Hayhoe Homes

In 2021, we decided to relocate from Hamilton, Ontario to Tillsonburg, Ontario.
We decided to purchase a new house, in Hayhoe’s new sub-division in Tillsonburg (Andrews Crossing).
We viewed a Hayhoe model home, which was exactly the style of house we decided to build from plans.
Our experience with the purchase of a new Hayhoe home was fraught with more negatives than positives.
During the planning and purchasing stage, the following were some of the issues we encountered:
1. I requested to pay the difference for a change from a 100 Amp electrical service to a 200 Amp service.
This request was categorically denied, even though we were willing to pay the additional difference in cost and the Footings and Foundation had not been started and/or poured.

2. We expected a Picture window the Living room, similar to the one that was present in the Model Home.
The house was built without a Picture window. We were not informed that the Picture was an upgrade.
3. We asked for an upgraded Shower system for both Showers. The representative showed us a Shower system upgrade, which we agreed to, only to be informed later it couldn’t be installed, even though we showed the representative pictures a similar Shower system, in our previous house.

4. The allowance estimates that were included in our contract for Electrical/Plumbing/Kitchen Cabinetry & Counter-tops were extremely low, which resulted in substantial cost overruns, which, in turn, increased the final cost of the house.

Moving onto the Tarion warranty service, during the post-purchase stage, allot of the items that needed minimal effort and time to repair were serviced by Hayhoe’s Service Dept.
However, there were two major items, which the Service Manager totally refused to address, as these items were more complex, in nature, and required more time and effort to service.
Hayhoe’s Service Manager would make excuses as to why he could not service these items, instead of helping the customer resolve these issues.
In my opinion, extremely poor customer care, service and satisfaction.

The two majors issues that the Service Manager refused to address were as follows:

1. The sliding window in our Main bathroom was extremely difficult to open & close.
This window had a 1” gap in the containment channel of the window. As a result, when opening and/or closing the window, it jams/rakes at the two diagonal ends and gets stuck.

2. The workmanship of the brick work on our house is extremely poor and unprofessional. A vast majority of the bricks are covered with dried Mortar. It appears that the brick work was done by someone learning the Trade

Emails to the Owners and the Service Manager of Hayhoe Homes went unanswered, my emails were simply ignored.

We’re at the point where we’ve had to request a Conciliation Inspection from Tarion Warranty, to have these two problems resolved.
There is a cost of $282.50 by Tarion for the conciliation Inspection.

In the meantime the Inspector from Tarion, whom is assigned to our case, has tried, albeit, unsuccessfully, to get Hayhoe Homes to resolve these issues, even though we’re quite willing to work with Hayhoe Homes and Tarion, to resolve these problems.

Needless to say, I do not recommend the purchase of a Hayhoe home to anyone that wants a stress free experience and the joy of home ownership that comes with buying a new home.

A further footnote to this review is what I discovered when reading through the reviews of Hayhoe Homes on Google.

I observed that at least two of the reviews, both 5 star reviews, were written by individuals affiliated with Hayhoe Homes, an employee and a relative of one of the principals of the Company. These reviews most definitely constitute a Conflict of Interest and demonstrates a dishonest practice.

After several years here, getting to know every nook and cranny, its clear to see Hayhoe was maximizing their margin on many things. I think the biggest issue is they dont inspect the work of their subtrades. Sure most things fall out of tarion, meets minimum, etc etc but when you are shopping they tell you they use the standards of their model homes. I was a second time customer, because the first house was great, and I came in with a much bigger custom home budget and didnt push them on price and they took advantage of both of those things. They send a service manager who convinces you its all in your head. Looking back, they knew exactly what they were doing. Dont waste your hard earned money, spend a bit more and use a contractor that really wants to help you love your home.

My custom home was completed with what I consider to be numerous and major defects in materials and workmanship. The builder's representatives seem to be without authority to rectify the problems. When the issue was escalated to senior management I received what I consider to be a dismissive and aloof response. Only minor issues were addressed and the major defects brushed aside as "meeting minimum standards". This has been ongoing for over a year. I would expect something more than minimum standards in a custom home built at a premium price. Unless you are prepared to settle for the absolute minimum in materials and workmanship I can not recommend Hayhoe Homes for your custom home requirements. http://hayhoehomes.blogspot.com