I bought my new construction DR Horton home almost five years ago, and I can honestly say only two good things about it: it's well insulated, and they arranged the homes so that you're not looking directly into anyone else's windows. That's it.
I've had to spend tens of thousands of dollars fixing their problems. Some of the issues were relatively minor - like two doors that opened into each other and hit every time - but still could have been easily eliminated by better design choices during the build. Other issues were major. The yard had such significant issues that I had to completely re-landscape it, including re-doing the irrigation. I've also had multiple, frightening electrical issues.
The biggest issue is the HVAC system, which is a common problem in my development. For the entire time I've lived there, it has struggled to cool, reduce humidity, and maintain a constant temperature throughout the home. Despite a couple of warranty calls (where they really did nothing except tell me it was "fine"), it incurred a major fail last summer. I brought out multiple contractors for estimates, and unprompted, three of them (including a neighbor in the industry who has nothing at stake here) told me the system they installed was too small for my house. I obtained a copy of documents that DR Horton provided to the city during the permitting process and was shocked to see that the HVAC tests they submitted were for a totally different house! I reported this misrepresentation to the city, who said nothing could be done.
I've asked DR Horton to at least pay to repeat the test on my home, and they have refused (note this test maybe costs $300 - not even a rounding error for them). So now I'm looking at finding $12,000-$20,000 to replace this system that never should have been installed in the first place. Fixing their defective ductwork, which causes the temperature differential, is over $2,000. This is in addition to what I've already spent replacing the capacitor and the coolant leak. I believe there are several class action lawsuits over this exact issue, and I'm not at all surprised given DR Horton's lack of concern or cooperation.
If you decide to go with DR Horton, just know that you're probably adding $25K over purchase price to fix their mistakes. Oh, and their warranty process is a joke. During the time my house was under warranty, we went through at least four managers, so there was never any consistency or follow-up. Sometimes they sent someone out, sometimes not, and maybe 20% of the time they actually fixed the problem. I'm still waiting on repairs to a crack in my stucco that I reported four years ago.
I would never, ever buy a DR Horton again - either new or resale. This is not my first home, but it's my first new construction home, so I don't know if another builder would have been better. But I know that, at least in my development, DR Horton does not build a quality product, and even worse, does not stand behind it. Never, ever again. read more
