We leave this review to caution anyone considering building with Espire Homes. Their failure to…read moredeliver has devastated our family emotionally, mentally, and financially. Excited to build our dream home, we signed a contract with Espire in November 2021. We were told our build would take 6-9 months. Initially, our experience with our sales rep was pleasant and responsive. However, after signing, we never experienced the same level responsiveness again and our dream quickly turned into a 34-month+ nightmare that continues.
It took Espire 10 months from contract signature to break ground on our property. This was a result of redesigns of our architectural plans and repeated site survey errors - each of which we had to pay for. We ultimately had to work with municipalities and subcontractors ourselves. This highlights significant communication issues within the Espire team - even before shovels hit the dirt.
Once construction began, the issues multiplied. We experienced weeks, even months, with no progress on our home. This was while we watched their Parade of Homes and model homes get completed in just 6-10 months, year after year. Espire made the conscious choice to allocate their subcontractors to other jobs to sell homes while our home (along with many others) sat unfinished. Materials were ordered incorrectly multiple times, products were not installed per the manufacturer's specifications, actual constructed items deviated from our plans, and there were even code violations.
Our experience didn't stop there. Espire failed to seal the home during construction, allowing birds, bats, and mice to take residence. Our new flooring wasn't protected, resulting in damage from drywall and paint. Poor preparation before painting has left our windows with stains that cannot be removed. Furthermore, we noticed that instead of using spray foam insulation for our windows- as per industry standard and specifications, loose insulation was crammed into some areas while others were left completely uninsulated. This has left our home with drafts, humidity issues, and temperature differences that are not easily regulated and causing energy waste. Our smooth coat drywall issues were so significant their drywaller couldn't resolve them, leading us to hire our own subcontractor to complete the work.
There were times when work was halted for weeks or months as they discussed issues internally. After 15 months, our construction loan period expired and converted into a full mortgage. This left us paying two full mortgages for over a year and a half, placing immense financial strain on our family. Despite being fully aware of our situation, the entire Espire team, including owners Daryl and Jenny, showed no urgency in completing our project.
If after reading all this, you're still considering building with them, you'll want to know the most disheartening aspect of all is Espire's "customer is wrong" mentality. When we raised concerns, we faced resistance and excuses rather than solutions. We were made to feel "picky," when in fact we were holding them accountable to the contract we both signed and agreed to. After 34 frustrating months, we had no choice but to remove Espire from our project and are still dealing with the aftermath.