Safety
We understand that you will
want to visit your new home between these construction reviews.
A new home construction site is exciting and can also be dangerous.
Your safety is of prime importance to us. Therefore, we must require
that you contact Just Companies, Inc. before visiting your site.
We reserve the right to require that you wear a hard hat and that
a member of our staff accompany your during your visit. Please observe
commonsense safety procedures at all times when visiting:
Keep older children within
view and younger children within reach, or make arrangements to
leave them elsewhere when visiting the site.
Do not walk backward, even one step. Look in the direction you are
moving at all times.
Watch for boards, cords, tools, nails, or construction materials
that might cause tripping, puncture wounds, or other injury.
Do not enter any level of a home that is not equipped with stairs
and rails.
Stay a minimum of six feet from all excavations.
Give large, noisy grading equipment or delivery vehicles plenty
of room. Assume that the driver can neither see nor hear you.
In addition to safety considerations,
be aware of the possibility that mud, paint, drywall compound, and
other construction materials are in use and can get onto your clothing.
Frame Tour
Many buyers appreciate the
opportunity to tour their home just after the rough mechanical stage,
before insulation. The rooms have begun to take shape but the inner
workings are still visible. This is an opportunity for you to see
the quality that goes inside the walls of your home.
Although this is not an
opportunity to request changes, the meeting does give all of us
an opportunity to confirm that we are correctly installing the options
you ordered or approved changes you requested. We will also update
you on the target delivery date during the frame tour.
As with the preconstruction
conference, your frame tour is scheduled by your sales counselor.
You will meet your builder at your new home. Frame tours usually
take 20 to 30 minutes. Please remember to bring this homeowner manual,
selection sheets, and any approved change orders.
Please understand that if
for any reason you are unavailable to attend this meeting, we must
continue with construction.
Locks and Keys
Once exterior doors and
locks are installed, we will access your home with a construction
master key. Company policy prohibits staff members from loaning
these keys to customers. Just Companies, Inc. uses construction
locks until closing at which time we install the homeowner locks.
Just Companies, Inc. does not maintain any keys to your home after
closing.
Plans and Specifications
The building department
of the city or county where your home is to be located must review
and approve the plans and specifications for your home. We construct
each home to comply with the plans and specifications approved by
the applicable building department. Your specifications become part
of our agreements with trade contractors and suppliers. Only written
instructions from Just Companies, Inc. can change these contracts.
Many factors can cause variations between the model home you viewed
and the home we deliver to you.
Regulatory Changes
From time to time, city
or county agencies adopt new codes or regulations that can affect
your home. Such changes are usually adopted in the interest of safety
and are legal requirements with which Just Companies, Inc. must
comply. Therefore, builders may construct the same floor plan slightly
differently in two different jurisdictions or at two different times
within the same jurisdiction.
Individual Foundation
Designs
Another area where variations
among homes can appear is in the foundation system. The foundation
design is specific to each lot. Based on the results of a soil test,
an engineer determines which foundation system to use. Because of
variations in soil conditions among lots, your foundation may differ
from your neighbors' foundation or that of the same home in another
neighborhood.
Topography and Home Site
Conditions
Because each home site is
shaped differently, the position of your home on the site may vary
from others in the community. You will receive a copy of a plot
plan, a drawing that shows you the home's position on your home
site.
In addition, the exterior
elevations of each home are affected by the topography, or surface
contours, of your home site. For instance, slope on the site may
affect the number and configuration of the driveway, walks, steps,
and rails. Exterior finish varies in accordance with the slope on
the site and retaining walls are sometimes needed for extreme conditions.
Just Companies, Inc. identifies existing trees on your home site
that must be removed to create room for your home, drive, and so
on. Our construction practices include steps intended to preserve
other trees in a healthy condition. However, because the reaction
of trees to construction activities and your new home are outside
our control, we cannot guarantee the health or survival of any existing
trees.
Utilities and Mailboxes
The location of meters,
phone and electrical junction boxes, and mailboxes are examples
of items outside the control of Just Companies, Inc.. The authority
of the utility companies and the U.S. Postal Service to designate
the placement of these items is well established.
Changes in Materials,
Products, and Methods
The new-home industry, building
trades, and product manufacturers are continually working to improve
methods and products. In addition, manufacturers sometimes make
model changes that can impact the final product. For instance, appliance
manufacturers generally make design changes every year. The model
homes will show the appliances that were current when the models
were built although your home may have a more recent version.
In all instances, as required
by your purchase agreement, any substitution of method or product
that we make will have equal or better quality than that shown in
our models. Since such substitutions or changes may become necessary
because of matters outside our control, we reserve the right to
make them without notification.
Models
Model homes are equipped
with larger capacity air conditioners to accommodate high traffic;
models also display many decorator items, window coverings, and
furnishings. Mature landscaping, extra walks, fences, lighting,
fountains, signs and flags are other examples of items, which are
not part of the home we will be building for you. Please review
your home's specifications as well as information Just Companies,
Inc. provides about optional items displayed in the models carefully
to avoid misunderstandings. Contact your sales counselor with any
questions.
Because finish sizes can
vary somewhat, you should measure for window coverings in your home
rather than in any model.
Television and the Internet
You may be aware of various
home construction methods and materials from watching television
programs or exploring the Internet. Just Companies, Inc. routinely
reviews new approaches with a focus on building homes with materials
and methods that perform predictably and to our standards. While
we will be happy to discuss alternative methods and materials you
may be interested in, we take a conservative approach to utilizing
new approaches until they have been proven over time. In addition,
what is appropriate for a home in one area may not be appropriate
for your home because of soil, climate, and other conditions.
Natural Variations
Dozens of trade contractors
have assembled your home. The same individuals rarely work on every
home and, even if they did, each one would still be unique. The
exact placement of switches, outlets, registers, and so on will
vary slightly from the model and other homes of the same floor plan.
Quality
Our company will build your
new home to the quality standards described in our documents and
demonstrated in our model homes. Each new home is a handcrafted
product—combining art, science, and raw labor. The efforts
of many people with varying degrees of knowledge, experience, and
skill come together.
Errors and Omissions
From time to time during
a process that takes several months and involves dozens of people,
an error or omission may occur. We have systems and procedures for
inspecting our homes to ensure that the level of quality meets our
requirements. We inspect every step of construction and are responsible
for quality control. In addition, the county, city, or an engineer
conducts a number of inspections at different stages of construction.
Your home must pass each inspection before construction continues.
Your Questions
We also respect your interest
and appreciate your attachment to the new home. Therefore, your
input into our system is welcome. However, to avoid duplication
of efforts, confusion, misunderstandings, or compounding errors,
we ask that you first check your purchase documents to review what
you ordered and the specifications for construction of your home.
If you still believe we are in error, do one of two things:
1. Bring your concern up
at the frame stage tour.
2. Contact your sales counselor, in writing, with your question.
You are welcome to use one of the Our Customer Wants to Know forms
included at the end of this section. We will note the date and time
it was received and will respond within two business days. Also
keep the following points in mind once you have notified the builder
of a concern:
Your concern may involve
a detail Just Companies, Inc. has already noticed or appreciates
your pointing out. Still, correction may not occur immediately.
Trades and suppliers often impose trip charges for extra visits
to the home site so to be efficient, we may schedule the correction
for the next routine visit. Also, a particular trade may be unavailable
on short notice.
Work may simply be incomplete; an early stage can look wrong to
you but be exactly right when finished.
Methods and materials vary from region to region and change over
time. When you are familiar with one method, you naturally question
a different one. That does not make the new method wrong. Ask questions
until you are comfortable.
Ugly Duckling Stages
During the construction
process, every home being built experiences some days when it is
not at its best. Homes under construction endure wind, rain, snow,
foot traffic, and activities that generate noise, dust, and trash.
Material scraps are a byproduct of the process. Although your new
home is cleaned by each trade upon completion of their portion of
the work, during your visits you will encounter some messy moments.
Keep in mind that the completed homes you toured also once endured
these "ugly duckling" stages.
Private Home Inspectors
If you wish to retain the
services of a private home inspector to review your home during
or at the end of construction, please be aware of Just Companies,
Inc. policies regarding private home inspectors. Your inspector:
Just Companies, Inc. will address concerns involving
building code or contract issues only. Your sales counselor can
recommend a private home inspector(s) who has provided us with evidence
of the required insurances as well as information about typical
fees and services they offer.
Single Source
Just Companies, Inc. is a single source company. That
means that we select all personnel and companies who will contribute
to your home. We order all materials and products from suppliers
with whom we have established relationships. Although sweat equity
arrangements are unavailable as a part of our purchase agreement,
you are welcome to add your personal touches to the home after you
close and take possession of it.
Trade Contractors
Your home is built through the combined efforts of
specialists in many trades—from excavation and foundation,
through framing, mechanicals, and insulation, to drywall, trim,
and finish work. In order to ensure you the Just Companies, Inc.'s
standard of construction, only authorized suppliers, trade contractors,
and Just Companies, Inc. employees are permitted to perform work
in your home.
Each trade contractor works on a limited portion of
the home; they may not be aware of all the details that affect the
home and are not in a position to offer judgments. All questions
or requests for changes should go through Just Companies, Inc.,
and we will obtain input from trades when that is appropriate.
Suppliers and trade contractors have no authority
to enter into agreements for Just Companies, Inc.. For your protection
and theirs, the terms of our trade contractor agreements prohibit
alterations without written authorization from Just Companies, Inc..
Their failure to comply with this procedure can result in termination
of their contract. Discuss changes you are considering with your
sales counselor.
Schedules
The delivery date for your new home begins as an estimate.
Until the roof is on and the structure is enclosed, weather can
dramatically affect the delivery date. Even after the home itself
is past the potential for weather-related delays, weather can severely
impact installation of utility services, final grading, and concrete
flatwork, to mention a few examples. Extended periods of wet weather
or freezing temperatures bring work to a stop in the entire region.
When favorable conditions return, the trades people go back to work,
picking up where they left off. Please understand that they are
as eager as you are to get caught up and to see progress on your
home.
Delivery Date Updates
Just Companies, Inc. recognizes that timing is critical
to planning your move. Although a guaranteed date is unrealistic
in the early stages of construction, the builder can provide regular
updates. As the home nears completion, the builder can provide a
firm delivery date (usually 45 days before the closing). Meanwhile,
be flexible and avoid making arrangements that might cause you worry
if the move-in date changes.
We will update you on the estimated delivery date
at each of our construction meetings. You are also welcome to check
with us for the most current target date. As completion nears, more
factors come under our control and we can be more precise about
that date. Expect a firm closing date no later than 30 days before
delivery.
We suggest that, until you receive this commitment,
you avoid finalizing arrangements for your move. Until then, flexibility
is the key to comfort, sanity, and convenience. We want you to enjoy
this process and avoid unnecessary stress caused by uncertainty
that cannot be avoided. Review the Loan Lock heading in Section
3, Applying for Your Loan, for additional suggestions on this topic.
Please keep in mind that your belongings may be brought
into the home only after the closing because of insurance issues
and the regulations of the applicable building department.
"Nothing's Happening"
Expect several days during construction of your home
when it appears that nothing is happening. This can occur for a
number of reasons. Each trade is scheduled days or weeks in advance
of the actual work. This period is referred to as "lead time."
Time is allotted for completing each trade's work on your home.
Sometimes, one trade completes its work a bit ahead of schedule.
The next trade already has an assigned time slot, which usually
cannot be changed on short notice.
Progress pauses while the home awaits building department
inspections. This is also part of the normal sequence of the construction
schedule and occurs at several points in every home. Also, throughout
construction of a home, work progresses rapidly at some stages as
highly visible stages are completed (such as installing large expanses
of walls) and more slowly at others (such as detail work in framing,
soffit and closets). If you have questions about the pace of work,
please contact our office for an update.
