Ferguson Farms by Stanley Martin Homes

Reviews

• MH

  Michael Hogue

  Nov 5, 2024
  2.0
  As an old retired engineer (civil, architectural, ecological, ergonomic, & others), I would not buy one of these without at least a 5 year warranty, which covers cracking slabs and any piping repairs. The site was covered with 3 ft deep (by the road) to 20 ft+ in the back of the development with fresh dirt, which, as far as I could tell, was barely compacted. Slabs poured 6 months later & 2 story houses put on them. As far as I know, no soil compaction tests were done to ensure proper site compaction prior to building. (They *should* have a map showing such tests if they were done. Check with the builder.) Best practices dictate disturbed earth should "rest" (settle) for one year prior to building on it, but 6 months IS legal (and fought for by developers). Expect to see cracking foundations earlier, not later. I saw no reinforcing rod used except along the edge foundation & main supporting wall. As one video I posted shows, some of the homes are built out of square - the top & bottom floors don't match up, which shows up in rippled siding. Given that, I would test to make sure your walls are straight and plumb outside & in. (SEE VIDEO). This is not something you would pick up during a daytime inspection unless you know how to check a house for warpage. Manufactured joists were used, and in some cases, rain interrupted the building before the roofs were put on. This can cause separation among the glue joints they use when manufacturing manufactured lumber. This problem will show up as squeaks & perhaps an uneven floor overall. Placement of the 2nd story joists was off a bit, which is why the walls don't match between 1st & second floors on the outside. I would suggest using extreme caution when purchasing one of these units. Get an outside inspector to go over it _thoroughly_ looking for these issues. Make SURE the warranty covers slab cracking & sagging for at least the next 5 years, including any leaks which will come from in-slab plumbing, and along the walls where the risers are. Include any cracking of interior walls and ceilings, molding seperation, jamming doors & windows as the segments of floor sag . The crooked framing should be fine, strength-wise - it just looks bad when the light is at the right angle. It should be safe enough, just a bit of a pain when remodeling, trying to get new siding installed, or when you go to resell the property (if that is your plan, e.g. for all you military families which come & go). These homes are being built rather quickly - the crews are mostly Latino (Mexican, I think - very little English spoken) and very fast & VERY hardworking. These are speed jobs. Examine your prospective home very carefully - PAY attention to the littlest details - it's quite an investment, and unfortunately, I fear that they won't be worth what you paid at the end of a 30 year mortage as the land continues to deteriorate & the effect on the house. Older houses last much longer - but they were built that way. These are rush jobs - good enough for the short term, perhaps, but DO expect within 10-15 years to have some expensive problems. Check that warranty! Demand longer coverage. Always. Nov. 29, 2024: Update: Now that we've had some freezing weather, I noticed that these houses have substandard insulation in that you can clearly see where the houses' studs and rafters are. This indicates huge thermal differences (studs - wood - is a marvelous insulator), which means these homes will have high energy bills. It's the usual caveat: buyer beware and get it checked thoroughly by an outside party prior to signing on the dotted line. 😃

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