# Cervelle Homes vs. Imperial Builders (any feedback)



## BlueWaveCapt (Jan 8, 2007)

We have almost narrowed it down to 2 builders that focus on the local area we want to live...and fall within our price range/size, etc...

Cervelle Homes (League City - Wilshire Place neighborhood)
Imperial Builders (League City - South Shore Harbour)

Both seem similar (to a random person like me) in construction, both has similiar amenities included, and both are about the same price per sq ft with similar 4 bedroom floor-plans.

Does anyone have any experience or feedback with either of these builders (good or bad)?


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## bluewaterexplorer (Apr 25, 2007)

BlueWaveCapt,

Good afternoon. I have worked for Imperial Homes for about two years now. In my opinion we are a top tier builder in the Houston market. If you have any detailed questions please feel free to PM me or give me a call on my cell phone. I am in the Inverness Estates community in Tomball. Good luck with your decision.

Respectfully,

Chris Olson
281.220.9795


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## HSP506 (Aug 25, 2006)

I'd go with Imperial over Cervelle. Cervelle is good but they use cheaper materials and build differently then Imperial. You really need to compare the building methods and materials each builder claims. Go out and inspect current construction homes by each builder in various stages to see the materials being used and how well their employed contracts build.

Good luck!


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## wakeupluis (Feb 16, 2006)

They both suck. Build it yourself and save a bundle of money and Have it your way. I have friends who have homes with one or the other. You get a track home. They stapled the roofs down. "when they should have nailed them" Use cheap building materials. I can go on and on with either. Basically if you are choosing between these two its a coin toss. They are equal as far as I can tell. And I built my own home. So I know a little bit about construction. Although I am no expert. Just my .02


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## Horns23 (Jul 24, 2006)

I can't speak about Imperial but I have a Cervelle home. I am very pleased with it. I like the idea that you typically get larger lots and larger garages. If you want custom features they will install them for extra charge. The prices will still be below what most other builders charge. As far as build it just went thru Ike and I didn't even lose a shingle.


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## bluewaterexplorer (Apr 25, 2007)

Wakeupluis,

Once again I work for Imperial Homes. Please give me some feedback on why you believe that our company "sucks". Here are my thoughts.

1. We have been in business over nineteen years. We are a privately owned builder unlike the big corporate guys who are trying to cut corners right now since they report to shareholders and are loosing their ***.
2. No, we do not staple down shingles, they are nailed.
3. What building materials that we utilize are cheap?
4. Yes we are a production builder. But, our niche in the home building business is that we allow customers to "customize" their home to fit their lifestyle. How many garages do you want? Five, OK!. You want me to bust out the back of the house and add 500 sq/ft to the house, OK. We are not a "No/we don't do that builder". We work hand in hand with our customers and architects to build a vision that the customer has.

If you have friends whom have not had a satisfactory experience with us, ask them to call our customer service department.

Obviously, any time someone purchases a large ticket item it is important to do research. Once a buyer has narrowed it down to a few communities/builders then go do the following:

1. Make a list of questions for the sales counselor
2. Go talk to customers that have closed on their homes
3. Set up an appointment with sales/superintendent to "walk" the product at different stages (forms, slab, frame, sheetrock, mechanicals etc...)

Just like buying a boat; don't sign on the dotted line till you have done a test drive.

BWE



wakeupluis said:


> They both suck. Build it yourself and save a bundle of money and Have it your way. I have friends who have homes with one or the other. You get a track home. They stapled the roofs down. "when they should have nailed them" Use cheap building materials. I can go on and on with either. Basically if you are choosing between these two its a coin toss. They are equal as far as I can tell. And I built my own home. So I know a little bit about construction. Although I am no expert. Just my .02


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## cabolew (Aug 12, 2005)

I own a Cervelle and think we did just fine with them. For around $75 per sqft, gated community and "lower" tax area it was a good move.


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## houfinchaser (Oct 10, 2008)

staple roof??..haha.. In Galveston county where he is looking the roof has to have a windstorm certification. Some builders cut cost but I have never heard that one before...haha I have sold real estate for many years in the Clear Lake area. No matter what builder home you buy make sure you inspect it. If it has not been built already make sure your inspector does multiple inspections on different stages of construction. Don't be afraid to demand things be corrected. Many people assume because its new there won't be problems. That is far from the truth. Superintendents are in charge of the building process for your home, if they stink you may have a problem. That goes for all builders. I am not saying this because I sell real estate but make sure you use a Realtor. They will help you find the lowest price with the most incentives. The "discounted price" they tell you is not the discounted price. They just do that to make you feel better. A good agent that knows the area can get you the rock bottom price because the sales rep knows the Realtor will just sell you another home some place else.


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## fishit (Jul 12, 2007)

Imperial homes would be my choice. They make a very nice home.


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## bluewaterexplorer (Apr 25, 2007)

Some place with a bigger BTSA (bonus to sales agent)? 



houfinchaser said:


> staple roof??..haha.. In Galveston county where he is looking the roof has to have a windstorm certification. Some builders cut cost but I have never heard that one before...haha I have sold real estate for many years in the Clear Lake area. No matter what builder home you buy make sure you inspect it. If it has not been built already make sure your inspector does multiple inspections on different stages of construction. Don't be afraid to demand things be corrected. Many people assume because its new there won't be problems. That is far from the truth. Superintendents are in charge of the building process for your home, if they stink you may have a problem. That goes for all builders. I am not saying this because I sell real estate but make sure you use a Realtor. They will help you find the lowest price with the most incentives. The "discounted price" they tell you is not the discounted price. They just do that to make you feel better. A good agent that knows the area can get you the rock bottom price because the sales rep knows the Realtor will just sell you another home some place else.


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## wakeupluis (Feb 16, 2006)

well I can show you plenty of homes in Fairmont Park subdivision in Laporte who are imperial who have stapled roofs that lost their roofs during IKE. I am sure you feel like protecting them because they employ you. I am sure you build a decent product. Not to my standards though. I do not know if you have worked in Fairmont but their past practices is all I can go by. And ofcourse this is my own personal opion. We all have one. Probably does not mean much. I am always for someone to build their own home. Build it like you like. A whole lot less money and a whole lot better materials. 

Dont even get me started with Cervelle homes. I know some plumbing issues they did not want to fix after the fact. That was letting Raw sewer gasses into my friends rest room. Not to mention the cracked Driveway that was cracked beyond the superficial cracks at her house that they did not want to repair. And another friend who was going to close on a home and they did not want to repair the horrible waves in the ceilings til after closing.. I told him now way.. So he backed out.


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## wakeupluis (Feb 16, 2006)

Sorry about my soap box. I get going. I can tell you stories about most builders. I can tell you all builders GET YOU GOOD ON UPGRADES. Those are a joke. But sometimes its easier to go ahead and finance it in and pay 4times what you thought you paid for it anyways. I do not mean to bash Imperial and Cervelle homes. Sorry. I am sure they build a decent home. I know people who are content with them. Its just a couple of my personal observations. Just stay on top of whatever builder you choose and watch them close. I think if you were chooseing between those two builders its really a toss up. Basically the same guys will be framing the house and the same guys will be roofing. It just all comes down to what materials the builder supplies. Also what you expect from the builder. Definetly walk around and look at homes being built by each builder to help make your decision. See what grade materials they use for windows, roofing, decking, do they wrap the house with house wrap? Do they deck the whole exterier vrs just 2' from openings and corners. This also is dependant on the area too. If its a 2 story how far apart are the floor joists "I think this what you call them". What brand and seer rating AC units. Do they use tongue and grove floor for the upstairs? Is it 7/8 or 1 1/8". So many factors play a roll in a house. In the end the home looks identical after its sheet rocked and painted but may have squeeky up stairs floors or maybe some air comes through window seals. Stuff like that. Just educate yourself as much as you can. That is about all I have*LOL* Sorry for the long post. And again I dont mean to bash anyone. Sorry about that..


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## alant (Dec 7, 2006)

I bought an Imperial home new in the late nineties. Their oversight of building was horrendous. They said they followed the 95/5 rule. They expect to get 95% right the first time and have to re-do 5%. Not exactly six sigma. Most businesses would fail with that goal. Of 40 houses in my neighborhood, 19 had lawsuits against Imperial. They missed installing a manufactured beam in my house and had to come back and install a strong back and get an engineer to certify it. The finishing work was very poor. Again, I think it was sub-contractor supervision that was lacking. With that said, I do believe they used good materials. I hope they've improved their business over the last 10 years. Good luck.


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## BS (May 24, 2004)

One thing for sure, stapled roofs are not legal per IRC whether in coastal counties or inland no matter what. 
I've inspected many Cerville homes and found them to be ok design wise and structurally. They sold like hot cakes in Pearland. Can't say about finish out as I don't inspect finishes. Imperial homes has pulled out of Pearland some years ago so I never got to inspect them while I was there as an inspector. I do know they were there in the past as we had some of their plans on file in the storeroom. Of the list of absolute "do not buy homes" I carry mentally, Cerville is not on the list. Oh yea, don't ask me for the "list".

Byron


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## houfinchaser (Oct 10, 2008)

From what I hear right now they all have bonuses to selling agents. I am a Commercial Broker I don't deal with residential homes.



bluewaterexplorer said:


> Some place with a bigger BTSA (bonus to sales agent)?


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## Profish00 (May 21, 2004)

Stapled verse nailed, what difference does it make. Both are damaged


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## wakeupluis (Feb 16, 2006)

my roof has 6 nails per shingle and It did not get damaged at all. Ofcourse it is a 50yr shingle. But I do live really close to the bay. So that does make a difference to. But my buddies house was stripped of many shingles as were almost every home in his area but his neighbors. Who had theirs replaced last year and nailed down. The nails wont stop the damage but they will help.


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## TheSamarai (Jan 20, 2005)

I think what really matters is the subdivision you are buying into. Once that is decided, any builder that builds in a particular subdivision is going to use the same building practices. Cerville builds in my subdivision but we chose Perry because when you factor upgrades, it came to about the same price. My neighbors love there Cerville homes and have been very satisfied with it so I would definitely choose them if they were one of my choices.


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## BlueWaveCapt (Jan 8, 2007)

We are looking in Wilshire Place and in South Shore Harbour.
Possibly looking in the new section of Brittany Lakes where Cervelle is now building.


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## t-dub (Jun 14, 2006)

We have (and had) several builders in my neighborhood - - Imperial, DR Horton, Ashton, Perry, and some custom builders. The Imperial homes by far suffered the most damage from Ike. Both of my across the street neigbhors who own Imperial homes are living in trailers in their driveway because of the damage. Imperial homes had the most roof damage, as well as water coming in around the windows, doors, etc.

I can't speak to Cervelle, except that they build what I would have to consider my dream garage, four car with upstairs storage.

TW


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## Old Whaler (Sep 6, 2005)

Whoever you choose, you should hire an independent inspector that works for *YOU *to inspect at least the foundation, framing, elec. and plumbing. You will be amazed at what they find. Your home will only be as good as their superintendent is.


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## anisbet (Jan 16, 2009)

Old Whaler said:


> Whoever you choose, you should hire an independent inspector that works for *YOU *to inspect at least the foundation, framing, elec. and plumbing. You will be amazed at what they find. Your home will only be as good as their superintendent is.


any idea where I could find an inspector that is knowledgeable? The last guy I used on a house I bought didn't seem to know much at all...

I'm looking at getting a house built in Sedona the newest Cervelle Homes community


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## pkwbkb4 (Jan 23, 2009)

*Cervelle Homes vs Imperial Homes*

We've owned homes built by both builders, Cervelle (13 yrs) and Imperial (9 mos), in La Porte, Tx. We've been relatively satisfied with what you get for the money from both builders. We had both houses built from scratch. While quality and attention to detail during the buildout could've been improved, we believe it'd likely take a custom builder to make much difference. Getting a custom built house is expensive, more than we've cared to spend to date.

As for Hurricane Ike damage in the La Porte, TX area (Fall 2008) --
We're currently living in a new Imperial Home in Fairmont Park East, Section 12. We did fine during Ike. In fact, all the homes [roofs] built by Imperial in our neighborhood held up well during Ike. However, those in the older sections of Fairmont Park East and Glen Meadows Subdivisions had quite a bit of roof damage from Ike. In my opinion, the older roofs didn't hold up well to the winds. Also, there may have been some isolated tornado damage in the area.

Hope this helps anyone considering a home built by Cervelle or Imperial Homes. :cop:


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## RedRubi (Nov 10, 2006)

Horns23 said:


> I can't speak about Imperial but I have a Cervelle home. I am very pleased with it. I like the idea that you typically get larger lots and larger garages. If you want custom features they will install them for extra charge. The prices will still be below what most other builders charge. As far as build it just went thru Ike and I didn't even lose a shingle.


I'll second this. My house is in Clear Creek Meadows. Cervelle was very accomodating during the build and let me install all of my own low voltage wiring for surround sound, wired network, etc.. Cervelle also had many more upgrade options. They were also kind enough to let my wife primer all the walls before the wall paper went up. (She has an afflication for redoing wall paper every 6 years or so. :headknock) What sold me was the open floor plan, wide selection of garage styles, multitude of options and they were just generally easy to work with. Anyone who has watched a home built will have something bad to say as we all have our own ideas of how things should be done. I.e. there's more than one way to do something and do it correctly. As my house was built, I stayed on top of it and visited everyday. If something wasn't right, I brought it to the salesmans attention as well as the construction supervisor. End result is my house is about 8 years old and I'm extremely satisfied. Just wish I would have bought a corner lot.


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## TrophyFish'n (May 5, 2005)

*Cervelle*

I bought a Cervell house last summer and have been very happy with it so far. I think Cervelle has found a niche market in Houston which is working. That is the oversize/custom garage. They build detached garages that have covered car ports on the front which is great for the Texas sun and rain. After having one I wouldn't want to go back to a non covered drive way. Also they offer 3 and 4 car garages with a 2nd story either for finishing or storage. After owning just a 2 car garage attached to a 1 story house I really enjoy the 4 car garage with a 2nd story not to mention the attached car port. I was able to specify a 10ft garage ceiling and 9 ft garage door thereby allowing me to park my 23 ft twin engine offshore boat inside my garage believe it or not. It fits great and I have a small back door in the back to provide air flow and access out the back. That right there saves about $100/month on indoor boat storage plus it's really convenient to work on the ole boat now.

Talking about the house, I was really surprised by the energy use. I've got the 3071sqr ft single story house and my electric bills barely crack $200 in the summer now and that was with 16cents per kwhr rates! I compared it to my previous house and on average I probably use 1000kw/hr less per month particularly in the summer. This might be due to the dual pane windows and the 14 seer Trane AC systems they provide...which I might add have a 10yr parts and labor warranty.

Additionally like most builders they allow you to wire your own house with speaker wires and cat 6 ethernet during the framing. I put in almost 1000 ft of Cat 6 and wired 2 rooms for surround sound prior to drywall installation. I also was able get Cervelle to install a 220v 100amp sub panel in the garage for welding/tools and or providing additional power to the 2nd story of the garage if I ever decide to finish it out. There are some options they wouldn't budge on like being able to install a drain in the floor of the laundry room for example.

Quality I would rate a B+ as it wasn't 100% perfect but no where near issues I would get heated about. Compared to the J. Patrick house I had built in 01, that house was amazingly bad finish quality and the energy use was high for only 2450 sqr feet. I had amazingly bad service with J. Patrick and because of that would never buy another or recommend them iether. The drywall quality was the worst and their A/C systems corroded in about 3yrs requiring total replacement of the attic unit.

I would recommend Cervelle as they do use some good quality materials like 25yr shingles and thicker than normal roof decking including nails and the required hurricane straps/clips for both the house and garage. (Their package plainly provides that type of information including studd spacing, insulation thickness, etc.)

One other nice thing they do is use cultured marble for the window sills inside the house. They don't require painting so if the windows ever get any condensate in the winter from high humidity in the house and a cold window, you won't have to repaint all the wooden window sills in the house. Additionally most Cervell houses don't make window boxes or tall chimney's with wood boards that tend to rott and leak and require painting every 5 yrs. They use vented fireplaces out the wall which are low maintenance. Any siding on the house or garage is hardy plank which is great. When I sold my last house I had to repaint the chimnney and rebuild the master bath window box and repaint it. Talk about a serious pain in the neck in only about 6 yrs time.

I had the new Cervelle house inspected structurally both the house and foundation, and a general inspection and termite instpection as required for a corporate relocation package before closing. No major issues just some minor issues easily fixed.

What can I say, I like my cervelle house. I think the owner knows what people in Houston are looking for and he's going to do just fine in this recession.

rgds
TrophyFish'n


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## BlueWaveCapt (Jan 8, 2007)

The ONLY thing I didn't like about Cervelle Homes wasn't actually the homes they build. They (Cervelle) seem to specialize in neighborhoods with NO ammenities. NONE of the Cervelle neighborhoods around my area (League City) have any neighborhood ammenities. We have 2 kids and we wanted some ammenities in the neighborhood. I know...I know...that means higher HOA dues, but for us...it was a requirement in our next home/neighborhood.

So...we went with a Coventry home in the Magnolia Creek Golf Course Community in League City. We LOVE it and couldn't be happier. 

I agree with you though...Cervelle homes seem to be very nice homes, and the garage options are freaking AWESOME!!! Just don't like the "no frills" neighborhoods they seem to only build in.


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## TrophyFish'n (May 5, 2005)

That's a good point about Cervelle, definitely no frills in the neighborhoods. Could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how you view it.


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