BUYER BEWARE General info We contacted Morrison Homes upon our return to Calgary (after 10years away) to build a house for our family of 5, based on the 11 time builder of the year. The initial experience was great, until we signed on the dotted line. We purchased an estate level house for build in Mahogany. The build process was similar from what we have heard from our friends and family that have built similar calibre homes. However, it seemed that Morrison was banking on that 11 time builder of the year accolade and the prices reflected it as (but I guess you pay for quality and re-assurance). We budgeted for $1 million home, and this put us into the estate level standards and floor plans. They are busy and so they have separated their process into stages...which is geared to helping the build complete in an optimal period, however, as you get through each stage you are continuously upgrading as you realize the standard levels are very basic (or priced at a bear minimum/sq foot) which leaves the upgrades being quite costly. Just when you think you are done.....it is not. Ie) Estate basic standard----plugs/switches were the old style round plugs---common since the 70's, 80's 90's. You would upgrade to the DECORA SWITCH which is the square plug (you see in all showhomes)...its an upgrade!!! And we didnt find out until we asked a stupid question!!!! We told another couple after they already signed off, and they were told $5.00 per outlet to upgrade and $10.00 per switch. (kind of nominal considering this is an ESTATE LEVEL HOME)!!! Also, we had questioned the pricing. The people you deal with are great. They will show you the products they have in store in their show room, however, for the pricing...we found that much of it was done by another person internally in their costing department (someone who is NOT emotionally connected to the customer; kind of like the dentist who will fix your teeth...but sends you to the business manager to show you the price.) They know that you have already signed..so you are committed to building...and you are trapped. We knew we wanted upgrades and understood we had to pay for it....but towards the end it got so bad we started shopping the costs and found that pricing was very pricey through Morrison (ie...tiling on backsplash $3000.00 through Morrison whereas we found $1400.00 through tiling company using exact same tiles). And certain items they had not prepared for correctly (ie) they charge to put in a Barn door in our den, but neglected to put in a case to finish it off from the inside (there was a gap, this should have been known and accounted for)..When we brought it to their attention...they indicated they could fix but for additional cost. All and all, the build process wasn't overly great...at the end of it we felt that Morrison's build process was designed to maximize upsells/upgrades. POST POSESSION \\ BUYER BEWARE At our possession walk through we were able to identify deficiencies which is a part of the warranty work. We had come various items which were to be expected. Small caulking, paint...etc. However, when it came to the flooring we had noticed throughout the Hardwood flooring...there were paint drips all over the floor. In one area...you could see that they tried to clean up the mess, but made it worse. It was bad enough that after inspecting just the great room and dining room---the walk through representative said---its obviously around the whole main floor. As this was a common area where our guests would spend much time... we upgraded our flooring to the 2nd highest level Morrison offered with a SIGNIFICANT surcharge, A white oak 7" board hand scrapped wood. We have identified areas to Morrison showing paint marks within boards (Morrison keeps saying this is normal due to drywall dust etc)...and white residue patches where the painter attempted to clean the paint. It has been 6 months, 2 treatments later, 3rd one pending (now a replacement of quite a few boards) we have been last advised by Morrison Management that they have attempted to do what they can...but, "In reviewing your concern about the discoloration in the wood grains on your flooring against the Alberta New Home Warranty standards, we feel those standards would not consider the discoloration to be a defect." Basically, they screwed up our floor (not a manufactures defect or natural staining)...and I will have to live with Paint drips on my expensive floor. The Painter attempted to clean up the original paint drops and left a light white residue patch(not visible during with sunlight; only visible at night). I fail to understand why they don't seem to think they need to fix it completely to the original state. I am pretty sure the Alberta new home warranty and the standards created are against manufacturers defects......not for Contractor issues. But Morrison management does not consider discoloration due to this paint to be a defect worthy of being fixed. I paid the price based on Morrison's reputation. And this is how they would treat me a new home build for their screw up. I am planning to move again in the next 5 years (hopefully to a bigger and better place), but having received this last comment shows the companies true colors. HOW CAN I TRUST them irrespective of whether I was building a $500K home or a $2million home. Would you?? They are working at fixing most of the other deficiencies but this is to be expected of any builder warranty. At the end of the day comparing notes with our Group of friends Millenium Plus Homes (build all around the city) and Cooke Custom Homes (in Watermark) all build Estate level homes but scored better on Pricing/value and service (very quick to resolve issuing including major ones; we are the only ones with a major unresolved issue longer than 3 months). We have since spoken with neighbours who built with Morrison and comparing notes and It is surprising to hear the similar comments from the others, each one of us thinking it was a unique situation limited to our builds). This is a big investment for many----go walk around the new build communities and ask the homeowners for their thoughts on the builder. I wish I had instead of relying on an accolade of Builder of the year.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $1,100,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Hello Shahir,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns. We take feedback from our customers very seriously and use it to continually improve. I speak for all of us at Morrison when I say that we sincerely try to make the satisfaction of each customer our top priority. If we fell short or didn't properly clarify expectations, then we are truly sorry.
With respect to your concerns, if I'm reading you right, they centre on our standard specifications and your flooring touch ups.
Regarding our standard specifications, we require all sales people to have customers sign off on our standard specifications at the signing of their purchase agreement. This is done to ensure expectations are clear right from the start. If you did not have an opportunity to review and sign off on these standards or do not feel this process adequately clarifies our standards at the time of purchase, please let us know - we appreciate the feedback. While we take pride in our standard offering, we know many of our customers appreciate the opportunity to upgrade their selections. I can assure you that our process isn't designed to maximize upsells. There are thousands upon thousands of interior selections available and we simply need a baseline to start from.
Regarding your hardwood floor, Erik has shared the communication he's had with you and I wonder if perhaps his last email was misinterpreted. To ensure there is no confusion I would like to reiterate what he said when he indicated that we would be flexible with replacing and/or repairing the number and locations of the boards in question and that, in so doing, we would be going above and beyond the standards laid out in the Alberta New Home Warranty Program. We encourage you to continue to work with Erik and our warranty team during your warranty period and appreciate your patience as we remedy all outstanding items. As Erik stated at the end of his last email, our commitment to you is to ensure you and your family love and are completely satisfied with your new home. If you have any questions or additional concerns, please don't hesitate to call or email your assigned warranty coordinator. In the meantime, we look forward to correcting issues on April 9 as previously scheduled.
- Sam (Marketing Director).