Pulte Homes Reviews in Columbus, OH

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

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.

The process started off well but went downhill starting with the mortgage process. Had things missing inside. Air conditioner had issues. They seem to care a lot in the selling process, but after built and in home it is not as great.

We experienced numerous issues, and the response time was very slow. Some of the problems remain unresolved. They provided many excuses, but honestly, most of them seemed unreasonable. You need to be assertive with your requests. I believe the main office is unaware of what is happening at the local sites, as it is a large company operating nationwide. I doubt the people at headquarters understand the situation here.

Finish work that was promised prior to closing was not done. We have been in the home 2 months and there has been little or no communication regarding completion of the drive (now done), irrigation system, sod. Gutter system was completed yesterday with no notice to us which may complicate installation of our planned concrete patio. Yard was rough graded several weeks ago and both neighbors sod and irrigation systems were disturbed at great inconvenience to them. Experiencing problems with water intrusion into porch area. Inspection completed and it determined there is a row of missing shingles and that roofing material requires extension for gutters to work effectively. No firm commitment as to when work will be completed. This is our second Pulte built home. The first was a better experience. ... More

Please ensure everything is in written communication and I hope Pulte does a better job in hiring construction managers. Some especially mine was horrible

Follow up on concerns after closing is a problem.

Construction process communication was minimal. Don't expect consistent check-ins on the build. Water penetration issue in basement existed all up to 2 weeks before closing. Construction manager did not believe our communications and kept commenting it was wet from cleaning. I would micro-manage the build process if you decide to go into contract with them.

Lots of time and energy on the homeowner. Pulte project managers seem overworked so the only person keeping an eye out on your house is you. At the very minimum, we had to stop at our house once a week so we knew at least someone was monitoring quality. During our build, we told our project manager that our floors squeaked and was told by him that the floors would not squeak anymore once they install the LVP and carpet. WRONG! We move in and all throughout our house, it is nice and squeaky and reminds me of our 1930s apartment floor we were renting. We hired a third party inspector who showed us we had mold all throughout the drywall in the basement (lots!!, we have pictures) and we had to also point out to Pulte we had no attic insulation 10 days before closing. I would have a lot less gray hairs if Pulte had done quality checks themselves throughout the entire build. Our first project Manager Lisa was very underqualified and luckily we got Jason. Jason was miles better but we could tell Pulte had him managing a lot of homes so even he was missing issues in our home. At the end of the day, an overworked Jason over Lisa was fair better quality. We are not happy that Pulte took out a sidewalk panel and decided to pour a new panel and get rid of excess concrete all over the grass. How do you expect grass to grow with chunks of concrete?? Sloppy. Our dishwasher has not worked a single day since moving in. Sure, the cycle runs but the soap pod is found in the bottom every time we attempt. Why isn’t this someone Pulte checks before handing us the keys!! Lastly, the two required trees out front are very dead and that’s what Pulte gave us. I used an app to identify the tree and it told me the trees were unhealthy. These cost hundreds of dollars to replace and Pulte doesn’t take responsibility for installing dying landscape. ... More

I had a very positive impression going with pulte homes but as it came near to the completetion of house, the type and amount of quality issues we came across is just frustrating and aggravating. I don't know where to start in terms of quality but every single inch of the house has some faults and defects which as a home owner i need to look and identify and get it fixed which was supposed to be a builders responsibility. I don't even want to talk about the workmanship since it looked very immature on very basic parts of the construction. Painting, nailing, finishing the gaps, flooring, dry wall finishing, stairs, basement.. If i have to pull each and every bit of issues found in the house then it would clearly shows how Pulte lacks quality and is something a new or year old builder would construct than someone in the industry for a long period of time. My only good experience was with the Sales manager Mrs. Samantha and Closing reporesentative Mr. Steve but anything beyond it i can't even imagine what to say. Do i recommed Pulte to someone?? - I'm totally hesistant about it and sorry to say that.. It's my first new home and i'm moving in with so much hesitation considering the issues it has, but no other positvie feeling. ... More

1, Spectrum drilled holes in my siding with out using them. I was told by Pulte to take care of it by myself. So I paid an outside contractor and was reimbursed by Spectrum. 2. My air conditioner and thermostat were not working properly, I called Arrow and they found out the circuit breaker for the Air conditioner was installed in backwards .3. The commode in master bath rocks back and forth. Have not been able to get anyone out to fix, 4. I reported to customer care that the outside siding has warped. It's been I week since I reported it at Pulte no one has committed to appointment to review siding yet. 5. Garage door gets to the top of the cycle and has a loud bang. Have an appointment next week. I have a major concern about the Water basin behind my house BASIN 4, I got a small non-descript answer from your Pulte manager, so I contacted Columbus Drain Water personnel. They mention that the EPA was out here in the week previous and review the ponds. Columbus Water sent a inspector out. I met with him at the pond and explaing what might be happening to the basin. He agreed and we got on a conference call with his boss Liz M. we reviewed the ponds map and focused on Basin 4. They were in agreement that they water level is too low and causing Algae build up. I did not want to get so involved with this but this water levels way too low and will cause water quality for the rest of the Ponds. So communications worked with Columbus service and some did not. ... More

Lot of quality issues and issues with workmanship. Even after the closing day there were lot of paints issues that were not fixed. I have talked with few others in community and their experience is similar. I driveway I understand it can’t be done because of winter time but they didn’t even remove the nails from driveway which caused 3 tire punctures and tire replacements for guests visiting the house. Cabinets not done properly and I am still waiting for them to fix after more than 45 days after closing. Overall not so great experience. They charge you a lot of money for simple upgrades which other builders have included in their price. ... More

Many small small issues are there, but customer care is not great and supportive. They never pick the calls at all.

We have been disappointed with the workmanship - we have had a list of as many as 15 items that needed repaired after we first moved in. Two months later, we are still waiting on most of them.