Quality of Loonstyn Construction?

[fiveomar]

Can anyone comment on the quality of Loonstyn construction? I'm interested in some of their new construction properties.

There's only one Yelp review and limited feedback on this board. Thanks.

[AbortedWalrus]

There are actually two Loonstyn brothers developing in the area, so do you know which one you were interested in purchasing from?

I purchased a unit from Michael Loonstyn. Generally I am pleased with the build quality, but there have been a few issues. For one, he needs a new person to hang his drywall. It was done completely incorrectly. As far as I know he contracted it out, and that may be the reason why, but I am not sure. In my unit the drywall was hung vertically/portrait instead of horizontally/landscape. Because of that the seams are very visible. The other complaint is that he does use some cheap materials in his buildings for the finishings, but if you are buying from him while construction is still taking place he will customize it for you. My biggest gripe as far as that goes is that all of the moulding is not made of real wood, but some sort of composite material (I think it's hard cardboard, to be honest). That's actually pretty common in modern construction because of the cost of wood. The wood floors were also bamboo, which looks nice but is very soft. Again, any of that will be swapped out granted you will pay for the cost of the materials. The water lines in the condos are all plastic lines, which I feel are much inferior to copper lines, which was another big drawback. Again, that's something that's increasingly popular in construction in my experience though.

I am actually very impressed with the energy efficiency of the place though. The heater and AC systems are adequate, but more than that, I have only turned on my Heat a dozen times this entire past winter and my house NEVER fell below 67 degrees, and that was when I was out of the house for a weekend. In the summer it is also quite cool. My energy costs since moving have actually been reduced by around 60-70%. My suggestion is that if you are really interested in buying from him, get in on it early and point the little things like this out and you'll end up with a house you will feel good about. He was very willing to work with me to fix all of the concerns I had before purchasing, which I appreciated, and he did all of the customization I asked for promptly and for no extra cost for labor.

[funk]

wow! you nailed it. i live in a loonsytn rehab (row home) and i couldn't agree more about everything you said. my drywall is hung correctly, however the finishing on the edges is terrible. they used a plastic corner rather than aluminum that which doesn't lay flat, so if i want to keep up appearances, i'm forced to spackle and paint. when the time come to sell (if i don't turn around and use my home as a rental), i'll most definitely have to redo the cornering.

Plastic water lines, the moulding is crap too. you can barely hang a heavy set of blinds in the windows without them pulling out. after a week of frustration, i ended up doing curtains directly into the wall above.

Also, i'm afraid i can kick through the front door. i know for a fact that they went with the cheapest one at Lowes. Sure it insulates, but a nice heavy door would have nice.

The HVAC is solid. this mild winter, we never dipped below 58 and yes, my utilities did drop significantly from the place i was previously renting in which was half the size. it seemed to stay a steady 62 in here which is perfectly fine for me when i'm not home.

They could have had a slightly better design in that we only have 1 closet not in a bedroom, which is upstairs. it was fitted for a stacked washer/dryer. i ended up putting my machines in the basement so that we have have a closet. we do have a massive full length (new, clean concrete floor, but unfinished) basement and a crawl space, so the storage is down there, but a place to hang coats, put shoes, quilts, etc, would have been nice upstairs. Plus they went apesh*t with lighting. 12!!!! fixtures downstairs, 4 in each bedroom. i unscrewed 6 of them downstairs, and 2 in each bedroom, and we're more than lit when the lights are on.

Other than that, i'm very satisfied with my purchase. i give them a B. The appliances are good, the granite counters are beautiful, love the cabinets, the bathroom is great (H/E toilet, nice fixtures, jacuzzi tub!!!). The closets are big, the back room expansion is great (probably could have used more insulation because it's on an "island" out there, not attached to another house, so it gets pretty cold in the winter. we're forced to close the door when no one's around). the floors were beautiful (seem to be real wood, but the between my previous tenant, and now my dogs, they've made a "dent"), and the graceful gold paint is relaxing.

one thing i would have done differently, which i plan on doing, is adding a window in the back of the kitchen (rear door is on the side, so it's a bit dark), and putting in a nice security door out front. it's superficial, but not to much more $$$ to make it a more attractive place and it would be nice to keep the door open in the summer.

[fiveomar]

It would be John Loonstyn.

[elasticpurejoy]

I have only been through 4 or 5 row homes that have been renovated by them. I could not tell you which Loonstyn brother it was that did the work. When materials that are chosen are the minimum grade that can be had, The installation that is new is showing as done incorrectly. These are all details and shortcuts that are visible to someone walking through the house. Details that give an idea what is hidden behind the walls and are the ones that concern me the most. One detail that gives insight and concern on one home I walked through were the electrical outlets. as I walked through the house the grounding plug location was flipped on various outlets. Unless the codes have changed, there is not a rule that the ground should be placed on the top or the bottom. But I would think that a house should be consistent with orientation. If those details are being over looked then what is hidden in the walls. I realize that that is a small detail but one that speaks volumes and one that can have a serious outcome. I grew up on the roofs with my father that owned his own company. A friend had a Loonstyn roof installed on a bare deck and has had many problems. I Inspected the roof and was not pleased with what I saw. I have worked construction in many capacities. I have worked new construction framing from the foundation up. I have worked with companies rehabbing homes and building additions. I have worked for one of the largest architectural firms. I would consider myself one who has an eye for details that has been around all aspects of the trades. I would suggest asking around at the local bars and restaurants to speak to people who have owned one of the homes preferably for a few years. Do not go by hear say but rather people that have owned. And get a GOOD house inspection. Just watch an episode of Holmes Inspections or Holmes on Homes and it will give some insight to what can be problematic with new and rehab work. I read one stat that people spend more time researching their car than purchasing their home. Good luck with your decision.

[AbortedWalrus]

Plastic water lines, the moulding is crap too. you can barely hang a heavy set of blinds in the windows without them pulling out. after a week of frustration, i ended up doing curtains directly into the wall above.

Also, i'm afraid i can kick through the front door. i know for a fact that they went with the cheapest one at Lowes. Sure it insulates, but a nice heavy door would have nice.

Actually, the front door of my condo unit, and the door to the outside of the building are quite solid and nice. In fact, I am pleased with the quality of the doors throughout the entire place that he picked. They are certainly not the type that you can just put your fist through. I will also say the cabinets, countertops, appliances and fixtures in the sink and in the bathrooms are very nice. The only gripe I had is with the sink in the bathroom, the faucet broke, but he replaced it for me.

I can gripe about the design of the place a bit, but honestly that's more the fault of whoever he purchased the design from than his fault.

[the mule]

I can't believe people actually still use MDF trim ("hard cardboard"), especially around windows. It just falls apart when it gets wet. Finger joint pine is cheap enough to give you real wood and it doesn't matter that it's finger jointed when it's getting painted anyway.

I just wanted to chime in on the PEX plumbing. People who are not used to seeing it think that it is cheap or that it's not as good as copper. Well yes it is cheaper in terms of material cost and installation, but certainly not an inferior product. PEX can be installed with home runs from the manifold to the fixture so that each fixture receives the same amount of pressure and without any joints in the entire run there is no chance of a leak in your wall unless it was struck with an errant screw. With the manifold you can shut off the water supply to each individual fixture from one place, just as you would shut off electricity at a circuit breaker. If you ever want to upgrade or move fixtures it's a pretty valuable feature to have. There really isn't any good reason to use copper for indoor plumbing anymore, the material expense and additional labor of sweating every joint is better spent on those luxury upgrades.

PEX is also freeze resistant. This shouldn't be an issue because all your plumbing should be in conditioned space, but it is forgiving if an ignorant contractor stuck your plumbing in an outside wall or vented crawlspace (both are idiotic to do).

[AbortedWalrus]

I can't believe people actually still use MDF trim ("hard cardboard"), especially around windows. It just falls apart when it gets wet. Finger joint pine is cheap enough to give you real wood and it doesn't matter that it's finger jointed when it's getting painted anyway.

I just wanted to chime in on the PEX plumbing. People who are not used to seeing it think that it is cheap or that it's not as good as copper. Well yes it is cheaper in terms of material cost and installation, but certainly not an inferior product. PEX can be installed with home runs from the manifold to the fixture so that each fixture receives the same amount of pressure and without any joints in the entire run there is no chance of a leak in your wall unless it was struck with an errant screw. With the manifold you can shut off the water supply to each individual fixture from one place, just as you would shut off electricity at a circuit breaker. If you ever want to upgrade or move fixtures it's a pretty valuable feature to have. There really isn't any good reason to use copper for indoor plumbing anymore, the material expense and additional labor of sweating every joint is better spent on those luxury upgrades.

PEX is also freeze resistant. This shouldn't be an issue because all your plumbing should be in conditioned space, but it is forgiving if an ignorant contractor stuck your plumbing in an outside wall or vented crawlspace (both are idiotic to do).

The biggest reason it is problematic is because repairs to it or changes in its configuration can be very problematic. In order to do a patch you have to cut then ends, use brass PEX fittings and use crimp rings to put the new patch in. They are nowhere near as durable, and sometimes not as easy as a patch or a configuration change is in a copper system. Remodeling a kitchen/bathroom with PEX can be a real pain in the ass. They are also easier to inadvertently damage in my experience. The only huge benefit is the price in my experience.

[the mule]

The biggest reason it is problematic is because repairs to it or changes in its configuration can be very problematic. In order to do a patch you have to cut then ends, use brass PEX fittings and use crimp rings to put the new patch in. They are nowhere near as durable, and sometimes not as easy as a patch or a configuration change is in a copper system. Remodeling a kitchen/bathroom with PEX can be a real pain in the ass. They are also easier to inadvertently damage in my experience. The only huge benefit is the price in my experience.

I would disagree with copper being easy to patch in. If you need to replace a section of copper you have to drain it, cut it, and hope that it's dry enough before you can solder. If it's a low section of pipe in your basement, then it's a total pain in the ass to get the water out before you can sweat your joints. There's no need for a torch when crimping PEX, and as someone whose torch once had a leak that caught fire, that's something I can appreciate.

They may be easier to damage but from my experience this does not happen very often. I have rehabbed or built dozens of houses yet have had only one PEX water line struck by a drill in that time. Meanwhile I have had a number of faulty copper joints, fortunately in easily repaired locations.

In any case, to each their own, but PEX is so widespread these days that you'd be very hard pressed to find a new house with copper piping.

[BeardScraper]

isnt there also a loonstyn roofing company? i lived in an apartment with re-occuring roof leaks. and Loonstyn Roofing Co. kept coming out to try and fix it. they obviously didnt do to good of a job because the leak kept coming back. i think his name was Joe Loonstyn.

[Tacklebury]

Okay okay we get it - you guys are the best contractors ever and Loonstyn sucks and every other contractor sucks. Why don't you buy an ad and save the rest the board from reading this crap? And if you are really contractors, mad props to you for not taking shortcuts .... like every other one on the planet ... you are truly unique and awesome. Lastly, I have no affiliation with Loonstyn and never heard of them before this thread.

[AbortedWalrus]

isnt there also a loonstyn roofing company? i lived in an apartment with re-occuring roof leaks. and Loonstyn Roofing Co. kept coming out to try and fix it. they obviously didnt do to good of a job because the leak kept coming back. i think his name was Joe Loonstyn.

If I had to wager a guess I would put more money on it being that the landlord didn't feel like paying to replace the whole roof, but just get it patched each time. I've seen/heard so many landlords doing that sort of thing that it's typically my first assumption with chronic leaks.

Okay okay we get it - you guys are the best contractors ever and Loonstyn sucks and every other contractor sucks. Why don't you buy an ad and save the rest the board from reading this crap? And if you are really contractors, mad props to you for not taking shortcuts .... like every other one on the planet ... you are truly unique and awesome. Lastly, I have no affiliation with Loonstyn and never heard of them before this thread.

Joke post? Or just ignorant?

We're discussing our opinions on build quality and materials in a thread on a particular topic. In reality, no one has even made a complaint about the work quality of any Loonstyn bother in this thread really, it's been more of a discussion on current building practices. Thing is, YOU DIDN'T NEED TO CLICK ON THIS THREAD. If you didn't have the good sense to not click on a thread you weren't interested in that is your own damn fault. Do you not understand how an internet message board works? Why in hell would you click into a thread on a topic you didn't want to hear about just to bitch about not wanting to hear about it?

[eldondre]

isnt there also a loonstyn roofing company? i lived in an apartment with re-occuring roof leaks. and Loonstyn Roofing Co. kept coming out to try and fix it. they obviously didnt do to good of a job because the leak kept coming back. i think his name was Joe Loonstyn.

so there are three loonstyns?

[#1MetsFan]

No, the roofer and one of the contractors are the same people.