Katherine Salant

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Newly Constructed Homes
Hosted by Katherine Salant
Friday, Oct. 27, 2000; 1 p.m. EDT

New homes hold many advantages for buyers -- no wear and tear, new roofs, appliances and features. How can consumers make sure they're getting the most of their new homes? What features should they be looking for in new construction? What's essential to have, and what are just expensive bells and whistles?

Katherine Salant is the author of the syndicated "Your New Home" column. She is an expert in all things related to new homes -- from building to decorating -- and can help make sense of the array of construction and buying choices available to buyers.

A native Washingtonian, Salant holds a masters degree in architecture from Harvard. She began her career as a Fulbright Scholar studying Nepalese village architecture, and lived with families in four villages. She continued to study in Southeast Asia, and after returning worked as an architectural designer. Salant has been writing about architecture and the environment for 15 years, and is an expert on home construction and quality.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Chantilly, Va.: Is it advisable to buy a decorated model? Normally we can inspect the new home at the time dry wall also. If it decorated model and used as a model for one year, is it good to buy like that? Please give me your expert advice on this.

Katherine Salant: Dear Chantilly, It is rarely a good idea to buy the builder's model unless you are offered a very steep discount. The model will be loaded with options, often as much as $75,000 to $100,000 worth so it will be much higher priced than the others in the subdivision. When it comes time to sell, no one will pay a lot more for your house than the others on the block.

Annapolis, Md.: Hi--

When I remodeled my kitchen two years ago, I decided to go with a formica countertop for many different reasons, including the lower cost. In hindsight, I wish I had used Corian or marble.

In case I'm ever remodeling a kitchen again, I'm curious about your opinion -- which do you prefer: marble or Corian for a countertop?

Thanks

Katherine Salant: Dear Annapolis, I would get Corian. First it's less expensive also marble tends to absorb grease and other things. Corian now has about a zillion, well not that many, choices plus their new product Zodiac which is made with quartz and has a different look.

Alexandria, Va.: Hi Katherine,

My parents built a house about a year ago, and decided to go with vinyl siding instead of cedar -- for both cost and wearability reasons. Immediately I had visions of that old aluminum siding on houses, and I shuddered. But in the end, it turned out beautifully. Besides cost, are there that many benefits to vinyl siding as opposed to cedar, and will the fact that the house has siding instead of wood affect its resale value?

Katherine Salant: Dear Alexandria, The vinyl requires almost no maintenance so that is also in its favor. It is so widely used that it will not hurt for resale.

Alexandria, Va.: First, let me say that cable TV is dangerous -- lately I've been seeing all these shows (even Martha Stewart, for God's sake) on granite countertops, and now I want to redo my kitchen. How to choose them, what goes into manufacturing them for your kitchen, etc. What do you think of granite vs. something like Corian or even concrete? Worth the investment? Ever heard a horror story?

Katherine Salant: Dear Alexandria, Granite vs Corian? Well the lowest grade of granite is close to Corian in price but I would personally go with the Corian because you get a huge choice now in colors and it is very uniform where as granite can have a lot of variety. IF you go with granite you should go to the place where it is cut to pick it out rather than just picking from a small sample

Arlington, Va.: I've seen ads on TV from the Steel Foundation about using a steel frame for your home vs. a wood frame... eliminating the risk of termites.

Can you comment on the pros and cons of Steel vs. Wood house frames? Are there any builders out there using steel frames?

Katherine Salant: Dear Arlington, Steel framed houses are not widely built at all. The builders get interested when the cost of lumber goes up and then just when they are about to do something the cost of lumber comes down. Change in the home building industry comes slowly. Steel is uniform and doesn't shrink or bow. Termites? Well in Florida that is a big selling point but in Virginia I don't think it is that compelling an argument.

McLean, Va.: Does it make more sense to find and buy a newly built home, or to build yourself? What are the pros/cons?

Katherine Salant: Dear McLean, If you are ready to give over your life to building a new house, don't ever get headaches and don't need a day job go for it. Otherwise, I would leave it to the professionals. It is much harder than it looks.

Laurel: When buying a new home, does the purchaser normally have the right, under law to:

1. Seek own financing, even if the developer provides it

2. Get an independent appraisal

Katherine Salant: Dear Laurel, The purchaser absolutely has the right to get financing from whomever he or she chooses. An independent appraisal is certainly okay as well. If you go to another lender, that lender will do his own appraisal before lending you any money

Cincinnati, Ohio: Sort of tangental, but my question is about landscaping. I know what a priority it is to find a good realtor and a good builder -- how do I go about finding a good landscaper? And if I think I'll be selling the house in 5-10 years, how much landscaping should I do -- meaning, how will it affect my its value?

Katherine Salant: Dear Cincinnati, For the landscaping I would hire a landscape architect who works with home owners. Since most work on very large projects, this may take a little doing on your part. You should hire the landscape architect before you buy the house because they may recommend some modifications to the house that will affect your landscaping plans

Arlington, Va.: A potential first-time home buyer here...

I'm interested in buying a new home, and I'd like to find one in N. Arlington, Falls Church, or East McLean.

When I search "New Home" sites on-line, I rarely see new homes listed in these areas.

BUT, if I drive through the neighborhoods, I often stumble upon new home sites with anywhere from 2-10 homes.

How can I better find out about these smaller new home sites, rather than just by chance/luck?

Thanks for your help.

Katherine Salant: Dear Arlington, There are always smaller builders who "piggyback" on larger ones who advertise on the Web and in the paper. Some of the most interesting houses I have seen in the D.C. area were built by the little guys, so just be prepared for some serendipitous discoveries out there. If you get a New Homes Guide, they list almost everybody who builds in the D.C. area.

Fairfax, Va.: Katherine,

Thanks for answering my questions.
I am planning to buy a new home in Fairfax County. Could you please tell me how to decide on a builder? If in the same location, two builders like Winchester homes, and Toll Brothers are building similar type of floor plans. One seems to be much higher than the other one. Do you think if he is costly, he is reliable? Please tell me mainly what kind of things I need to look at the new home. Thanks for your time.

Katherine Salant: Dear Fairfax, I would carefully check the sales literature of each builder to see what each ones offers as standard. Does one include Corian counters and a fireplace in the base price for example. Does one give a brick front, etc. You can also ask the sales agents at each place they will certainly know but beware if one starts to bad mouth the competition that can mean the agent is covering over the shortcomings of his or her own product. You can also ask the buyers if people are now living there why they picked the one that they picked.

Falls Church, Va.: I'm restoring the floors in my house, and I really like the wood-floor look. So I'm doing my homework on hardwood floors vs. something like Pergo. For the money, which would you recommend as a better product?

Katherine Salant: If you really want the hardwood look, I would go with hardwood. The lookalikes -- Pergo et al -- do not in my opinion look like the real thing and I think the cost is comparable.

Arlington, Va.: So shouldn't steel frame houses be almost standard in states like California (earthquakes) or Florida or the Carolinas (hurricanes)?

Katherine Salant: Building code officials in states with natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes are constantly looking at ways to make the houses safer and more resistant to damage. In this regard I don't know that any are specifically looking at steel framing. What makes a house fail is complicated and it is a combination of factors, not just the framing.

Silver Spring, Md.: Thank you for taking my questions.

My friend's new home in Virginia has many problems already -- heating, plumbing, A/C, etc. How can I find out if a builder has a bad reputation? Would the BBB be a good start?

Also, we are looking into new developments in upper Montgomery County, Md. Do builders offer special deals and how can I find out what they are? I love bargains (i.e., good deals), but I feel like such a number when I deal with the various builders.

Katherine Salant: Dear Silver Spring, You want a good house. If you shop price and don't look at the other things a builder is offering you won't get the best house. As to reputation, I would first start by asking the people already living in a subdivision what their experiences were. Also if you ar working with a buyer's agent, they will know because they hear a lot on the grapevine.

Fairfax, Va.: Can new houses be "sick" -- carpet fumes, paint, finishes, etc.? How long does it take for those things to settle down?

Katherine Salant: Dear Fairfax, When a house is newly built, the materials will off gas. That is what you are smelling. The smell and off gassing will be very noticeable at first and then will fall off. If it is bothering you, I would suggest that you ventilate the house as much as you can by opening windows, etc. After the first month, the offgassing will go way down, but it will still be going on at a slow steady pace for several years.

Alexandria, Va.: We moved into a new townhouse a few months ago and am struggling with deciding paint colors. The main problem area is the main level, which is kitchen, dining and living room, in an open floorplan design, with a half-wall open to the foyer below. We would like to try bright earthly colors, but don't know where to stop the paint. Would it look OK to have different colors on different walls to try to segment the space and add interest, or is it always best to keep to one color in this type of floorplan? Any ideas to help us find a decorating consultant who can help us with these issues?

Thanks.

Katherine Salant: If the space is large, I would avoid using bright earthy colors -- it will probably be VERY bright in there. You can get more neutral colors that still have earth color subtleties. Also the same color will look different on different walls with different light. As to who to consult, I don't have any suggestions, but you might find interior designers in the phone book or on the web.

Silver Spring, Md.: When buying a new home, what are the items that are typically overpriced and best to purchase after the sale? For example, a deck is cheaper to do after a sale because builders tend to price them pretty high and it would be mortgaged. Is there a rule of thumb for certain items? What should always be included with the house, the extra 10 feet in the family room? Thank you.

Katherine Salant: Dear Silver Spring, The builder's margins on the options are always much higher than on the basic house, so there's usually more room to negotiate. But when the market is really hot, the builder won't budge on anything. As a general rule, you should get as options those things that will be very hard to do later such as the family room extension that you mention. Counters can always be replaced later. AS for the deck, if you do decide to do it later, make sure that your deck installer checks the framing of your house under the siding to make sure that he connects the deck correctly. This is a requirement in Fairfax County but I am not sure about other D.C.-area jurisdictions.

Bilbao, Spain: Iīd like to know your opinion about Lycos-Terra?

Katherine Salant: Lycos-Terra? I'm not sure what you want to ask here.

Chapel Hill, N.C.: Is it true that you rarely see a two- or three-bedroom house (new) any more? Is the market demand for much bigger houses really that hot?

Katherine Salant: Three bedrooms are common in town houses and in starter, detached houses in the D.C. market. Houses in the mid-market range and up usually have four bedrooms. In other parts of the country, three bedroom houses are more common across the board.

Washington, D.C.: What's the biggest innovation in new home construction you've seen in the last 10 years?

Katherine Salant: I have seen many small changes in materials and floor plans have evolved. But I can't say that one particular things is striking. One change that buyers will notice however is that typical lot sizes are much smaller now than they were 10 years ago.

Arlington, Va.: What do you think about wallpaper? I want to decorate a room in our new house using something different than paint, but is it worth the trouble -- particularly if I'll want to change it later on?

Katherine Salant: Perhaps a compromise is using a wallpaper border at the top of a painted wall. If you like the look of wallpaper, I would go for it. Before you take this leap, however, you might want to get more detailed info on how hard it is to take off; it may be easier than you anticipate.

Falls Church, Va.: Question about backyards. To deck or not to deck? What do you think?

Katherine Salant: Do you have a walkout basement? If not, a patio at ground level is easier to do and you can incorporate planting beds into your sitting area.

Bethesda, Md.: I never realized that each floorplan that a builder builds is copyrighted. Do I own that copyright as the homeowner, or does the builder own it?

Katherine Salant: The builder owns it.

Baltimore, Md.: Do you prefer casement windows or sash windows? What should I be looking for when I decide?

Katherine Salant: Casement windows are more expensive, so that is always a consideration. With a sash or double hung type of window, only half of it can be open at a time, so you get less cross ventilation and breeze. Beyond that, its more a question of which look that you prefer.Which ever one you look for, check the manufacturer's warranty and think about getting ones with a low-emissivity coating which will increase the energy efficiency of your house.

Cary, N.C.: I'm overwhelmed by the choices in building a new house -- everything from roofing materials to the color of my walls. Where do I begin?

Katherine Salant: You wouldn't be the first person to be overwhelmed by all the choices that must be made when building a new house. I would ask the builders that you are considering for a specification list which will include all the items in a house. This will at least give you an idea of what all the things are that you must decide on. I would also ask the builders for some suggestions in how to order your thinking. I would also suggest that you hire an experienced home inspector who is a member of ASHI as a disinterested third party to help you sort out the quality issues of the different materials because there is not only the color issue to deal with, there is also the quality one, and of course, everything costs, so much of the decision making will be about cost-trade offs.

Alexandria, Va.: We're starting to lay out the floor plan for our townhouse. What's your advice, or is there a standard rule of thumb for outlets? How many per room, how close together, what kind of power they provide, etc.

Katherine Salant: The building codes have stipulations about outlet locations, but I would try to imagine as closely as you can how you will use each space and where you will put your furniture and then get extra outlets if you need them. Besides outlets I would also get lights in closets--it's hard to find that pair of boots or tell the difference between black and navy in the dark!

Silver Spring, Md.: I'm excited about the construction of my new home, but never having done this before I'm not sure how involved I should be with all aspects of construction. Part of me wants to watch everything the builders do. Part of me thinks I wouldn't want someone sticking their nose in while I was trying to do my work. Any advice?

Katherine Salant: Of course you want to watch your new house go up! I would check with the builder and his site superintendent to find out what is the best time for you to visit (usually when everyone takes a lunch break). If you go and the site superintendent is too busy to talk, don't take it personally -- it means that he attending to some crisis at hand. As to frequency of visits, I would suggest that you go to see it only once or twice a week. If you go everyday, you won't see that much progress.I would also leave small children at home; a job site is a safety hazard and if you bring the kids along, you will be watching them like hawks and won't see anything.

Washington, D.C.: What are the most important things I should look for as a home buyer thinking about purchasing a new home? The frame? Materials? How would I know the difference between good and bad?

Katherine Salant: I would say that the most important thing to look for is a builder with a good reputation.How to find out? Talk with buyer's agents -- they will certainly know if a builder is not delivering. Talk with people who are already living in subdivisions where you want to buy. If you get really serious about one or two builders, ask for a list of people who purchased in the last year and randomly call a few. Ask, would you buy from this builder again? As for the framing materials, there are two kinds of sheathing that are used in the DC area by most production builders -- oriented strand board, which is more expensive, and laminated fiberboard, which is like masonite and cheaper. A builder knows that no one will make a purchase decision based on which kind of sheathing he uses, so if the builder uses OSB, it's a sign that he's willing to go the extra distance and he really cares about his product.

Chicago, Ill.: What are the gold-standard materials that should be in any house? Copper pipes? Certain kinds of furnaces?

Katherine Salant: I would say that one place to give careful attention is the windows, especially in Chicago. Almost all windows now have double paned glass, but adding a low-e coating will also increase energy efficiency. Pella and Hurd make great windows, but they aren't the only ones. A high efficiency furnace out your way (90 per efficiency) is sensible,but just as important in terms of getting a good house is house it is built. For example, you need to get the whole heating system installed correctly so the ducts don't leak (in the average house 25 per cent of the energy used to heat and cool it is lost thru the ducts). When it comes to finishes, a lot is just a matter of taste. If money is no object, go for a Brazillian Cherry wood floor -- it is gorgeous!

Ashburn, Va.: We just moved into our beautiful new home last month. And I need to something with the window treatments for the family room and morning rooms. The rooms are adjacent and face southwest. So, you can imagine the sunlight. My question, what would you go with white wood blinds or? The floors are lighter color hardwood in the kitchen and morning room and have a light off white berber in the family room. I'd like to keep the appeal light and airy. What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

Katherine Salant: I would suggest light colored curtains to go with the other colors. I would also suggest that you investigate getting the curtains lined to reduce the amount of heating coming in during the summer. Of course you can use blinds, but I think curtains will be more effective in cutting down on the heat build up.

Upper Marlboro, Md: I am getting ready to have a single family home built. The builder has not broken ground yet. He has given me the green light to make modifications. However, I am not quite sure what I want. If I were to look at a book, Web site, etc., I can say yes that's how I want my house to look, or make that closet bigger. Can you recommend for a good book or even a Web site.

Katherine Salant: There are two Web sites that sell house plans, designbasic.com and homestyles.com that have between them about 10,000 floor plans. However, bear in mind that the floor plan is just that and there are many other things that go into creating a 3-D house. I would suggest that you read Sarah Susanka's latest book, "Creating the Not So Big House," because she describes all the details that make a house loveable.

Forestville, Md.: If I hire a buyer's agent and I find a house that's listed by the agent's company, doesn't the agent have a legal obligation to the company and not me?

Katherine Salant: I think that as long as the agent herself is not representing the seller, you are okay. Her fiduciary obligation is to you and not to the seller, even if the seller's agent is associated with the same brokerage. But ask the agent.

Arlington, Va.: I'd like to buy or build on a well-thought-out (read: not extravagant) budget. How much am I going to be afflicted by sticker shock?

Katherine Salant: Absolutely. The cost of construction has skyrocketed, especially in the D.C. area.

Arlington, Va.: I recently moved in to a condo. with a tile bathroom and while the tiles are in good condition they're a ghastly color and the tub isn't in great shape either. I seen services advertised that refinish or "re-glaze" tile and porcelain tubs. Ever seen the results of this process. I'm guessing it's much cheaper than tearing everything out and starting over. Thanks.

Katherine Salant: I have seen tubs that were reenameled and I thought they looked terrible. It could just be that I saw a terrible job. Price out the two options, look at several examples of the re-enameled tubs and decide for yourself.

Katherine Salant: Dear Readers, Thanks for sending in such great questions! Katherine Salant

washingtonpost.com: That was our last question today for Katherine Salant. Thanks so much to Katherine, and to everyone who joined us.

This week, washingtonpost.com featured a series of discussions with real estate columnists homes as part of the Online Home Buyers Conference. Check out the transcripts from earlier this week: