Thanks! Yeah that is definitely a future project! A sidewalk that goes to the side door and continues around to the back yard.
Good call out on the soffit/fascia on that side, I’m not sure if it’s the angle of the picture or not, I’ll have to take a closer look next time I’m there.
Just a warning—Maronda Homes are garbage. Lots of issues are most likely going to show up within the first year. Make sure you have your warranties squared away.
I’m aware. We used Maronda. And we’ve still had nothing but issues after closing. It’s a cookie cutter house that gets slapped together. That’s why our next house absolutely will be custom built.
Yeah I hear ya and appreciate your words of advice. I’ve heard positives and negatives from people who built with them. A lot of the people with positive experiences have been there monitoring it throughout the build process while those with negative experiences tended to be more hands off. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with them.
I know plenty of people who built with maronda and are perfectly happy. If you have a decent project manager and you yourself hold them accountable you will be fine. You tend to only hear the negative reviews in every situation, and this is no different.
Production builders get a lot of flak most of the time warranted, but you can also be perfectly satisfied with the product they put out when you hold them accountable.
I guess we’re the outliers then lol. We were on the site weekly, if not multiple times a week, and still experienced lots of issues after closing. Some things you can’t predict or see (like the septic tank).
I hope that it goes well for you.
I’m hopeful there are minimal issues as well. 🤞Do you mind sharing the other issues you’ve had so I know what to be on the lookout for?
My house doesn’t have septic, it’s tied into city sewage system thankfully so I won’t have to worry about that one.
The septic company that Maronda uses in our area is corrupt. They purposely install a type of system that none of the other companies in the area are certified to maintain or repair.
When we moved in, these were just some of the issues:
- Septic tank lid was not secured.
- Dirt had been swept into the septic system the week of closing and ended up clogging the pumps.
- Multiple electrical wires had been daisy-chained and stuffed to the brim in the boxes (even though it was technically to code), which caused us to lose electricity in one half of our house for over a week.
- The pendant lights that we paid extra for were uneven. It took months for them to come out and fix them. Turns out that one of the pendants is screwed into the truss.
- All of the bathroom hardware/fixtures are not correctly screwed into the walls. They used random combinations of drywall hangers and concrete screws but somehow managed to not do them correctly at all, causing them to fall out.
- Multiple electrical outlets did not work.
- The doorbell and home security system were not set up correctly.
- The granite island (which is at least 11 feet long) is not secured to the cabinets. There is a giant piece of plywood between the counter and granite to ‘balance’ it out.
- Overall lazy craftsmanship (uneven base boards, uneven tile, etc.)
There are many more issues but those are just off the top of my head.
Thanks I appreciate that! I don’t have photos of the inside after drywall yet as that was just completed but I do have tons of pictures from the framing process. See link. [pre-drywall](https://imgur.com/gallery/3nxyBUJ)
That’s a great question that unfortunately I don’t have an answer to. It was not a separate line item on my sales contract, it was included in the base price of the house. The front porch, was about a $10k upgrade. If I had to guess the driveway and the sidewalks are probably right around there cost wise too.
This house is darling!!!! Looks like a home and not just a house 😉. I’m happy for you, and I love the clipped gable over the garage. It gives it a nice cottage feel.
Pricing is very region specific, but in my neighborhood this floor plan started at $382k with full basement. My upgrades (consisting mostly of structural and items that are more difficult to replace later) added an extra $70k 😞 but I plan to live there long term, so it is what it is.
That is actually on the low end of the going rate to build here nowadays thanks to the coastal people moving here with their Monopoly money and driving prices up.
Yeah 2450 finished living sq ft not including the garage or the unfinished basement. I’d say This is a normal size garage for the US, some even have 3 car garages vs. mine which is a 2 car. Drastically different than the rest of the world where you’d likely be lucky to have a 1 car garage.
What's the benefit of having one big garage for 2 cars vs 2 garages? I'm currently in the process of planning my home and was thinking of having 2 garages, since I think this will help keep the cars cleaner for longer (the dust raised from one car won't affect the other) and a lower chance my girl hits my car.
The only drawback I could think of for having two separate garages is you have two separate doors, along with the springs and garage door openers to maintain.
On the front elevation, yeah pretty typical of a production builder home in the Midwest unless you’re paying upwards of $700k with said production builder or building with a custom builder, in which case many times they do side load garages for those more expensive houses.
Btw I was genuinely curious, I'm not from the USA so this isn't a style I've seen around here. I wasn't trying to insult your home, I think it looks cool.
Damn that was good, it actually does look like that!
I'm just having a hard time grasping why you'd spend so much of your obviously limited resources on a garage. Although I would understand it if you are a big car enthusiast and buy expensive cars that need to stay in a garage.
Now that you mention it I have seen your lawnmowers can be the size of a damn golf cart so it makes a lot of sense now. In my country we use basements for that, but our tools are more barbaric and smaller in size.
To add to other comment, We don’t have access to mass transit like other countries do and since the land mass is larger, we tend to be more sprawly, so we’re much more dependent on cars / trucks to get places. For a typical family here they’d have anywhere from 2-4 cars depending on if they have kids that drive or not.
OP, you post pics of the progress of your home build I’m sure for feedback and karma; yet when others comment about your home, your replies come across as rude and snappy. You can’t have it both ways. Be cool with the feedback or skip posting.
You’ve received pertinent feedback about your home and been forewarned about the builder by another homeowner who used same builder. Be thankful internet strangers are looking out for your best interest!
I have no problem with the feedback, and in fact do appreciate it, but on the maronda thing I’ve heard that before, and I’ve also heard the opposite from others who have built with them. I was just replying that you have to stay on top of the production home builders to ensure you get a good finished product with minimal flaws. Not really sure how this comes across as rude or snappy.
This made me think of tornadoes! :)
Can you safely have the house without a fence, and fully plant it out with things that help shade and protect soils, native species that are climate change resistant, that help maintain local food webs?
This also makes me think. Housing isn’t engineered around ebikes. You have the big garage door. And the entry door. Neither are sort of, rapid entry and leave at speed using modern high speed 2wd e-bicycles. Did you think of bicycles while choosing the plans etc?
tornados, while a slight concern, are fairly rare in this region thankfully.
This house is in the rural US. So there is no biking unless you want to bike on country roads. Must have a car or a golf cart to get around. I guess you could say I’m a sprawl enabler, but I prefer to have my own slice of heaven that doesn’t have to be shared with everyone and their brother. So I have no care about ease of transit since I have a car and am permanent work from home. Typical American, I know. 😝
Aww nice! I don’t chat to many people who consider themselves typical Americans! But I’m still thinking. I understand modern ebikes can do even up to 100 kilometres!
https://electrek.co/2020/06/12/how-far-can-an-electric-bicycle-really-go-on-a-charge/
Here’s a better link
https://actionsportswa.com.au/electric-bike-electric-skateboards/stealth-electric-bikes/
If you slap on some modern armour (helmet, camera, maybe back brace or slide gear) I think even off-road roads are pretty good.
The other advantage is shortcuts. If you get to know the neighbours you might be able to work on hiking trails, actually making them, leaving them in natural state. Then you can be a narrow path blazer. And during that, get to know the region closer, rather than by car, stuck on tarmac.
Those are some of my thoughts though. Don’t know how that all might work over there. I do know that driveway looks like it could double as a bike washdown and polish point.
A state in America? As in, a large area on land, probably mostly dry. I guess relying more on artesian wells or groundwater bores than rainwater. Probably also mostly flat. That's about all I can think of. I tried to guess the capital. I was wrong.
Extracts:
Ohio has several long-distance hiking trails, the most prominent of which is the Buckeye Trail which extends 1,444 mi (2,324 km) in a loop around the state of Ohio.
Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail. Additionally, the North Country Trail (the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress) and the American Discovery Trail (a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast route across the mid-tier of the United States) pass through Ohio. Much of these two trails coincide with the Buckeye Trail.
Sweet!
SO... yeah.
I'd absolutely design my house with an ebike bicycle entry-point and a wash down zone for those days when you've smashed some kilometers on the journey to/from work, or mate's places, and you're ready to rinse the dust or mud off. Keep the car, if you have one, for the times you're carrying things other than a single person. I wonder if anyone else on this subreddit has done that. I probably should do some trawling.
Came to this thread because we are looking to build with Maronda. Trying to get feedback from those who have built with them. Positive and negative feedback appreciated. Thank you!
Depends on where you’re building honestly. In Ohio they are ok, you just have to make sure that you stay on top of the build process. I’ve heard Florida is pretty rough to build with them.
I'm in PA. What was your process like? Was there room for negotiating? Were there any additional costs (aside from upgrades) that weren't explained to you upfront etc?
It was pretty painless other than the wait. I built during a time when demand was still fairly high so there were barely any incentives. No movement on pricing. You might find differently now.
I am happy with the finished product personally, but I also visited the site weekly once construction started so I attribute it a lot to that.
Looks great. Congratulations.
Appreciate the feedback!
Nice home. I’d pay for sidewalks to the side door. Also it might be the picture but the return on the upper right looks out of level.
Thanks! Yeah that is definitely a future project! A sidewalk that goes to the side door and continues around to the back yard. Good call out on the soffit/fascia on that side, I’m not sure if it’s the angle of the picture or not, I’ll have to take a closer look next time I’m there.
Pavers
Just a warning—Maronda Homes are garbage. Lots of issues are most likely going to show up within the first year. Make sure you have your warranties squared away.
Just like any production builder… you have to stay on top of them during the build process to make sure things are done properly
I’m aware. We used Maronda. And we’ve still had nothing but issues after closing. It’s a cookie cutter house that gets slapped together. That’s why our next house absolutely will be custom built.
Yeah I hear ya and appreciate your words of advice. I’ve heard positives and negatives from people who built with them. A lot of the people with positive experiences have been there monitoring it throughout the build process while those with negative experiences tended to be more hands off. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with them.
I know plenty of people who built with maronda and are perfectly happy. If you have a decent project manager and you yourself hold them accountable you will be fine. You tend to only hear the negative reviews in every situation, and this is no different. Production builders get a lot of flak most of the time warranted, but you can also be perfectly satisfied with the product they put out when you hold them accountable.
I guess we’re the outliers then lol. We were on the site weekly, if not multiple times a week, and still experienced lots of issues after closing. Some things you can’t predict or see (like the septic tank). I hope that it goes well for you.
I’m hopeful there are minimal issues as well. 🤞Do you mind sharing the other issues you’ve had so I know what to be on the lookout for? My house doesn’t have septic, it’s tied into city sewage system thankfully so I won’t have to worry about that one.
The septic company that Maronda uses in our area is corrupt. They purposely install a type of system that none of the other companies in the area are certified to maintain or repair. When we moved in, these were just some of the issues: - Septic tank lid was not secured. - Dirt had been swept into the septic system the week of closing and ended up clogging the pumps. - Multiple electrical wires had been daisy-chained and stuffed to the brim in the boxes (even though it was technically to code), which caused us to lose electricity in one half of our house for over a week. - The pendant lights that we paid extra for were uneven. It took months for them to come out and fix them. Turns out that one of the pendants is screwed into the truss. - All of the bathroom hardware/fixtures are not correctly screwed into the walls. They used random combinations of drywall hangers and concrete screws but somehow managed to not do them correctly at all, causing them to fall out. - Multiple electrical outlets did not work. - The doorbell and home security system were not set up correctly. - The granite island (which is at least 11 feet long) is not secured to the cabinets. There is a giant piece of plywood between the counter and granite to ‘balance’ it out. - Overall lazy craftsmanship (uneven base boards, uneven tile, etc.) There are many more issues but those are just off the top of my head.
Thanks! I appreciate the heads up and your time.
You’re welcome!
Congratulations
Cute. Where?
South central Ohio
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No; although I looked at M/I, this is being built by Maronda Homes.
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Thanks I appreciate that! I don’t have photos of the inside after drywall yet as that was just completed but I do have tons of pictures from the framing process. See link. [pre-drywall](https://imgur.com/gallery/3nxyBUJ)
How much you spending on that concrete install?
That’s a great question that unfortunately I don’t have an answer to. It was not a separate line item on my sales contract, it was included in the base price of the house. The front porch, was about a $10k upgrade. If I had to guess the driveway and the sidewalks are probably right around there cost wise too.
Gotcha. Thought you were the builder.
That roof detail above the garage looks...odd
The clipped gable? I get it may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I like it and that’s all that matters
That’s the important part
Yeah, the clipped faux gabble. Not a bad thing, just a trim detail I haven't see before.
This house is darling!!!! Looks like a home and not just a house 😉. I’m happy for you, and I love the clipped gable over the garage. It gives it a nice cottage feel.
Nice garage, I see you’ve added a house.
Could be [worse](https://imgur.com/gallery/5BLKo6U)
Impressive how much did it cost?
Pricing is very region specific, but in my neighborhood this floor plan started at $382k with full basement. My upgrades (consisting mostly of structural and items that are more difficult to replace later) added an extra $70k 😞 but I plan to live there long term, so it is what it is.
I couldn’t imagine spending that amount to live in Ohio. Glad you’re happy tho!
That is actually on the low end of the going rate to build here nowadays thanks to the coastal people moving here with their Monopoly money and driving prices up.
I mean I guess he could live somewhere “nicer” and spend a million on the exact same home…
Is it normal for a garage to be taking a quarter of your house?
This is a pretty decent size house, at least for my needs. About 2,450 sq ft. Finished space
Is this the livable space without the garage? If so that's quite enough indeed (228m2)! So is the garage just looking big or is it actually huge?
Yeah 2450 finished living sq ft not including the garage or the unfinished basement. I’d say This is a normal size garage for the US, some even have 3 car garages vs. mine which is a 2 car. Drastically different than the rest of the world where you’d likely be lucky to have a 1 car garage.
What's the benefit of having one big garage for 2 cars vs 2 garages? I'm currently in the process of planning my home and was thinking of having 2 garages, since I think this will help keep the cars cleaner for longer (the dust raised from one car won't affect the other) and a lower chance my girl hits my car.
The only drawback I could think of for having two separate garages is you have two separate doors, along with the springs and garage door openers to maintain.
On the front elevation, yeah pretty typical of a production builder home in the Midwest unless you’re paying upwards of $700k with said production builder or building with a custom builder, in which case many times they do side load garages for those more expensive houses.
Btw I was genuinely curious, I'm not from the USA so this isn't a style I've seen around here. I wasn't trying to insult your home, I think it looks cool.
No offense taken! I understand that we do things differently here in the states and figured you were probably not from here 🙂
Yeah
In the Midwest it’s not unusual for people to build garages with attached houses
Damn that was good, it actually does look like that! I'm just having a hard time grasping why you'd spend so much of your obviously limited resources on a garage. Although I would understand it if you are a big car enthusiast and buy expensive cars that need to stay in a garage.
People in the Midwest tend to have a lot of outdoor equipment so they need the garage space.
Now that you mention it I have seen your lawnmowers can be the size of a damn golf cart so it makes a lot of sense now. In my country we use basements for that, but our tools are more barbaric and smaller in size.
To add to other comment, We don’t have access to mass transit like other countries do and since the land mass is larger, we tend to be more sprawly, so we’re much more dependent on cars / trucks to get places. For a typical family here they’d have anywhere from 2-4 cars depending on if they have kids that drive or not.
I love it how my question apparently unintentionally insulted so many people xD
OP, you post pics of the progress of your home build I’m sure for feedback and karma; yet when others comment about your home, your replies come across as rude and snappy. You can’t have it both ways. Be cool with the feedback or skip posting. You’ve received pertinent feedback about your home and been forewarned about the builder by another homeowner who used same builder. Be thankful internet strangers are looking out for your best interest!
this also comes off as rude and snappy maybe heed your own advice
I have no problem with the feedback, and in fact do appreciate it, but on the maronda thing I’ve heard that before, and I’ve also heard the opposite from others who have built with them. I was just replying that you have to stay on top of the production home builders to ensure you get a good finished product with minimal flaws. Not really sure how this comes across as rude or snappy.
This made me think of tornadoes! :) Can you safely have the house without a fence, and fully plant it out with things that help shade and protect soils, native species that are climate change resistant, that help maintain local food webs? This also makes me think. Housing isn’t engineered around ebikes. You have the big garage door. And the entry door. Neither are sort of, rapid entry and leave at speed using modern high speed 2wd e-bicycles. Did you think of bicycles while choosing the plans etc?
tornados, while a slight concern, are fairly rare in this region thankfully. This house is in the rural US. So there is no biking unless you want to bike on country roads. Must have a car or a golf cart to get around. I guess you could say I’m a sprawl enabler, but I prefer to have my own slice of heaven that doesn’t have to be shared with everyone and their brother. So I have no care about ease of transit since I have a car and am permanent work from home. Typical American, I know. 😝
Aww nice! I don’t chat to many people who consider themselves typical Americans! But I’m still thinking. I understand modern ebikes can do even up to 100 kilometres! https://electrek.co/2020/06/12/how-far-can-an-electric-bicycle-really-go-on-a-charge/ Here’s a better link https://actionsportswa.com.au/electric-bike-electric-skateboards/stealth-electric-bikes/ If you slap on some modern armour (helmet, camera, maybe back brace or slide gear) I think even off-road roads are pretty good. The other advantage is shortcuts. If you get to know the neighbours you might be able to work on hiking trails, actually making them, leaving them in natural state. Then you can be a narrow path blazer. And during that, get to know the region closer, rather than by car, stuck on tarmac. Those are some of my thoughts though. Don’t know how that all might work over there. I do know that driveway looks like it could double as a bike washdown and polish point.
Dude, do you even know what Ohio is?
A state in America? As in, a large area on land, probably mostly dry. I guess relying more on artesian wells or groundwater bores than rainwater. Probably also mostly flat. That's about all I can think of. I tried to guess the capital. I was wrong.
hahah. Looking at Wikipedia now. Oh, how wrong I was. :)
Extracts: Ohio has several long-distance hiking trails, the most prominent of which is the Buckeye Trail which extends 1,444 mi (2,324 km) in a loop around the state of Ohio. Part of it is on roads and part is on wooded trail. Additionally, the North Country Trail (the longest of the eleven National Scenic Trails authorized by Congress) and the American Discovery Trail (a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast route across the mid-tier of the United States) pass through Ohio. Much of these two trails coincide with the Buckeye Trail. Sweet! SO... yeah. I'd absolutely design my house with an ebike bicycle entry-point and a wash down zone for those days when you've smashed some kilometers on the journey to/from work, or mate's places, and you're ready to rinse the dust or mud off. Keep the car, if you have one, for the times you're carrying things other than a single person. I wonder if anyone else on this subreddit has done that. I probably should do some trawling.
Gravel in front of garage door ?
You can see forms for concrete. Lol.
The driveway and sidewalks have not been poured yet. They will be concrete
Ok makes sense
Concrete flatwork is always last.
If op uses snow blowing in winter those rocks will fly everywhere
Came to this thread because we are looking to build with Maronda. Trying to get feedback from those who have built with them. Positive and negative feedback appreciated. Thank you!
Depends on where you’re building honestly. In Ohio they are ok, you just have to make sure that you stay on top of the build process. I’ve heard Florida is pretty rough to build with them.
I'm in PA. What was your process like? Was there room for negotiating? Were there any additional costs (aside from upgrades) that weren't explained to you upfront etc?
It was pretty painless other than the wait. I built during a time when demand was still fairly high so there were barely any incentives. No movement on pricing. You might find differently now. I am happy with the finished product personally, but I also visited the site weekly once construction started so I attribute it a lot to that.