I had something come up yesterday which I haven’t run into before.
My question is – Does HD have some sort of “exclusive contract” that they offer HOs? something that allows HD to order anything they want for the house without checking with the HO?
Let me explain why I ask.
A couple of months ago, a HO took a “plan” into a lumberyard I deal with. Basically he had drawn it up himself. They gave me a copy and asked for an estimate on trusses.
On estimates that don’t have a good plan, I generally just blow through them without putting much effort into it. And that’s what I did in this case. I always measure foundations and meet with people before trusses are ordered, and they’re often just “kicking tires”.
The HO got a copy of my quote from the lumberyard and took it to HD to see if they would beat the price. They called out main office, gave them the quote number, and asked the main office to send them a quote. Since HD already had the lumberyard’s price, HD naturally beat it by a little bit.
Once the HO decided to actually build the house, he supposedly signed some kind of “exclusive” contract with the HO. It guaranteed him specific prices if he would buy everything through them or something like that.
Once the “contract” was signed, HD called our main office and told them this particular quote was an order. The person they talked to asked if there were any changes, or if anything needed verified. HD told them “NO”. So HD gave the main office a PO number, and the trusses got built.
.
Yesterday a friend of mine called me. He was hired to frame this house, and asked the HO if I had already been out to measure for the trusses. The HO called HD, and that’s when they told him the trusses were already built.
The HO claimed he had never given HD the OK to order anything at all. HD claimed this “contract” that the HO had supposedly signed gave them permission to order everything he needed.
So now the HO has a foundation in, a framer that showed up to start framing, and a set of trusses that may or may not work.
So that’s why I asked – Does HD really offer some sort of contract to HOs? Or are they blowing smoke and trying to hide a screwup?
A clean house is a sign of a wasted life
Replies
without seeing the supposed contract I would be inclined to call their bluff. if in fact it is a screw-up on the part of HD it would seem the HO is in a nice position to negotiate a hefty discount
Boss -
Did your drawings have any kind of disclaimer saying that your design was "preliminary" and/or "not for construction"? Do your drawings have an "Approved" signature block?
As a P.E., I try to ensure that my arse is covered as much as possible and nothing gets "approved" until I have a serious warm and fuzzy feeling.
The HO needs to read his HD contract very carefully and you need to let everybody know that your design wasn't a "final".
The HO and HD never had any drawings of anything. Our quotes are just a simple listing of quantities, spans, and pitches with a price at the bottom.Doesn't really matter anyway, as HD told the main office to order what was on the quote without and changes, and gave them a PO. The dispute is between the HO and HD.
A "peace-loving nation" is one which bans fireworks and makes hydrogen bombs
It sounds a little dicey but here's one way to look at it . . .
HO draws up his own "plan" and gets a yard quote for a set of trusses. No guarantee that the trusses would fit anything in particular, just a quote for a specific set of trusses.
HO takes said quote to HD and signs something that says if he orders everything through them he gets some discount. Pretty clear the HO wanted this discount.
HD takes the yard quote, calls you direct and gets a direct quote. Again, a quote for a specific set of trusses; no guarantee that they would fit in any particular application -- just this is what this set of trusses would cost.
HD goes ahead and orders everything but, according to HO, with no OK by the HO to order anything.
IF the HO is not skirting the truth as far as what he signed, HD would have to eat the trusses if they don't fit.
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
I pretty much agree with your version of things.But the question still stands - Does HD actually offer some sort of "contract" as the HO claims?I was always under the impression that HD would not special order ANYTHING unless it was paid for in advance.
We all get older too fast, and smarter too slow.
Best I can do there is "I don't know." ;-)
But I agree that I've never had an experience where a big box orders anything unless paid in full up front. Maybe a new program at HD to try to get more package orders. I know a yard near me is trying real hard to get orders for complete packages and maybe HD is doing the same?
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
Boss-
Does HD actually offer some sort of "contract" as the HO claims?
My experience with HD is that it's paid in full before ordering, but that's just my experience. The only way to answer your question would be to read the contract between the HO and HD.
I can't imagine that HD would charge ahead without being sure of their ability to do so, but stranger things have happened. My guess would be that the HO didn't read the fine print - lol.
Just got the call this afternoon. We have to build about $3,750 worth of new trusses for this guy. Out of about a $6,000 order.Good thing he decided to be his on GC and buy stuff through HD so he could save big bucks.Never did hear if there really was a contract with HD or not. And I don't know if HD or the HO owner is gonna eat the ~$3,750.But I do know that *WE* aren't gonna eat this one for a change.
There are few nudities so objectionable as the naked truth. [Agnes Repplier]
Boss, what do you do with "left over" trusses?
There's a truss plant about 40 miles from here that has a sign indicating their mistakes are available for a reduced price. Looks like they have quite a supply too.
What's a going guesstimate price for something like that? Half of original? More? Less? Depends?
Joe H
We get a WHOLE lot of people coming in asking for great deals on "mistake" trusses. (And I've been asked this several times on BT)Trouble is, you don't often get mistakes on simple trusses in large quantities. It's much more often that it's a couple of 39 foot 10/12 pitched piggybacked coffered trusses that are cut off 12' 4 3/4" one end. Some truss plants discount "mistakes" heavily to try to get rid of them. Others try to get by discounting them 10% or so - They figure that selling "mistake" trusses at a discount takes away from selling full priced jobs. The more unusual trusses are often cut up for the umber that's in them.If you're in the market for them, it doesn't hurt to ask. But I'd say 99.9% of the time you aren't going to find what you want.
Get out of my bed, and don't come back until your dick is bigger. [Madonna]
I was thinking maybe for a garage or shop building it would be worth checking into. Be nice to find some big pole barn type, about a dozen.
There's a yard here locally that has had about 15 of them laying in the dirt in the alley behind for a couple of years.
Guess the "sale" price wasn't attractive enuff to get them gone. They're firewood or worse now.
Joe H
Having been a supplier oto HD of special order items.... I would make sure I was paid in full for the wrong ones before I made anything else.... and expect to fight to get paid for the replacements. People at the store level have a great amount of flexibility in a system they know all too well to cover their butts. I supplied them counter tops and had a real expensive garden tractor cost removed from my check.... took 6 months before they finally agreed I didn't sell John Deere tractors and they sent me my money.
Boss:
This is a little off topic, but on the houses I build no one ever comes out to measure the foundation before trusses are built. Generally, the trusses are ordered prior to the foundation being built. Naturally everyone is working off the same set of plans, all foundation corners are set by a surveyor, and yes, we use real plans, not something drawn on a napkin in a bar :-) Maybe if I was doing 5k or 6k sq foot houses it would be different... ie - foundation verification of foundation before truss build. really though, the use of surveyors for foundation layout (1 trip for footers and 1 trip for "brick points) has all but revolutionized foundation building.
Edit: just read your last post above - $6000 worth of trusses must be a pretty big house. Is that 2nd floor and roof or just roof?
And PS: Although HD might be a good place to buy certain items, personally I feel doing a whole house build from a home center is a joke :-)
Edited 11/22/2006 7:11 pm ET by Matt
I am building a 5400 sf house with a 1700 sf attached garage.
Lots of roof bumbs and changes.
Ordered trusses before I started digging.
Just gotta be careful.
We do it all the time.
If we make a mistake wee eat it. That is the game we play.Friends help you move.
Real friends help you move bodies!
a set of trusses that may or may not work.
Yep, bound to be one or the other.
Mike