Drees Homes Reviews

Floor plans are the most attractive among the other builders.

... until you close. We have an incompetent warranty representative. Small things, such as caulk missing around our tub were handled in such an unprofessional manner and have yet to be truly fixed.. Major things, like drainage in our backyard swale & moisture in/around our AC, have yet to be addressed/feel as though they had zero urgency. The sales rep & construction managers we've worked with are both amazing! The build process was clear. Given the pandemic, we expected multiple delays. Everything that was impacted was clearly communicated. Our home was very well built. I wish I could give 5 stars but at this point, not happening. ... More

Drees was very considerate to make the closing date as per my need. The building process was very transparent and received timely updates.

Disappointed that no changes could be made even tho the carpet was not in. Buyer pulled carpet and replaced it before moving in. Selections were all done “on the cheap” ...Low grade carpet, no hardware on the cabinets, no stationary tub, or rough-in for one, no window sills. Who builds a &250K+ home without these basics? LOTS of issues with high humidity. Had to purchase a dehumidifier to bring humidity levels down Because of high potential for mold. 36” Door to pantry was too deep to walk through walk-in pantry. Buyer installed a louver door after closing...which should have been done before closing. That was a BIG design flaw. The door cost less than $100, to replace and now it works as it should with full access to the pantry. That should have been done by Drees before closing. Basic construction seems okay. It was just all the other stuff that was both costly and annoying to complete after closing. That is why the less than stellar ratings were given. ... More

Getting issues that were done poorly, incorrectly or not at all (some I realize were material b/orders) so we could move in, then takes weeks-months for resolution. Being told "We'll take care of it" needs to then be followed with a definitive "By whom and by when". There is a 60 day follow up that should be done within 2 weeks, not 2 months, for a $560K house. Time, thus closing on the house, is way more important to Drees than quality at time of possession.

We still are not receiving mail because of not having a collection box. This was not disclosed to us and should have been resolved before we moved in. Any problem reported to Amy has been promptly handled.

Several plumbing errors as the plans were not followed and had to be revisited.

Workmanship of contractors- below my standards they would have to come back multiple times to fix items that should have been done correctly the first time such as erecting a Piller to be straight! Things like that where you could see visibly to any person walking by the home. Frustrating process to watch and realize this continues to delay the build. They needed to be babysat and checked each day but even checking it at the end of the day the work it would be too late as the work would have to be redone or corrected.

Overall we had a good experience building with Drees. We enjoyed the people we worked with throughout the process. There were definitely issues that came up along the journey that we felt were not adequately attended to and some miscommunication from Drees and contractors/trades that led to some frustration. In the end we’re very happy with our home and are happy to be here!

Sales reps were nice. Project manager was good. Quality workmanship was questionable. Many things are not correct. Gas fireplace doesn’t work. Microwave is giving error codes. Cracks in foundation with leaks. Scratches on front and back doors, so they needed to be replaced. Fusion wiring was faulty and needed to be replaced. Fusion sensor at back doo r does not work correctly now. Never had so many issues when buying a new home. Everyone is nice though and they come back to try to remedy the situation. Hopefully it will all be taken care of.

Love our new home. However, there were lots of maintenance items after we moved in. We have been here for four months and we are still waiting for some outside items to be completed. Also, during the last month, new problems have surfaced inside. The items that have been addressed so far are mediocre at best. This home doesn't compare to the quality of the home we sold.

Have had many issues during the build and also issues after. The order in which houses get different things doesnt make sense. Our yard has not been finished yet and we are living in our house, but someone who's house is just now being finished is getting a yard. For the price you pay for the house, there is lots of imperfections and below expectations on the quality. Even with upgraded paint, you cant clean it without causing discoloration. cabinets have nicks and dings all over them. Things you pay for upgrades dont get done and they are only corrected or refunded if you bring it to their attention. ... More

Get everything in writing. After you sign reality sets in. Market manger’s job is to sell regardless of integrity.

Drees advertise as Custom Home builder. But they only allow minor tweaks in plans. Their original plans lack modern layouts, fancy elevations and open plans. Lot of wasted attic spaces. Literally filled the useful area under extended living with dirt, instead of using that space. Lot of design choices, but it can make the life very cumbersome with design centers. Their basic selections are old style and dated. Ex; Old style switches, very traditional light fixtures, trims etc. We have to buy upto new styles and materials. I have to pay up a lot to bring it to Toll Brothers style. Elevations are dated too. Not much choices there. Essentially a good builder, but dated choices with Materials and Floor Plans. Also they dont spend on community signs nor fence the neighborhood etc. Outside your home lot, they are not even leveling or clearing ground or put up a tree line. Responsiveness to issues is very lagging. Some staff are good, some dont even respond to emails/phones. ... More

The lack of urgency to fix the items found at the week before closing walk through has been disappointing… we highlighted ~15 items and we are approaching 99 days and we still have items open. The lack of respect by some of the subcontractors has been shocking as they fix one item and damage another item that requires someone else to come fix it.

Sales process was not always transparent, design studio was very chaotic and disorganized, the contractor was great.

Management was responsive once they understood my dissatisfaction with first issue.

We’ve worked with Lisa, buying our previous Drees Home & she’s phenomenal! Our building contractor that we started with, Andy, was great too! We’ve had some new construction issues with this house & that hasn’t been pleasant.

Your sales department was terrible, I never felt I could trust him or felt respected by him. There were more than one occasion when we were not spoken to with 100% integrity. The design center ladies were amazing. Albert was really good until we got close to closing. He was a little more hesitant to correct minor discrepancies at that time than I would have liked. His trustworthiness and communications is what kept me from walking away throughout the build process i felt i could trust him.

We love the floor plan and design of the home. The construction of the home was unsatisfactory.

It’s a very expensive duplex. I know home prices have increased but I literally paid the same price in 2016 for a freestanding home in Zionsville. I have enormous cracks in the ceiling and the mason completely messed up the FP.

Although I'm quite disappointed by the state of the exterior of my house and the current status of the yard work and landscaping, my interactions with Drees employees has been very good, especially with Peppe. Every time I have an issue I reach out to him and he responds back right away and has been relentless in trying to make sure my issues are resolved. My major issues with the process is defintiely with the exterior of the house. The yard has been left in disaray and the landscaping looks incomplete, messy, trees have been cut to the stump, sidewalk all dug up, with no answers on when it will be done. ... More

Overall the experience was decent. The Drees product is definitely a must have as far as design and function. As for overall workmanship I would say my home is an anomaly compared to the others I have seen, not to say Drees has not been extremely supportive (Saul) in resolving these issues. We have several minor flaws within our home but overall we are happy with our purchase. We will recommend Drees to our peers and community.

Make sure you walk through and nitpick the house. Contractors try and cut corners especially the finishing crew. If you have animals do not get the real hardwood or engineered hardwood. Make sure you double check the appliances you get are correct. Plan on doing a lot more landscaping.

I believe the builder tries to meet the needs of the homeowners, but they just have a hard time getting individual subcontractors and workers to come at scheduled times to complete the needed work on the home. We have been in the home about two and a half months and still have lots of items that need repairing or completion, but we are still waiting on individuals to show up. The quality would be better if the subcontractors work was supervised more closely by the project managers.