Heisler Homes Inc

I had a major issue with the way the railing was finished, I brought up the issue a month before my closing date and nothing was done to rectify the problem.
After trying to resolve the issue a number of times, it became apparent the work was not going to be done to my satisfaction, I expected the finish of the railing to be the same as it appeared in the model homes.
Except for this issues, I would say the quality of the home is otherwise good.

My wife and I have been in our new home for almost one year. We are extremely pleased with how well the house has been built, the very high quality of the interior fittings, cupboards, granite etc. and the overall attention to details. We also appreciate that a Heisler Manager has been onsite and readily available to new home owners ever since we moved in. This is our fourth new home and it is by far the best (Our Tarion deficiency list on closing contained only four minor items) ....... all kudos and thanks to Heisler Homes for building a great home for us here in Waterloo.

I chose Heisler Homes to build my new house from a number of available builders. As Past-President of the Waterloo Region Homebuilder's Association I am familiar with and have knowledge of many builders in the Region of Waterloo. The staff and trades at Heisler Homes all work to a very high standard and I found Heisler Homes to be very dependable, and attentive to my build. They custom designed my home to fit my budget and advised on ways to improve the home. They accomodated my changes while remaining within budget and on schedule, always concerned with my position on all issues. Upon closing the deal I found the home to be everything I anticipated, with no issues with quality, and with all work completed in accordance with my detailed written contract and change orders. Any concerns (and they were very minimal) that I had subsequent to the closing were addressed in a timely matter and to my satisfaction. I would consider Heisler Homes to be one of the top builders in our Region, would use them again on another build and I would not hesitate to recommend them for your build.

I’ve been in my Heisler built home for over 10 years and must say that building a custom home with all the details that I wanted is a very stressful adventure; if you don’t have a builder that is willing to cooperate and work with you. I am a very fussy individual and have high expectations for value in relation to the money I spend. My home is a true showcase and most people that have been in my home say that it should be featured in magazines.

Is my home perfect? No. I’m not sure there is a perfect house.

Is it above the standards that are present in most homes? I would say yes, in almost every category.

Would I recommend Heisler to a family member or friend? Most definitely!

Would I build another home with Heisler? In a heartbeat.

I’m most likely not the easiest guy to work with given how fussy I am; but I must say that Mr. Heisler was very accommodating and the site superintendent Paul Szever who manages the trades people and the aftermarket service was great. There is still the odd occasion where I have called to get advice and have been treated very well. I plan on being in my home for a long time and I know that it will stand the test of time.

Overall, I would say the quality build of the home is fine.

My purchase experience from start to finish however, leaves a lot to be desired. Right from the start, communication is slow when you need something, and expectation of response to them when they need it is IMMEDIATE.

I cannot speak for the industry as a whole, but I can tell you that customer service with this company is rather horrible. From things being indicated on plan not being done, to being made to feel like you're an inconvenience while spending $500k on a house. As with many things now a days, they seem eager to correct things in the beginning. That is until the cost of that "fix" becomes evident. At that point, you can expect little to no communication, and ultimately nothing.

At the end of the day, excuses given are beyond reasonable technicality. To avoid them would mean you would ask questions you would NEVER think or know to be relevant. They will do evertyhing to a min. Do nothing more than walk the line with Tarion guarantees, and will hide behind specific language as outlined by your Tarion Warranty.

BE VERY careful what you sign. Read EVERYTHING... twice. Don't accept being put off when things need to be corrected or you may be like me and be left in the dark after almost 2 years and SEVERAL emails of yes we will get to that.

The number of times I was told that they have NEVER had issues, I'm the first left me feeling like I was being unreasonable. I was the first one in my sub division here in Carriage Crossing in Waterloo and the more great neighbors I meet, the more horror stories I hear. More often than not, most of them are resorting to fixing their own problems as they aren't getting any help from Heisler.

The owner of the company, Tim Heisler at one point even tried to send me a cease and desist letter after hearing that I had been talking to other home owners. I was simply welcoming anyone into my home to look around for themselves, and allowing anyone who wished to see documents of the horrible service I reveived. I filed complaints with the BBB which they won't even reply too which has had their non membership standing dropped to a B-, and Tarion has even agreed with my situation that it was handled poorly, but unfortunatly can do nothing about it.

Why I give ANY stars one might ask? Well there were some trades they used that were fantastic, and end of day I feel the home in the neighborhood will be a good investment. That said, I truly believe it's the area. There are several other builders here. A walk through them all would give someone their own impression.