Pulte Homes Reviews in Columbus, OH

The primary sales agent was very responsive to questions as well as the construction supervisor. One major issue was that the lot had water drainage problems which they knew and did everything in their power to brush off our concerns. Now our sump pump runs constantly and the company claims it's not their problem and won't do anything to remedy the issue.

Overall it was ok. I didn't get enough time to shop for mortgage. Pulte rushed to close the house even though they were not ready to close. At the time of closing things were pending.

Slow building process at first. The initial construction manager was not giving updates on progress regularly as he was supposed to. Then as the building process pick up, there were some areas that were overlooked (like the kitchen range did not vent outside like it was supposed to until we said something, the outside windows were not completed). Then we felt a sense of being rushed to closing. Our kitchen appliances were not available prior to closing and we had to have temporary appliances that were supposed to be similar in quality and grade to our chosen appliances. This was not the case for our stove which is not functioning to our satisfaction to this date. It has been 6 weeks since our closing. We requested alternate stove but did not get a response. The more recent construction manager was very responsive initially to our requests to fix certain items prior to closing but since closing, he has not been as responsive in keeping us updated on the status of when our kitchen appliances will arrive. We still have areas outside the house that need to be fixed but still waiting on weather warming up. I hope Pulte will keep their word and do a better job with finishing the job. ... More

Pulte was, mostly, straight forward with communication in the long process from contract to closing. We were kept well informed during the construction process. And the finish house was, mostly, how it was envisioned on the plans.

My sales consultant was wonderful, which made me go with Pulte. She was knowledgeable, accessible, friendly, and helpful to me in making decisions. Beyond her, the building process was , in my limited experience with building, heartbreaking, frustrating, and full of unwanted surprises.

Our build was a quick experience, but unfortunately we have discovered many issues with the way things were completed in the house after we have moved in. The lack of communication was and is a problem still.

overall experience was good. Design team was very collaborative

Go to your house daily and make sure things are being installed correctly. Watch for sump pumps to be unplugged while construction is going on. Make sure the sump pump gets power all the time.

Only issues were driveway wasn’t done, no garage opener, also miscommunication with the mortgage payments, I sent mine in week and half ago still haven’t received it plus loan has been transferred. I got a letter to still pay Pulte but got letter from other servicer yesterday, I could have paid new servicer without any issues, very disappointed with that situation. Other than that everything else is ok

To be fair, we have never contracted for a home to be built before, so there were a number of misunderstanding between us and the sales agent. We also made some bad design choices. Our sales agent was not new to the building industry, but was relatively new to this role. She does a yeoman’s job following up on questions, but by now I hope she is recognizing what is important, and what is trivial so she can better guide future customers. Positives If we asked a question of our sales representative, we got an answer. If a change we were thinking about was too expensive, our sales agent was sometimes able to get us a more cost-effective solution. Our field manager was generally regarded as one of the better, if not the best in Columbus. This guy is universally recognized for his ability to work with the customer. He did everything he could to remedy disappointments, to the point that he overspent his budget on our house. Even though we are now in a larger house, it is much tighter and better insulated, so in that respect it is more comfortable. Pulte will put ADA features such as wider doors in at pretty much their cost. We missed on one door, but the field supervisor added an extra stud during framing so we could open that space in the future if we chose. Disappointments The Design Center consultant said it best. “Pulte is a production company”. This works to the buyer’s advantage in controlling costs and getting the project finished, but it is a disadvantage to folks like us who missed key design elements. We never had luxury vinyl tile (LVT) before. It SHOULD NOT be offered as an option for the great room area. It looked like a wonderful option in the design center. However, it is loud underfoot, shows dirt easily, and is hard to clean. Since it is a floating floor, the LVT in our new home transmits vibration right through the subfloor and granite to items in the cabinets, island and countertops. We chose the free-standing gas range. We like the range, but you cannot walk within 20 feet of it without rattling the burners. Verify and clarify every detail that you can before the plans are submitted to the architect. • Know exactly what type of light fixture is going in every location. Base level fixtures are not aesthetically pleasing and/ or create dangerous conditions when it is time to change a light bulb. • Verify where the light switches will be. We have found several places where the switches are inconveniently located or where a three-way would improve livability. • Upgraded carpet pad is a separate option that we almost missed. • We had a huge misunderstanding over the style of window “grills” (field supervisor’s term) “grids” (manufacturer’s term) or “mullions” as they are called in the “Included Features” document. The net result is we have replaced the glass in our picture window. The “upgraded” paint still feels cheap and scuffs easily. Bottom line, make sure you understand details you see in the model are very likely not what you will see in your house unless you specifically agree to it in writing. Then you have to balance builder’s price to your budget. Some of folks take the standard feature, then rip it out if they think they can do something better themselves. We found this to be absurd. We wanted an ADA height toilet in one bathroom only, but were only given the option to have all ADA or all standard height. Whose house is this? Why should our toddler grandchildren have to scale a tall toilet when a standard toilet is hard enough already? Make sure you are willing to live with the size of lot you chose. None of the driveways in our subdivision had been installed when we went into contract, so we did not see this issue. The two-car driveways are not wide enough to get out of the car without stepping on to the grass (and/ or mud). They are only 1-car length, so you cannot stagger parking to facilitate getting in and out with two cars in the driveway, which is tough on seniors. If you can, find out what the grade will be looking like up to the entrances. The driving force for us was to get to a home where we could live better given our arthritis. Our lot ended up with some extra incline and extra steps at the entrances making it that much harder (and potentially dangerous) to enter and exit on icy days. Pulte delegates warranty work to the subcontractors unless it was an appliance issue for which Whirlpool has a separate service provider. We have had a four warranty issues so far that were eventually addressed, but it takes patience. For the most part, these were installation issues. • The pendant lights over the island were not hung to even lengths. • The horizontal dryer duct was not installed before the ceiling was sheet rocked. Everyone missed this on inspection. This was serendipitously caught after I dropped a pair of pliers down the opening while connecting the dryer • The dishwasher had multiple installation issues and factory defect. These were correctable on site. • The outlets by the sump pump were incorrectly installed with respect to GFI requirements. We will say that all of the service representatives were courteous, explained the problem, and completely. ... More

Base price was affordable for us.

My family is already dealing with a lot of issues in the first few months of living in our new expensive pulte home. There just seems to be a lack of care put into making a presentable product for the home buyer.

Dale and Chris were both responsive to our requests. The mortgage company and Title company were both very good. Drywall contractor in particular was not up to snuff. After move in the warranty call center process left much to be desired. Concrete contractor got concrete splatters on the Allura siding. Getting that corrected has been a lot of hoop jumping. Down spout underground drain pipe are too small and on heavy rains the downspout shoots water like old faithful. Spreading mulch everywhere.... In process of repair.

The sod was delayed, for install, full of weeds & planted on rocky, poor soil. The microwave is a nuisance to use and loses time everyday. The heat/air system is totally off balance. You roast upstairs in the loft, while freezing on the main floor. The house being built next door is but an arm's length away!

I wouldn't call Pulte the worst builder or the best builder. I wish there attention to detail was better. Small things got overlooked mostly finish work and now I'm stuck asking them to be fixed or fixing them myself. 1. Cabinets were installed but some how they were not level and counter top took a 1/2 inch shim.... 2. Cabinets were installed but never properly adjusted. Over 1/4 inch gap between all doors and crooked doors. 3. Trim through out the house has nails that were not punched and covered, the nail holes that were covered were smeared on and painted over and I can see the filler roughness everywhere. 4. Door strips that prevent air from coming in are covered in paint. 5. Shower creaks when standing in it, use some spray foam under it when installing and it would never be an issue. 6. Stove wasn't level when moving in. 7. The paint the house is all flat paint that constantly gets a mark if you rub up against it. Use a Semi gloss and it would be 100 times better to clean. 8. When doing finish work around light sockets and switches , the were not removed and now have paint/mud on many light switches. They also have a line where you can see the painted against them and didn't remove. I could go on and on about finish work. On the other hand the super was always willing to answer his phone and take care of issues. He was great during the building process. He listened and explained the process well. It's really hard to notice all the little issues prior to moving in, but when you have time to really look at all the finish work it leaves a lot to be desired. Hoping they will take care of all this stuff as we continue to work with the warranty department. ... More

The house is beautiful, but some of the workmanship is subpar. Uneven caulking and grouting, grout not wiped from tile, nicks in the cabinets, a crack in my porch from day one. Then I learned my furnace was installed incorrectly, causing parts to be replaced. I was told that every house on the street has the same problem. I’m still waiting for it to be fixed. Not to mention that my downspout drains are not yet in, and I have no grass or landscaping. This is what happens when you hire random crews to work over each other; attention to detail is lost.

The starting home price is deceptively low and then you pay extra for everything. Some of the workmanship was excellent and some was pretty average. Most of my concerns have been addressed about problems I discovered but, over five weeks later, a few have not. I have appreciated Pulte's willingness to work with us to get things taken care of.

Too many decisions made for the customer, not by the customer. Mirrored floor plans create windows facing neighbors windows. Electric switches & conjoining lightening fixtures aren’t conducive to clients lifestyle. No rear porch option available. Would appreciate concrete driveway option and finished interior of garage. Should avoid nails in drywall as nail pops are visible. Hold subcontractors accountable for quality workmanship and to follow blueprints.

Construction process was good up until closing. Day of closing there were still workers in the home. Landscaping had not begun. The walk prior to closing had the home still waiting to be cleaned. The closing with Pulte Mortgage went well. Came back to house to find workers had left trash and some items were incomplete. Landscaping was not completed until almost 60 days after closing. Field Manager was unwilling to address items from the 30 day list due to our schedules not lining up during the summer. He said that policy was the reason. I reminded him of the fact the home wasn't complete at closing and we waited on landscaping for two months. He decided that coming in and trying to restore the goodwill of the last 60 days was secondary to just shrugging his shoulders. If I had sold a customer a $500K house, I would make sure they were satisfied and willing to pass along the story to anyone who asked. Now when asked, I have to tell a potential homeowner to make sure they watch out to make sure everything is complete because you might come up short. Please treat this as an opportunity to look at your customer service approach. It shouldn't be so hard. ... More

Our street address with the county auditor is still not correct 7 weeks after we moved in. We have issues with our mail and any other deliveries because of this issue. Please work to get this updated.

Seeing little stuff that needs to be fixed

Pulte could have a better construction manager who has higher standards regarding workmanship of the house. They tried to squeeze everything in the last week of closing.

This is my first and last new build as this house is now my "forever" home. I am still waiting for many issues to be resolved. Most of it could have been avoided if the subcontractors cared about workmanship and quality. Too much of a rush to just get it done no matter if the outcome was obviously sloppy or neglected. Not allowed enough time to really inspect the house before closing. The construction manager trying to get issues addressed on the actual closing day! The newly assigned warranty manager is a positive as he took the time to listen and spend time going over all the remaining issues that need to be resolved. ... More

This home was ‘technically’ finished for closing after 6-8 months. However, multiple work issues remained unfinished after closing. Pulte states they inspect contractor work throughout the build process, but that was not the case. Most neighbors, like myself, had to contact Pulte multiple times after closing regarding pending work. It wasn’t until 2 months after closing that all my contractor issues were completed. Quality of work is questionable. I do not believe Pulte monitored or inspected all contractor work before signing off on progress. I recommend any future buyers inspect their homes DURING the build process. ... More

Since we are a first time home buyers, we wish we have known or did many things different while dealing with construction manager, he verbally promised to "take care" of the issues I had with the house on the closing day, during next week after the closing but their attitude changed as soon as the house is closed and was very unprofessional later on. had talked to warranty and they said I will have to note the issues down for the one year warranty one time fixes. Should have not closed until everything is fixed, big mistake.