What was the Texas Residential Construction Commission? The TRCC promoted quality construction for Texas by effectively and efficiently performing its statutory functions. Principally, the commission was responsible for: Maintaining the state’s minimum warranties and performance standards for residential construction Overseeing the state inspection process when a post-construction defect is alleged Assisting consumers with complaints about residential builders and remodelers Educating Texas consumers and the residential construction industry Registering residential construction projects Registering residential builders and remodelers Administering the Star Builder program for certain builders and remodelers Enforcing statutory and regulatory requirements for registered builders and remodelers.

Was the Builder licensed by the Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC)? Prior to the dissolution of the TRCC by State of Texas a builder or remodeler may not construct new homes or engage in remodeling projects that change the living area of the home or that cost more than $10,000 for interior renovations in Texas without first registering with the commission. A 4/2/08 search of 27 local builders found only 10 were registered with TRCC. Although the commission is no longer performing statutory functions the statutory laws remain in effect. Pinnacle Homes meet all the requirements by the TRCC to be listed as a register builder in Texas. Pinnacle Homes will continue to perform the requirements outlined in statutory law. If a builder does not follow the statutory law you may be giving up some of your legal rights concerning your home.

Does the Builder provide for independent inspection? As of September 1, 2008 statutory law requires a 3 phase independent home inspection. Pinnacle Homes meets this requirement by providing outside independent inspection of the foundation, framing and mechanical components of each home. In addition, banks are now requesting copies of the inspection to insure that the homes that they finance are meeting the statue.

Does the Builder use TABapproved contracts? Many Builders use old outdated forms or forms they downloaded from the internet. These forms do not have required consumer disclosures. Pinnacle Homes only uses forms and contracts approved for use by the Texas Association of Homebuilders. These forms insure the disclosure of your consumer rights, the grievance process and that your home has the proper warranty.

Did the builder give you the required Builder’s Disclosure Statement? All Builders are required under statute to provide each customer with this disclosure statement. The statement outlines consumer rights under the law.

Is the Builder a member of a Builders Association? Being a member a professional association helps keep the builder informed regarding changes in construction code, statute requirements and provides professional works shops on a whole host of construction topics. Pinnacle Homes is a member of the Tyler Area Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders.

Does the Builder construct homes to generally accepted building codes? Most builders still do not provide 3 party inspections. I have witnessed many instances where corners are cut and codes ignored. Many so called custom builders will not build within city limits for that reason and because most cities require that each subcontractor be on file with the city and provide evidence they are not only licensed but have a master license in their field of work. Pinnacle Homes builds to 2006 International Building Code regardless of location. Pinnacle Homes subcontractors are master licensed and use a “best practices” approach to home building.

Will the Builder provide you with a detail of materials to be used in your home? Most builders will not provide a detailed materials list. They would rather have the flexibility to change specifications, materials and price without recourse. Pinnacle Homes provides a detail list of materials to be used in the construction of your home including; foundation, flatwork, framing material, gutters, roofing, windows, exterior doors, garage doors, masonry, painting, tape and bed, interior trim, interior doors, cabinetry, countertops, stair systems, hardware, insulation, electrical wiring, lighting, plumbing, fixtures, vanities, flooring, fireplace, heating and air conditioning and appliances.

Does builder provide option of fixed price and cost plus contracts? Most builders will only build homes under a cost plus agreement. A cost plus agreement provides greater flexibility to the builder and holds the builder less responsible for construction costs. In most cases a fixed price contract is what is best for the customer. A fixed price means that you know the total cost of the home prior to start of construction. The price will not change unless a change order is submitted by the customer.

Can the Builder show you samples of materials to be used during construction? It’s not only important to be given materials list but also just as important to know why certain materials are used over others and seeing these products helps you to understand the differences. Pinnacle Home’s years of experience provides valuable insight and guidance to the consumers regarding construction materials and the use of trendy products.

Does the Builder provide an engineered foundation? This is a crucial component to your home construction. Almost all counties in Texas have expansive soils. It is critical that your slab is designed by and engineer to meet the specific conditions of the soil. There two types of engineered slab foundations – reinforced steel and post tension. Depending on the soil, grade and fill one type may be better than the other. Regardless of the foundation type they are designed by an engineer. In addition, the engineer inspects the slab prior to construction to insure the foundation is setup properly and inspects after pouring the slab to insure proper execution of the pour. In some cases a geotechnical report may be recommended to determine soil conditions.

Does the Builder offer estimating and architectural services? Probably the most overlooked and one of the most crucial processes in home construction is home design and estimating. The popularity of purchasing blueprints online is immense however; most online plans are not designed for our region and are full of construction flaws costing consumers hundreds if not thousands of dollars in construction errors and delays. In addition, making changes to online plans while the house is under construction can void your warranty. In most cases our staff architect can draw a similar plan for the same price as online plans and you get a plan that is drawn to your specifications. In addition, we offer free estimating and architectural services.

Does the Builder provide professional staff to assist buyers during their interior and exterior color selections? Pinnacle Homes provides on office access to many samples home samples including; brick, stone, cabinet, countertop, faucet, flooring, paint, door and trim samples. In addition, Pinnacle Homes provides expert design staff to help you coordinate all your selections.

Is the Builder FHA and VA approved? If you qualify for an FHA or a VA loan you must find a builder that builds to FHA and VA construction criteria as wells as pass Energy Star certification for the home. Pinnacle Homes builds each home to these required governmental standards.

Does the Builder provide you with a limited 1, 2, 10 year structural warranty? Many builders warrant their homes for only 1 year even though statutory law requires that all new residential construction have a 1,2, 10 warranty program. Pinnacle Homes provides warranty on workmanship and materials for the first year of ownership. In year 2 the manufacturer’s warranties apply and depending on the manufacturer will end between year 2 and year.

10. Because Pinnacle Homes builder to such exacting standards customers can qualify for a 10 year limited transferable third party structural warranty. A third party warranty is crucial! If your builder self insures then goes out of business then your warranty is no longer valid and the mortgage company and/or bank could hold you financial responsible for any needed repairs.

Does the Builder have a warranty department? Most builders do not have a structured process for you to address warranty issues and most builders do not give buyers a clearly defined list of warrantable and non warrantable items. Pinnacle Home's customers can submit warranty requests to our warranty department after 60 days and 11 months from closing. In addition, our warranty forms can be found on our website.