Bought a Doug Tarry home in Millers Pond. Really like the attention to detail and the quality of the home. Thank you Drew for your amazing help to us in finding the right home for us. The customer service is excellent starting with Dave doing our PDI and Maryanne in customer service who always promptly replies to any questions we have. We also would like to say a big thank you to the landscaping team who are super friendly and always keep us in the loop with the landscaping progress.
This has been the best home buying experience we have ever had.
Thank you to the Doug Tarry team for hiring such great employees.
Our experience with Jackie DaSilva & Maryanne Mason and all team they all help us lot. We are really happy from their service they are very professional peoples And Doug Tarry Homes are excellent. The house is very well-built and comfortable, and the team always responded to our questions promptly. They really made the home-buying process easy and enjoyable. We love our new home and highly recommend them!🙏🙏
We just want to thank Tim, Stacey and the all of the trades for the wonderful job they did on finishing our basement. We are completely satisfied with the professional job that was done. If you are thinking about having yours done, give Stacey a call for your quote!
Purchasing a home in St Thomas from Doug Tarry marked a significant milestone in our lives, complicated by a substantial relocation. The overwhelmingly positive customer reviews on their website influenced the decision to choose their services. With a tight budget and timeline, we found our options limited. The agency's approach to negotiations was characterized by inflexibility, particularly given the price drops found in other properties. It was very disappointing to learn that when we asked for appliances to be negotiated in the house due to our situation and hardship in coordinating such a thing ourselves from a long distance, they told us it’s not an option. But later we learned that the application of rules is inconsistent and biased. The grading work at our property is an absolute disgrace. It’s a disaster. Concerns were raised on the very first day regarding the grading, but they went ahead to finish the job, knowing it was wrong anyway. You need to understand that while some of their employees are kind and doing an honest job, we paid for a complete service with our hard-earned money that we did not get yet. We never felt this ignored and unappreciated. Like you are talking to a wall. It feels like we can be happy we got the house itself; anything else involving the lot is some kind of a favour. This was not our first experience with newly built homes, and we have never seen work done that demonstrates such a lack of professionalism and organization, with workers’ questionable knowledge of the job.
We would not recommend buying a new home from Doug Tarry; you would be better off exploring other options. Their homes are trade-offs between cheap materials and subpar window and door finishes that have been masked with impressive colour schemes and a few eye-catching features. For the same price, you can get more value and quality elsewhere.
First, I want to say that we do love our home. However, there have been enough negative experiences throughout the building and post-possession process that, if we were to build another home in the future, we would likely look elsewhere.
As first-time homebuyers, our experience started off very well. Our sales representative was welcoming, friendly, and helpful. We toured several homes to determine what features and layouts we wanted and also spoke with sales representatives from other Doug Tarry communities. Unfortunately, this is where some of the issues began.
We often received conflicting information from different sales representatives regarding pricing, upgrades, and what would or would not be included. This created confusion and made it difficult to feel confident that we were receiving accurate information.
Our experience with the décor selection process was even more disappointing. Our décor consultant rarely offered guidance, recommendations, or information about available upgrades. We were generally presented only with the standard options included with the home. When we asked about upgrades, we were often made to feel as though we were inconveniencing her. We repeatedly had to correct mistakes regarding our selections, colours, and even our closing date.
Since moving into our home, we have experienced numerous flooring issues throughout the main living areas. Several sections have already required repairs, and there are still additional areas that need attention. All of these concerns have been submitted through warranty claims. During the most recent repair visit, the technician told us, "I don't know what you want me to do, it's not a concern."
This response was surprising considering the issues we continue to experience, including lifting edges, hollow spots beneath the flooring, sections that move up and down when walked on, and another piece that is both lifting and cracked. According to Elgin Carpet One, these issues are apparently "not a concern." To make matters worse, a cabinet in our home was damaged during a previous flooring repair.
We have also found issues with the finishing work throughout the house. In several locations, trim nails are clearly visible because the holes were never properly filled before being painted. When this was brought to their attention, we were told, "Well, it wasn't on your PDI or 40-day report, so we just call that house settling." That response was disappointing and felt more like an excuse than a solution.
Another ongoing frustration has been the repeated delays regarding our grading and sod installation. We were initially told the work would be completed in early to mid-May. Then it became the end of May, then early June, and so on. Every delay seemed to come with another explanation despite consistently favorable weather conditions that would have allowed grading work to proceed.
We were specifically instructed to report any water pooling near the house. I submitted photos and emails documenting the issue, yet water continues to pool beside our home.
We have also had multiple warranty claims marked as "complete" despite no work ever being performed. In some cases, the person responsible for the claim never even came to inspect the issue. We repeatedly found ourselves responding to completion notices explaining that the work had not been completed at all.
These are only some of the issues we have encountered throughout this process. The communication, attention to detail, and quality of some of the workmanship have simply not met our expectations.
With that said, I would like to acknowledge that most of the Doug Tarry employees we have dealt with have been pleasant and courteous. Unfortunately, our experiences with certain staff members and contractors have overshadowed those positive interactions.
Doug Tarry's slogan is “The Doug Tarry Difference.” If our experience is what that difference is supposed to represent, then it is not a difference we would choose again.
We were drawn to Doug Tarry by family and friends who talked highly of the builder and their customer service. Unfortunately, our experience has been challenging and I would be hesitant to recommend.
We moved in at a time where we were not allowed to be physically present for the pre-move in inspection. There were a number of deficiencies highlighted while the builder walked through the home and we were on video. When we officially moved in, we did a full inspection since we had not been in the home. There were quite a few deficiencies in the home that were not brought forward. One of the main issues was door painting within the home. Thirteen of the doors had significant paint drips all over them which resulted in Doug Tarry replacing them. We are thankful that these items were addressed. There were a handful of items that were never resolved but we got tired of asking about it and just moved on.
More recently, we had a leak in our basement that leaked into the ceiling. Upon inspection by a plumber, they determined that the leak was a result of a staple having punctured the water line. Due to the location of the leak, the only possible way for that staple to have gotten into the water line would have been before the main floor flooring and basement ceiling were installed. I was recommended to reach out to Doug Tarry about it even though it was out of warranty because it was clearly something that had happened during the build.
Doug Tarry initially stated that it was not under warranty but they would consider looking at it. I countered asking if they would pay for the ceiling repair and I would cover the plumber. The best they were willing to do was to cover half the cost of the ceiling repair and I would cover the plumber and half the ceiling cost. I do appreciate there was some offer but as the matter was something directly tied to the build, I do find it disappointing that they were not willing to do more. I do understand and can respect the fact that it is not under warranty.
We were quite excited to build with them so it's disappointing the challenges throughout the years has overshadowed that.
