[kingofbeer]

Originally Posted by Justputt

Not discovered until we saw a leak more than a year later. They caulked all the way around the toilet instead of leaving the very back uncaulked to ID leaks sooner. We should have figured it out I guess because one of our punch list items was to fix a really messy caulk job on the toilet in the same location that leak showed up. In hindsight I realized the messy caulk was water dilution that thinned the caulk to failure.

I contacted TV Home warranty and told them the flange was 11/16" above finished floor instead of the recommended 1/4". As luck would have it the toilet from where the wax ring touches to the base is also approximately 11/16", which means there was little more than a smear of wax to seal it. This was in the guest bathroom, which wasn't often used, but after enough use it compressed down to its failure point. I contacted Mike Scott Plumbing (original installer) and they said it's outside the 1 year so I'd have to pay them to come out and fix it, with no discounts

Seen some issues. Overall, the pre-cast wall house is fine. Roof, windows, floors, walls are acceptable, electrical, plumbing, garage door, patio doors are great. We had problems with the shower floor tile because water was not draining. It had to be re-tiled twice. We noticed that the toilet in one bathroom was not level. We did not have the builder fix that.

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by npwalters

Serious question - not trying to sharp shoot. I use drywall screws quite often on many things. Is there a reason I should not?

They are fine for many items, but the plastic and metal electrical boxes are designed for 6-32 machine screws, and drywall screws tend to split the boxes causing a significant loss of strength. Then I have seen them used to hang doors on the hinges, and various other locations.

[jimhoward]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I learned a long time ago, that you can hang almost anything from the drywall, if you use the proper anchors and spacing. The Container Store sells a lot of shelving and other wall hanging products, and they recommend hanging items from the drywall. In Virginia, I had a garage full of heavy items on a Container Store shelf system, and the entire system was hung from the drywall. No need to locate studs.

My daughter is a closet/garage designer at the Container store (who knew that was a thing). They want the horizonal shelving brackets to hit at least one stud. The verticals don't need studs. They want you to drill one or more auxiliary holes in the bracket as required to make that be the case. If you use the proper anchors you may get by without a stud, but she has told me horror stories where customers put very heavy items on the shelving system with no studs and the drywall failed.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Super Cindy

We have metal studs also, maybe 70/30, 70 percent wood and 30 percent metal. I use a stud finder and magnet to find what is what.

During our (designer) build, our construction supervisor mentioned using wood studs where structure was needed.

[Justputt]

Originally Posted by kingofbeer

Seen some issues. Overall, the pre-cast wall house is fine. Roof, windows, floors, walls are acceptable, electrical, plumbing, garage door, patio doors are great. We had problems with the shower floor tile because water was not draining. It had to be re-tiled twice. We noticed that the toilet in one bathroom was not level. We did not have the builder fix that.

Construction trash in drains isn't new. We had that problem in the master shower. Get a snake (DIY) and run it as far as you can. I did and got some trash out.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jimhoward

My daughter is a closet/garage designer at the Container store (who knew that was a thing). They want the horizonal shelving brackets to hit at least one stud. The verticals don't need studs. They want you to drill one or more auxiliary holes in the bracket as required to make that be the case. If you use the proper anchors you may get by without a stud, but she has told me horror stories where customers put very heavy items on the shelving system with no studs and the drywall failed.

I used the Elfa system which had a horizontal bracket secured about 8 feet above the floor with the Container Store drywall anchors installed every 8 inches in the drywall. Everything else hung from that bracket with no hardware at all. They specifically told me that I did not need any screws in the studs, although they sold me a few screws in case I accidentally hit a stud. They even had a sample mock-up in the store that demonstrated how much weight it could hold. Although that was about 20 years ago. I never had a problem with the shelving system. Obviously, I didn't try to place a 5 gallon bucket of paint on the shelving, but I did store a lot of heavy items. Since then, I have hung many items using only drywall anchors. Some people seem to think they always need to locate a stud, which is usually not the case. It depends. I would not try to hang a television or a large heavy mirror with drywall anchors.

[jimhoward]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I used the Elfa system which had a horizontal bracket secured about 8 feet above the floor with the Container Store drywall anchors installed every 8 inches in the drywall. Everything else hung from that bracket with no hardware at all. They specifically told me that I did not need any screws in the studs, although they sold me a few screws in case I accidentally hit a stud. They even had a sample mock-up in the store that demonstrated how much weight it could hold. Although that was about 20 years ago. I never had a problem with the shelving system. Obviously, I didn't try to place a 5 gallon bucket of paint on the shelving, but I did store a lot of heavy items. Since then, I have hung many items using only drywall anchors. Some people seem to think they always need to locate a stud, which is usually not the case. It depends. I would not try to hang a television or a large heavy mirror with drywall anchors.

Yes, I was also talking about the Elfa system. I recently used that system here in the villages in my master closet. The horizontal bracket that goes up high, one inch below the ceiling, is the one that I was told they want at least one of the mounting holes to hit a stud. So we have slightly conflicting info. But I agree the drywall anchors alone hold a lot of weight.

[Sabella]

How about everybody get together and get a class action lawsuit people like to complain, but nobody wants to take any action to do something about it

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Sabella

How about everybody get together and get a class action lawsuit people like to complain, but nobody wants to take any action to do something about it

To do something about what?

Sue someone, because Buyers didn't read their paperwork and didn't understand what they were buying? All the plans & specifications for new homes are available.

Unfortunately, many buyers are so busy sipping the Kool-Aid, they don't pay attention to the paperwork and don't do sufficient due diligence. There's a reason homes in The Villages are seemingly so inexpensive in comparison to other markets and it's not because the Developer is on a charity mission.

[ChuckWBarnhart]

Originally Posted by Super Cindy

Work is sub-par at best. We just closed on a house, and I begin to repaint the walls. Drywall patches not sanded and textured right over, paint drips all over the base board, 2x4 put in crown out so there's a big bump in the wall, some doors are damaged and should have been replaced, windowsill in the bathroom installed upside down. And the list goes on. Like tophcfa it's all about the amenities and my super big garage for our boat.

Did you note these things on your walk-thru to be repaired under warranty?
If not get a inspector to go through the house and they will submit to the warranty department.
You have 1 year to get this process done.

[Janie123]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

Much better construction and more expensive than wood studs ... just don't assume all your studding is metal, most aren't from what I've heard.

I just walked thru a new house in Eastport. All non load bearing studs are metal, The load bearing and the areas like kitchen cabinets were wood. As for the OP, the sink and many other spots like for future handrails most likely has blocking between the studs and the lights are a wire thru the wall because the buyer will change their minds about the fixtures so moving a wire is very inexpensive, moving a box is hundreds of $$$.

I know this because I build Habitat houses in Sumter county and that is exactly how we do it. As for inspections, I bet we get 2 dozen inspections on every house or so it seems… we’re always waiting for an inspection to start the next part of the project.

[Jazznjam]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I used the Elfa system which had a horizontal bracket secured about 8 feet above the floor with the Container Store drywall anchors installed every 8 inches in the drywall. Everything else hung from that bracket with no hardware at all. They specifically told me that I did not need any screws in the studs, although they sold me a few screws in case I accidentally hit a stud. They even had a sample mock-up in the store that demonstrated how much weight it could hold. Although that was about 20 years ago. I never had a problem with the shelving system. Obviously, I didn't try to place a 5 gallon bucket of paint on the shelving, but I did store a lot of heavy items. Since then, I have hung many items using only drywall anchors. Some people seem to think they always need to locate a stud, which is usually not the case. It depends. I would not try to hang a television or a large heavy mirror with drywall anchors.

As you suggest, never hang a TV or other heavy item with just drywall anchors - always tie into one or more studs. A child was recently killed here in Florida when a TV mounted on the wall fell on him. Also, if your shelving goes down close to the floor, a child can try to climb (or even hang from) it to reach something - their leveraged weight on the edge of the shelf may bring it all down - always tie shelving units (and other furniture that can present an opporutnity) to a stud as well. As for the modular shelf brackets you mount to the wall - the drywall anchors can hold a good amount of static weight, but always evaluate the situation and if a child can add 50 lbs of active leveraged weight on the edge are you covered.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by Janie123

I just walked thru a new house in Eastport. All non load bearing studs are metal, The load bearing and the areas like kitchen cabinets were wood. As for the OP, the sink and many other spots like for future handrails most likely has blocking between the studs and the lights are a wire thru the wall because the buyer will change their minds about the fixtures so moving a wire is very inexpensive, moving a box is hundreds of $$$.

I know this because I build Habitat houses in Sumter county and that is exactly how we do it. As for inspections, I bet we get 2 dozen inspections on every house or so it seems… we’re always waiting for an inspection to start the next part of the project.

I thought all the homes in Eastport, were built with pre-cast concrete? Which would mean there are no load-bearing interior walls. Walls that "carry cabinets" are not load-bearing walls. Using wood studs for those walls is cheaper and makes it easier for minimally trained cabinet installers and carpenters.

[MollyJo]

Originally Posted by Unruly

I am sitting here totally baffled by the construction in our master bath. My wife and I had the master shower retiled. I am doing all the fixtures, lights and cabinets myself. So today I take down the two light fixtures over the twin sinks and there is no work box! The wire just comes through a hole in the drywall. Any type of electrical wiring must terminate in a work box. So, I get that mess straightened out and now I am going to hang surface mount medicine cabinets above each sink. Get out the old trusty stud finder aaaand... The wall studs in the master bath are 24 inches on center behind the sink!! No way of mounting the cabinets without tearing the wall apart and putting addition studs in. As far as I know the standard for wall studs have always been 16 inches on center! To me this is just really cheap shortcuts being taken with the construction of our homes. Enough said.....

I will be looking for a home in 2027, and new/newer construction is out for just the reasons you have found. I’m not looking at anything less than 15 years of age. It seems to be Lipstick on a Pig. No pride in a good job done anymore.

[CarlR33]

So I have to ask, what if you buy an older home in which the owner did many DIY upgrades and depending on their skills or lack of would you not possibly have similar issues?