what is the "construction quality"?

Nazzersizer
Contributions:1

Under "More facts" there is an item called "Construction Quality" which is a number. What is this? What is the range of this number? How is this number calculated, (IE: how would zillow know the quality of my homes construction)?

Thank you

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February 14 2011 - East Hill-Meridian

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Answers (9)

Best Answer

Robert Merhaut, "Robert Merhaut"
- (9 reviews)
Contributions:383

Construction quality refers to the standards to which your home was built. Was it built by a "spec home" builder? Was it built as a custom home? Does it have upgraded features, such as hardwood floors, slate, ceramic tile and higher quality carpet? Or is it laminate flooring, linoleum, and low end carpet? Are there real wood trimmings, or mdf? Doors...wood doors or mdf? Is the design a custom design, or is the design a basic, plain generic plan? Is the siding and roofing upgraded? Well, hopefully you get the point that I am driving at. Someone in my business can usually figure out the quality of construction at the very first glance.
Hope this helps!

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February 14 2011

Katell
Contributions:2

After inquiring about the Construction Quality I was given the King County table, as shown below by kimsch, sent to me by a Zillow employee. He indicated that this was the standard scale used throughout the US and would not differentiate by state. Now that I had an idea of where this rating came from I went to the county website for the home search I was doing (Pima County, AZ) and found their ratings run from 0-7, with 3 being the typical new home (I assume in a development). I wish Zillow would put some kind of disclaimer on each home's site to direct us to an explanation of this code without the pat answer that the 1-13 table is "standard". If that were the case most of Pima county homes built within the last 5 years are not even up to code. And by the way "all" county tax bills do not show this code. I'm not sure they even use a table such as this. I live in Mohave County, AZ and could not find anything on this coding. I've sent an inquiry email to them to see if I can get more information on the subject.
Thanks to everyone for your comments, they are very helpful.

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May 10

John Mcquaid, "user651719"
- Write a review
Contributions:1

There are many new building materials used that help keep the builders costs down. Using some of these new materials can be an issue if the old building methods are used.

manufactured wood products
laminated hardwood floors
flex pipe vent
insulation
foundation cement poured in winter time
duct insulation
plastic plumbing pipe
when to use hard pipe vs flex pipe
foundation bladder vs Sprayed on sealer
foundation perimeter drainage
radon testing & mitigation
blown in insulation
Foil and plastic vent insulation
roof venting

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May 26 2012

wetdawgs
Contributions:40808

@Lisa: The answer to your question is embedded in other answers on this thread.

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April 22 2012

Lisa.Schulz
Contributions:1

Please tell us what ranking scheme the construction quality scale refers to, is it 1 -10? is 10 best??? Is 1 the best??? A number by itself means nothing.

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April 22 2012

SoCal_Engr
Contributions:6704

@ klmsch...

What assessor district/county is that for. It looks like King County, as the numbers/descriptions match what I found before.

Unfortunately, the values and meanings are locally defined, and it often takes a bit of effort to find them. And, many areas don't even have them. So, unless a person wants to spend the time to locate a specific assessor's guide, the general answer is the best that can be given.

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September 10 2011

klmsch
Contributions:1

above answers make me think of interviews with politicians! ;-)
Found elsewhere (attribution attached)--hope you're still looking:

Grades 1 - 3
Falls short of minimum building standards. Normally cabin or inferior structure.
Grade 4
Generally older low quality construction. Does not meet code.
Grade 5
Lower construction costs and workmanship. Small, simple design.
Grade 6
Lowest grade currently meeting building codes. Low quality materials, simple designs.
Grade 7
Average grade of construction and design. Commonly seen in plats and older subdivisions.
Grade 8
Just above average in construction and design. Usually better materials in both the exterior and interior finishes.
Grade 9
Better architectural design, with extra exterior and interior design and quality.
Grade 10
Homes of this quality generally have high quality features. Finish work is better, and more design quality is seen in the floor plans and larger square footage.
Grade 11
Custom design and higher quality finish work, with added amenities of solid woods, bathroom fixtures and more luxurious options.
Grade 12
Custom design and excellent builders. All materials are of the highest quality and all conveniences are present.
Grade 13

Generally custom designed and built. Approaching the Mansion level. Large amount of highest quality cabinet work, wood trim and marble; large entries.

I hope this helps!

Courtney Wenclawski | Redfin Marketing Coordinator

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September 10 2011

Martin
Contributions:83

Sunnyview is right.
Construction Quality is a data field we receive from the assessor offices in some counties. We do not create it, it is a score assigned by your county assessor.

You can see this if you go to your local assessor website and look up your property.