Fort McMurray Forum

Hey guys this is my first post. I`m currently looking for a house to purchase. I am thinking to get a place in Parsons Creek. Please help me find a desirable location with that area. What are the things that I should watch out for. There isn`t much there at the moment but its going to grow as time goes by. Thanks for you help

no takers?

Well that area is new and no one lives there yet, so you might not get much feedback.
As with any new construction in Fort McMurray inspect the house as it is build to make sure they are not cutting any corners.
In Eagle Ridge there were a lot of issues with basements, wrong drywall in the bathrooms and sloppy insulation.
Try to go with a well known builder and research them prior to making a purchase.

considering basements being poured in minus 25 deg c weather, expect alot of cracks when summer comes along,
its not that the fabricators are not skilled but when buildings go up that fast, you can bet there will be more errors and some shortcuts takes some where,
stuff you may not be able to see once all the drywall is up and the wiring is done,
there is alot to check and even the best home inspector will miss some of the defects that may only show up with the right conditions.

It will probably be much like the Eagle Ridge problems and choosing a builder won't make much of a difference because they all seem to use the same contractors. The other problem is that most don't check on the quality of work being done, they usually just book in people to do the work. Some of the consistently sloppy work that happens have already been mentioned.
Insulation, I have seen some homes where it was just never done, more often it is missing around windows and doors after they are installed.
Drywall, I agree on the using the wrong type in wet areas.
Paint and plaster, not using a primer/sealer on fresh drywall. Usually it is a quick spray job to look good for the possession inspection. Ceiling texture plaster is often lacking enough latex binder so you end up with a constant white dust all over your house. Give it a quick rub with your finger, it shouldn't come back all white and powdery.
HVAC, the sheet metal guys hate taping the duct work and will fight tooth and nail against doing it. Natural gas, the lines are often undersized for the run of pipe or appliance it is connected to. This will result in an underperforming water heater, furnace or more often bbq or gas range.
Eavestroughing and downspouts, these guys are terrible. Problems include not sloping the eaves downwards to the spout. This ends up with large amounts of water sitting stagnate in the eavestrough. Also watch for downspout placement, they really don't care. Drive around Eagle Ridge and try counting the number of homes with downspouts that run across the pathway to the front door. You will either trip your guests if the downspout extension is down as required or kill them when they slip and fall on the ice sheet that forms every spring and fall on your sidewalk. They also seem to love having them come down directly over window wells. The Wood Buffalo Housing townhouses are a nice example of that.
Finally, take a look at the area on one of the older aerial photos with the new roads superimposed. If your lot was once a pond make sure you have a good sump pump and consider an emergency backup unit.
Even though most builders forbid you touring the property until it is finished I would recommend walking through every couple of days and taking lots of photos or video. If you are not construction savvy at least have your home inspector look at these as part of the survey. It is the only way to catch all those really important items that are hidden behind the drywall and single coat of paint.

Does anybody have a list of builders with good reputation and bad reputation? A friend of mine bought a 900 000 house and the house itself was 4 inches longer than the foundations so the back wall is hanging in the air, that was done by Rohit. I looked at a few Qualico homes and they seem to be alright. Thanks for all the help guys. Also how about SureBrook are they any good?

Rohit is just awful. Something to think about being that they are the ones developing Parsons Creek
http://www.rohitlanddevelopment.com/res ... ons-creek/

Just remember that different builders usually only mean different levels of quality of fittings and fixtures. The actual people building the homes are often the same group of shoddy contractors. The oil companies draw away most of the skilled trades in this town leaving us with a few who choose not to work for big oil and a whole bunch of people that can't pass a drug screening.

Yeah I went through a Rohit showhome and was less then impressed, the finishing in the house was downright terrible with the carpet leading up the stairsing having a gap between it and the wall, terrible tape job on the painting, wood finishing was also extemely shoddy.

The most impressed I have been with a builder in this city so far has been with Birchwood Homes, I went through a couple of their showhomes and was quite impressed with the visible finishing of the homes. I went through a Cherrywood home as well that was decent, way better then Rohit but not quite the level of Birchwood IMO.

Were I to get someone to build a house for me in Fort Mac it would be Birchwood Homes.

I sound like a schill, they should totally set me up with a sweet deal on a house!

I would buy a home that is of the main street. That will be landscaped this year. There will be a mess in the area for a few year because of construction. Most builders including me alway have essues that need to be fix or are not quite right. But as long as you have someone you beleive that will address your essues they you can injoy you home you purchases. Good luck.