all of our past experiences were that the builders and contractors had pride in their work and made reasonable repairs. Mayberry representatives were hard to work with, non-responsive, outright lied to us, and almost all repairs that were agreed upon were substandard. The amount of time we have had to spend arguing about problems is staggering. We strongly recommend that you do NOT build with Mayberry. Read further for details. First the limited good experiences. Sales staff were no pressure; design flexibility was incredible; the construction manager was pleasant; furnace, AC and hot water heater are efficient and high quality; and 2 x 6 construction is used. The bad outweighs the positive. In the interior, the standard cabinets, carpet, vinyl floor, plumbing fixtures, and molding are all low building grade. Paint is sprayed on before trim is installed and drywall repair is complete – then they go back and repair and roll and brush the repairs. The result is pathetic especially in the 2 story entrance. When the painter came to “fix” the mess he said he could only do touch up and if he tried to fix it would just look worse. Nail pops continue to surface even after 2.5 years. Several interior doors do not latch, even after being “fixed.” There are many areas of very poor drywall finish that they would not fix. HVAC system is very loud as there is only one return air duct on each floor, located near bedrooms, and each bedroom has a pass through vent that allows noise and light to enter the room. Bathroom fans are very noisy and completely ineffective. Plumbing was not strategically run resulting in substantial noise in the bedrooms when anything drains. Closet shelves were sagging and extra support had to be added. Sump pump pipe was not even glued and leaked when first turned on. The kitchen floor shakes when our small dog walks across it and it feels like an earthquake when anybody walks on it. Kitchen cabinet doors do not line up as the cabinets were not installed level which they refused to fix. Caulk around countertops is sloppy. Caulk around windows cracked in about 1.5 years. There are numerous problems with the exterior. Windows are terrible. One periodically leaks water and another has a draft that we were told is normal. The cost to upgrade anything was very steep so we upgraded very little and have undertaken a number of remodeling projects to improve the home. During these projects we found that the house was not properly sealed. There is no caulking in many locations where the wall touches the floor in the basement and bathroom which explains the tremendous ant problem we had even before moving in. Zip wall only works if properly taped so we had to check and repair frequently during construction. We have had numerous problems with vinyl siding as many pieces do not line up. Some of these problems were fixed under warranty but others continue to resurface. The aluminum coil is coming off in many places, even during the first year, but was told this is normal and it was not fixed. The stone façade was a complete mess with stones cracking and falling off until we replaced it ourselves. We determined that the stone was not appropriately installed but Mayberry would not take responsibility. Concrete finish is terrible and repair of a cracked section of driveway revealed that the thickness was only 3 inches, not 4. Mayberry claims the homes are very energy efficient but we are skeptical as this home is less energy efficient than our previous home, in the same region, which was even larger. This is likely due the poor workmanship and drafty windows. The cost of the house per square foot is high considering the quality and features. Even worse, the price you agree to is not the final price. The lighting allowance is not nearly adequate, you will pay thousands more to get a basic lighting package. The electrician showed us everything that needed to be upgraded as it was not included, resulting in hundreds more dollars. The landscape allowance was thousands of dollars short. Features were promised and not delivered and after 2 years (when warranty not in force) several plants died.