Zancor Homes

(EDIT: this is published without the original paragraph breaks, which makes it harder to read. - - - - - Not intended that way.)
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We've been in our new Zancor home in Brooklin for about 1.5 years. We liked one of the model homes and bought one just like it. (had been looking for over 5 years). Good choice – our initial impression was that it would suit us perfectly, and it has. Layout and location are just dandy.
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There have been some good experiences, and some challenges.
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I know many people complain about delays, but we moved into the home on the exact promised date. Maybe we were lucky, but we gotta give credit where it’s due.
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Many neighbours have had stories about taking time off work to await the arrival of some trade, only to be understandably disappointed and frustrated when they did not show. Similar situations haven’t driven me batty because I’m basically retired and stick around home a lot, so we have been able to accommodate Zancor’s own staff (sometimes) or subcontractors (often) with their changing repair schedules. We had about 50+ items on our Tarion deficiency list. Some items were done quickly, others took a long time. One was major – a floor that was uneven. It took months to get that structurally corrected (I’d give the ‘fix’ a 7/10).
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Zancor has generally responded well to our requests, albeit slowly at times. If Zancor deserves criticism, it’s that some of the subtrades did inferior work (in our case, plumbing and painting, and some drywall) and others needed to come in and correct that. As seems typical for all builders and trades, one suspects that there is some process that deems it better to repair a couple times than to do it right in the first place. It’s plain to see, when you meet them in person, which tradesmen take pride, and which are duds. Our fireplace was “fixed” about four times before they finally ripped the guts out and replaced all but the outer shell. It’s fine now. Upset over that? Nah – stuff happens. It got fixed. HRV unit had a minor problem – after almost a year’s delay, fix took 5 minutes. Subcontractor again.
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A special note to mention Natasha, our site rep in charge of getting things looked after. She has done her best to juggle many demands. A difficult job, I’m sure.
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It is quite possible that our love for the new home has coloured this review a bit rosy. There have been some frustrations, however I’m familiar with construction sites, delays and screw-ups. Maybe a new home purchaser SHOULD be able to expect a perfect experience, but that will just never happen with mass-built homes. Spending $500K or even double has no effect on that. Perhaps a custom built home experience would fare better. (PS no, I have no relationship with Zancor or any builder).
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I’d strongly recommend that new owners awaiting completion of their newly purchased home, get in regularly to observe the progress from start to finish. That can be problematic for any builder because if the new owner does not understand the building process and how messy things get, they can upset both themselves and the builder and trades people. On the plus side, the owner knows what he bought, and can point out mistakes (or ask questions) before they become major disasters. We personally found that all but two of our specific requests (and extras) were missed during first construction, and had to be corrected – at a cost to someone (not me). That did not fill me with confidence. Builders don’t want anybody to visit the site, presumably because of insurance reasons, so be aware that you’re there at your own risk. Just don’t do anything stupid or get hurt.
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My regrets? I should have thought of paying extra to put in ¾” plywood floors instead of the crappy chipboard (meets code, not most people’s quality standards) – maybe we wouldn’t have had the floor squeaks they’re still trying to fix. I should have paid for fewer overpriced extras and had them done after we took possession – like kitchen upgrades, carpets, hardware. In a week we could have saved thousands. Luckily we held off on the marble countertops.
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Would I deal with Zancor again? Yes, if they build the home model we like, in the location we like. THAT is what sold us – not the ‘reputation’ of the builder which we (maybe unwisely?) did not even consider. In my opinion every builder tries – and wins or fails based on the subtrades, the weather and the general labour (employment) situation at the time of construction.
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Love our new home. Nice neighbours. Nice small town. Seconds from ‘the country’.
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My suggestion to all builders:
- Instead of keeping clients in the dark, get them involved as often as possible.
- Be reasonable with costs for extras.
- Manage trades to do things right the first time. Fire them ASAP if they fail.
- Be proactive with needed repairs. Go above-and-beyond to regain trust and respect. Clients understand that stuff happens – but abusing them even more by a poor response is very counterproductive.
- Arrange for some socializing in the community (after 99% of the clients moved in, our last builder had a neighbourgood wine-and-cheese party hosted by the company top brass and the sales staff. Criticism was present but pleasant, and that created a lot of goodwill.)
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That’s my 2 cents – thanks.