Highland Homes Reviews in Austin, TX

since Highland is moving out of this community least care was taken to the customers. Construction manager feels customers are slaves for him. How many times we need to follow up to get the issues resolved. We bought a brand new home so that , there no issues and we are good at least for 2 years. Till date in last 45 days, i had issues with my Air conditioner and roof. I don't know what all are pending. Had faith in highland homes till i bought this home. But now its a question mark.

The craftsmanship and attention to detail is severely lacking, heavily impacting the final outcome. Just because a home is livable it doesn't mean the buyer should be forced to accept lippage in the tile, bulging walls, inconsistent masonry, and questionable framing, amongst other things, like we were.

I had a very bad experience with Highland Homes. I moved in to new built house and on day one, water leakage issues in two bathrooms and one bathroom is clogged with water. Drywall are very uneven. I trusted Highland Homes for Quality and didn't do any inspection before moving to the home, but later realized, it was a mistake. I started realizing the construction quality is really bad. I hope that will realize and do a self inspection before handing over the home to the buyer.

Not satisfied with the building process. Was always kept in the dark even with repeated requests. Identified issues before closing and was promised will be done in the next few weeks. It's has been almost 4 months, still long way to go.

Great sales consultant. Poor workmanship throughout the entire house from the carpet, to the cabinets, to the floor, to the shoe moldings, to the paint, to the plumbing, to the windows. All of these items had issues and has negatively impacted my home buying experience with highland homes. We chose Highland homes because of the high quality that was promised and expected. Unfortunately, we will not be recommending a highland home to family and friends.

What is my character limit here? Because I need a LOT of space to explain. The process started fine, with some adjustments for COVID. But even accounting for some delays, Highland construction was hideously mismanaged. - From August to October, virtually zero progress because the local construction manager was not scheduling inspections with the city of Kyle. 10 week delay. Lots of yelling and screaming when we found out, they reassign a new construction manager who assures us he is on it. Expected move in now pushed from November to February. - House was making some progress at least, inspections being scheduled. We pointed out several items that would need correction - assured by construction manager that they would be taken care of. - February passes, still slow progress, being told due to inspections but when pushed on it admitting that they were failing inspections. Escalated to Highland Regional Construction Manager to get control of the situation. - March and still no closing date scheduled. Several items we had been pointing out for months are still not corrected. Construction manager assures us he is "on it". - April, and FINALLY a closing date. Several items still outstanding. Main one of which is outlet and switch covers (48 in total) that were cut WAY too big (some over 1/2 in too big) during drywall phase. We ask to get them fixed. Contractors spackle and paint WITHOUT REMOVING THE COVERS, so covers are now covered in spackle and paint, texture is missing around them. We complain about this and some other items enough that the regional manager, area manager, and local construction manager all meet with us at the house a week before closing. We are ASSURED it will all be fixed before close. - Day before closing - multiple outlet and switch covers still not fixed, along with a number of other items. We escalate to delay closing. Are ASSURED it will be fixed by end of day. [Narrator: It was not fixed by the end of the day] - Closing day. We sign papers. We go to inspect our new house and get keys. EVERYTHING IS STILL NOT FIXED. We yell at the construction manager, we call the regional and area manager. We are ASSURED it will be fixed before we move in the next day. - Moving day. We arrive at the house at noon. There are drywall workers with 5 gallon buckets of spackle, spray guns, and spatulas working all around the house. Plastic sheeting is spread on most of the floors. WE HAVE 3 MOVING TRUCKS OF STUFF ARRIVING IN 20 MINUTES. On the phone with Regional Manager who says they'll get done and out as fast as they can, but we need to not put stuff around the walls because they need to come back and paint the next day. So basically, we can move our stuff in but can't really unpack. It took a WEEK to resolve to the point that we could actually put furniture where it belonged. - Post move in, it took 6 WEEKS just to clear the Closing punch list (stuff that should have been fixed before closing). Contractors showed up with limited to zero information on why they were there, and us having to explain every time what needed to be done (this should be Highland Homes job, right?). - Post closing, still finding items that were clearly not installed correctly that should have been identified by any competent construction manager. Entry way doors with zero weather stripping as an example. - In the end, we love our new home's floor plan, our lot, and our neighborhood. But never again will we put up with such a horribly mismanaged construction process. ... More

The workmanship of their contractors are some of the worst I've seen in central Texas. The construction manager tries to keep up but he was constantly missing details and big things in the house. The floor was an absolute disaster and doesn't look anything like the design center. They all point fingers at each other to excuse the poor workmanship and materials.

Better designs then the competition. They entertained some custom changes that other builders would not. However, the title work and finish was not finished completely. Disappointing for the price point. We still have a list of I Owe Yous from the builder months after moving in.

We were excited to build a new home. But when we moved in, there were several items that were not completed. The house was not cleaned at all except for the carpets which had mud stains. They should have not been stained by workers. We had to clean the garage, which was filthy, and the attic was supposed to be straightened but not done. We pointed out that there was paint on the floor but that was not cleaned moving into the house. We had to do all that work that should have been done before we moved. The driveway was covered in oil paint from the house next door. The workers should be informed that these are expensive properties and care should be used while working on house to prevent damage. They do not take care when doing their job like getting paint on the new flooring. Also, our property should have been power washed before closing. We had our work-through and taped "bad" spots on the walls, but they did not fix until over a week later. Several pieces of the tape fell off, so they ended up not being fix. In fact, some of the items we pointed out were not finished the day before closing. We pointed out stuff before closing that needed to be done (and said was done) but later found out it was not done. After closing, we let the contractor know some problem issues. We had pointed out before closing, 2 bushes were dead, so they needed to be replaced when the water ban was lifted. These were eventually replaced but think that the landscaping should have been watered or not put in until water ban was lifted. We had several issues that had to be fixed. Our vanity lights were not installed before moving in. The lights came in and under the LED lights, the wall was not painted and textured, which we asked if it was done so the lights could be installed when they came in. It was an additional 2 weeks before the wall was fixed so the lights could be installed. We had to fight to finish the bad paint job. We were told we had been given the opportunity to QC the house, so it was our problem. We are paying 700,000 for a house and think that the builders should QC their homes. We pointed out that they did not paint house right after we QC'd and tape came off. They had sent painters, but we were not informed they were coming. They ran in, slapped some paint on, and ran out. We did not have chance to point out spots they missed. After bringing up our point, new painters came out and they did an excellent job. We also had an issue we pointed out before closing that was not addressed until a month plus later. There was a piece of trim in the master bathroom the was not finished. It cutoff at a very sharp angle. We asked that to be fixed but it took long time to get addressed. There were many minor issues. Some took a long time to get addressed after bringing them up, so I ended up entering warranty issues so that they could be addressed. After that, things got addressed and there are no outstanding issues. As far as what we requested, we ordered a lighting package, but it was discontinued. The new lighting came with a single pendant light. We wanted three pendant lights so builder ordered pendants from another lighting package that had 3 pendants. We are very happy with those pendant lights. But we were supposed to have an extra outlet in the garage between the two garage doors, but it was put in the back of the garage where we cannot use it. It was supposed to be near the front so we can use power tools to work on projects. Lastly, the quality of construction is poor. Being that we are from a strong union state, our standards may be higher than here. The fence is new but most of the nails are not nailed into the studs and will need to be re-nailed. The windows are not even. House seems like it was "eye-balled" instead of making sure it was level and plumb. We are happy with our floor plan and our design choices. But we would probably not recommend Highland Homes since their quality of work is low and they do not turn over a clean house. ... More

Too many issues not built for durability. Lots of issues with sheet rock finish, trim finish, leve 1 quartz had finish issues, door handles keeps poping out, concrete finish is sub par. Overall thry just using the brand and contractors they used to built homes is not doing good job

I’ll start with the good. Ethan, the sales manager was awesome. He seemed to care, took the time to answer questions and even sent us updated pictures. Hank, the loan officer was very helpful and informative and answered all of our questions. Now for the bad. We had 3 different construction mangers. So things were missed every time there was a change in personnel. There is such a lack of communication. Tradesmen just show up unannounced and whenever they want. The affidavit when we moved in was “to take only two weeks” is still not done 4 months later. We still don’t have the official affidavit copy that we have asked for several times. The craftsmanship is not good and it doesn’t even seem like they care. When they come and “fix” something, it’s not fixed, it just “looks” better, but not properly done, and then something else gets messed up and we start the process all over again. Tradesmen just randomly show up unannounced, but when there is a scheduled time, they don’t show up at all. So much of my time has been wasted by tradesman that can’t get the job done. We had so many issues with the tile work, cabinets, painters, brick issues and so much more. I can never get the construction manager to give me an answer, let alone support for the fixes that need to be made. I have to continue to just randomly email to get something done that was on our affidavit. The saddest part, is that I would never refer this builder to someone else. This was supposed to be our forever home, I feel they have taken that away from me and don’t even care. I can’t even been to describe the level of frustration and saddened we have felt over this. We feel like no one cares about what the end product should be or what it has made us have to do to get things done. ... More

Of the 4 primary homes I purchased in the last decade, this was one of the WORST home buying experience I have been through. The quality of work done for a model home is bad and after sale service is poor. I’m giving 2 stars rating since the Sales representative was exceptional

We have had issue after issue. Some of our service requests have been submitted multiple times. We have received a faulty water faucet a total of 3 times! We have still not received our gold lighting that was in our signed contract after 3 months of being in our home. Our roof leaked after the snow day which left our ceiling stained. The buying experience was great but the service sucks! I gave it two stars because our sales consultant was wonderful. It’s after buying the home that’s been the most stressful! This home cost too much money to have this many problems.

A lot of empty promises are made about fixing items under warranty and there is no follow up. Almost 4 months into a new house and there is still a lot of items to be fixed. Also, cabinet door was fixed on the wrong side and they won’t fix it. HH forgot to put a water shut off in the garage. A lot of mistakes. Hoping HH will reach out when they see this review.

must resolve issues

I have had a very poor experience with highland home buying process. I was very considerate given my home build process was during Covid time. The build got delayed multiple times. I was never informed about any delays unless I enquired constantly. Lastly, 4 days before closing, after I checked everything is on track, I was told they cant close due to some delays. I had to move to temporary accommodation and finally they agreed to close on home without completing all the items. Sales associate did not have any updates regarding the build and wanted me to provide lender details even without having a closing date. Regarding the build, overall construction quality was good but the options chosen at design center when unavailable, without my consent, something else was used to replace. This includes tile and counter tops. Overall, as a new buyer, I was left completely anxious and not well informed of the process. ... More

I've had experience with production and custom builders in the past and Highland rates as low as possible.

Lots of issues with home, every time contractor comes to fix one problem another one occurs. Last time I’ll buy a highland home

Highland homes are great, quality is fair but support is terrible. Just the hassle wasnt worth it.

The whole experience was incredibly disappointing and stressful. The house had several issues pre and post closing. Our walk through was an ever long list of problems and severe lack of attention to details. We were promised a home with the same quality as a model home and the delivery could not be far from it. Our kitchen cabinets are uneven, doorknobs are falling and not properly placed, bath sinks have leeks, kitchen sink is supposed to be stainless steel yet it has several stains that do not come off even with use of professional products. I would not recommend this builder to anyone. It prides itself for quality, but it definitely does not live to the expectations. ... More

Will never again trust this builder

Worst experience ever as a 1st time homebuyer!

There were several issues discussed during the first, and only, walk through (I was promised two walkthroughs before the closeout; but, Nick, the builder, refused to do a second one) and the issues were not covered between the walkthrough and the closeout. The day of the closeout, Nick had someone pulling blue tape off the walls (blue tape indicates areas needing touch-up) but no work was being performed. The garage door was supposed to be fixed, it was not, the texture on the entrance hallway was supposed to have been fixed, it was not, he had the sprinkler system running every day and now there are runoff lines in the lawn, those were shrugged off, the sprinkler system has had issues “not running,” and leaks, the front door is missing screws, nick has yet to address this issue, Nick promised me on the first walkthrough he would get me a price on a solid core door for my wife’s office, this took an extraordinarily long time and when I replaced the door the top hinge jam side screws were completely stripped, like there’s not a stud back there. I was supposed to be put in touch with the painter so my wife could have a few rooms painted before we moved in, that never happened. ... More

We've now worked with 3 Construction Managers (CM) after firing the first (refusing to work with him) after he lied to us about a sealing issue in our roof that our personally hire inspector found. Our 2nd day in the house we were awakened at 2am to substantial leaking in 2 bathrooms, hallway, walls, roofs, etc. because there was so much water on the ceiling it set off the smoke detectors. Since then, we found out they only used primer w/o a coat of paint on most of the house, we have white paint stains ALL over our house, including all over our brand new (and expensive) woof floors, in additions to nicks and scratches. Dozens of things around the house weren't sealed correctly, if at all. Mirrors were not secured, we have a big dip in our wood floors in the kitchen that they didn't even try to fill in or cover up. They just added the wood planks over the gap and said nothing. There poor landscaping also flooded our front yard garden area, they made changes to the houses layout without even consulting us!! because they "had it when they were a kid". The painted our brick the wrong color, they didn't stain our fence as per our contract. The paint was blotchy, uneven and sparse all over the house. We've been here for 2 months and there literally has not been 1 day when we haven't found something else wrong and the majority of those days we've had workers and CM's in and out of our house to fix things. Except they either don't show up when scheduled, show up randomly unannounced and unplanned, invite themselves over (the CM Clint), they have big packages mailed to our house w/o telling us they're coming, what they are and what they're for and they put them in the middle of our driveway or blocking our front door or in the mud. Speaking of yards, they put a porta-potty in our front yard - yes they put a portable toilet that workers were using in the middle of our front yard. We had to move out a week because they had so much to fix and when we came back less than half of what we were told would be done was done. They lied about replacing drywall in all of the areas effected by our huge leak in the roof and they've had workers come to fix things that either don't show up, don't fix anything, make it worse or fix it but create another problem. And I'm only telling you part of it after 2 months. The biggest slap in the face is that they've offered absolutely nothing for all of the trouble. No upgrades, no discount, not a single thing. Oh but they did give us $200/day for the week we got kicked out of our house that was supposed to cover lodging and food for a family of four - with a 3-yr old and 5-yr old. And boy do they lie. We even have them on tape and video to prove it. My hand is tired, otherwise I could keep adding things for hours and I'm not kidding or exaggerating. So I would say don't use them maybe :) ... More

Work was very rushed. Very disappointed with the purchase. I'm still dealing with issues on repairs to be completed that should have been done before forcing me to close just to make a year end number. Worst experience I've had ever buying a new home.