As a part of their new home builds, Garman Homes preinstalls radon piping to make it easier for radon mitigation companies to later add a radon fan. The radon pipe installed in the foundation is the critical point where radon gets sucked up and released into the atmosphere at roofline. The PA Department of Environmental Protection mandates that radon pipes be installed correctly to ensure occupants are not unknowingly exposed to deadly levels of radon gas. One critical requirement is that a proper suction pit be dug out beneath the slab prior to insertion of the radon pipe. If a void is not created under the slab, suction cannot extract radon from beneath the foundation. Furthermore, inner tube condensation will pool at the bottom of the radon tube without draining away.I hired a licensed radon mitigation contractor to add the radon fan to Garman’s preinstalled pipes. Following installation, it was soon realized that the fan was not extracting radon from beneath the foundation. Additionally, condensation water was getting trapped in the radon tube at the foundation. Unfortunately, the radon fan burned out while it struggled to suck up the water.The radon mitigation company returned to inspect. The contractor dismantled the radon pipe to discover that Garman installed it over a chunk of solid concrete. Obviously radon cannot be mitigated through solid concrete nor can water drain through it! I had to buy another fan and pay the contractor to redo Garman’s botched pipe installation. The contractor informed me that he had seen this problem in several of Garman’s home builds.Frustrated by my children’s unnecessary exposure to high levels of radiation and concern for the safety of other Garman homeowners, I contacted Garman customer service. The customer service manager (the same person referenced in other negative reviews) was condescending, ruthlessly cold and unsympathetic to my family’s situation. Rather than accept accountability and offer to investigate the possibility of this being a widespread practice, she berated me and used nonsensical responses to deflect focus from the facts I laid before her. She put the blame on the radon mitigation company despite Garman being the one that installed the radon tube! Unbelievable. I confirmed with the city’s code compliance and inspections bureau that it is the responsibility of the home builder to safely install the radon pipe, not the mitigation company.Garman’s customer service was in direct contradiction to the values of integrity, loyalty, fairness and faithfulness they tout on their website. My realtor recommended Garman because she thought they had a reputation for good ethics, but in light of my personal experience, their image is now forever tarnished in my mind. Be sure your families are safe and test your radon levels in case the same thing is happening in your homes!

Building a new house for us. Impressed by the quality of work and care by the company to please their customer. Cant wait to move in!

There are 2 levels of quality at Garman; that of homes that will be sold on the market and those that are spec built homes. We closed on our spec house in August and have had no less than a dozen maintenance calls for things such as a frozen water line from the master toilet, air duct not connected from the furnace, leaking drain pipe, popped flooring, cracked front walk way (due to settling dirt), and are still waiting to this day to find out what they will do about our driveway. The oversight exemplified by Garman on their subcontractors is only outdone by their Customer Care department.

The customer service is awesome. They took their time in the store with me regardless of the size of the job.

We had a water leak in our kitchen. Called a company to have structure dried, called a couple of companies for the restoration and decided garman fit for us. The process was fairly easy given the circumstances. The restoration entailed flooring, replacing base cabinets, resetting our island, sink and countertops, and painting upstairs then replacing insulation, drop ceiling and insulated wall panels in the basement. Once into the restoration process this is when things started going bad. I was told for my job they will keep most in house with very little outside contractors. Ok cool. Nope! Their professional was a nice guy and did well with my 2 dogs but the workmanship was subpar. He couldnt wire a switch and receptacle for my garbage disposal. I had someone here at all times and they were constantly asked to help. When the professionalcouldnt figure out what he did wrong with the wiring the person I had here was asked to reset the breaker and hold it on so he could figure out what was wrong with the wiring. He couldnt identify pex water piping and glued a cpvc coupling to the pex, was going to put couplings below the base cabinet but above the floor so you would have never seen there was a coupling present or if it was leaking. Also had issues with the setting of the base cabinets and countertops which required having to reset them. So it came down to having to demand real professionals to be called in on the electrical and plumbing to fix what garmans professional could not do or fix properly. Now move on to the paint. They had a subcontractor come in. He seemed knowledgeable and asked what we were looking for. Well its a kitchen and needs to be cleanable. So he did an ok job with the painting. But when it came down to almost a year later and time to clean the walls I was surprised to have the paint peel off my walls in multiple locations. I was in contact with both garman and the painter. The painter had a representative from the paint manufacturer come to my home look at the paint and have the paint sample retested. The paint came back fine. So now I am being told this is my problem and I am scrubbing to hard! I can say Ive been a homeowner for 20 years and always painted every room myself and have never had an issue with paint peeling from scrubbing my walls. So I never really do reviews but felt this was necessary to warn others of the poor quality and lack of professionalism. I am also very sorry to anyone that has gone through this process to be let down by a know and supposedly top notch company.

They work with you on what you want. They have experts at every level. Very caring people. Cant wait to see our house when it is done.

We have been so happy with our Garman experience! This was our first time building a home and the entire staff made the process easy and enjoyable. If any issues occurred, they were quick to respond and correct. From meeting Rajan in the beginning-design consulting with Kristen -speaking with Troy throughout the construction-and having Stan walk us through our final inspection-all we have had contact with are easy to talk to and very informative. We have only been in the house a few weeks but so far it is our dream home. Thanks to everyone at Garman : )

Looking forward to building with them. Professional on all levels

As an agent, it is hard to find a builder and sales representative that is a pleasure to work with on all accounts of a transaction. Garman builders went above and beyond expectations in both of my sales last year with said builder. From the initial meeting, sales representative (Rajan) was very knowledgeable and responsive. The product quality and delivery of the product by the builder was fantastic and timely. I would highly recommend Garman Builders to anyone in search of a new-build home!

Very bad service after you purchase the house. I wish I have the option of putting a zero. Not everyone in Garman is bad but there are different people in different phases when you buy your house, especially their lawn services customer care manager Kristine. They are only good if you are not questionable. They can disconnect the phone anytime without solving the issue.

We built our home in October of 2017 and had a great experience. The day of closing we found a few issues with the house and they were all taken care of within 30 days as promised. We’ve now lived in the house for about 4 months and everything has been perfect. I don’t really understand the negative reviews and I think there are far more positive buyers that just don’t review. I would recommend Garman Builders 100%.

I LOVE my Garman home and thank all the people involved in making the experience so positive. From my first meeting with Nicole, to my walk through with Chris, to my one year follow up with Bob, everyone was informative, knowledgeable, and centered on exceeding my expectations.

Easily the best experience at a design center Ive had in many years. The staff is very friendly and hard working, as well as knowledgeable and experienced. I would recommend this business to any one serious about their project, and about their time.

We love our Garman Home! From start to finish we enjoyed an amazing experience. I walk through friends homes that were built with other builders and its easy to see the difference in quality. We made several changes to maximize the space and their design team was so flexible and helpful. If you are considering building a home, put them on your list!

Really enjoyed the experience and very happy with our home.

Exceptional quality and Performance in a professional construction company. Definitely Recommend!

It was a pleasure working with everyone at Garman. We knew the moment we met Nicole that we were at the right place. The issues we had during the build were taken care of in a timely manner. We made some changes late in the construction process and they took care of them. If we would ever build again, it would be a Garman house.

Garman Restoration helped me through a horrible situation with ease. There was severe water damage in my home while I was away on vacation. I contacted Garman Restoration and they were wonderful to work with throughout the process. They handled everything from the initial drying out and demolition, to the remodel, and the insurance paperwork. I am thrilled with the end product and so glad to have a home again. THANK YOU GARMAN RESTORATION!!

We had a great building experience from start to finish. Every employee at Garman has been responsive and prompt with any issue we had. Comparing the quality of our house with newly built houses of our friends who used different builders, we could not be happier. I recommend Garman to anyone who is looking to build, buy, or renovate!

Were on our second Garman home and we love it! They were fantastic to work with from start to finish. They were absolutely responsive to any issues we had and worked with us to resolve them, even well after our first home was out of warranty. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking to build a home.

I had some restoration work done in my home and Garman had a very detailed process that made me feel very comfortable that the work would get done in a timely manner and it would be a quality job.

Garman Builders & their reps never disappoint! We had a recent settlement with one of our clients, and Garman delivered timely, as promised & on budget. Our client & her son gushed about how well Rajan Patel, the Garman rep, took care of her & how comfortable she felt. I would definitely recommend Rajan & Garman!

If I could give a negative 5 stars...I would. I have built 3 homes now and I have to say, this builder is absolutely impossible to deal with. Those representing aren’t well informed and as a result, neither are you. Their customer service is deplorable and once they have your money, they really don’t care if the job is complete. I would strongly suggest against anyone ever using them, unless you are okay with being treated like an idiot, or paying for something left incomplete.

If you are considering buying one of their homes, this is the kind of service you can expect. I moved in on November 10th 2016.While there were other issues with our house (cracks in the tub, severe dents in the garage door, loose wiring in the garage door sensor, failure to have a water meter installed for 2 months which is still not done). the worst issue was the puddle in the shower pan as you can see in the picture attached.I reported this soon after I moved in and have spent the last two months trying to get them to fix it. So far theyve had 5 people come and look at this but no solution yet. This is a huge waste of my time; I work during the day and have to take time off every time someone comes to look at it. I have asked multiple times for more information on why this is taking so long but have not heard anything useful beyond the pan manufacturer is not giving them enough information to fix it.Overall they have fixed some of the simpler things, but with anything complex, they will try to take the easy way out regardless of the time it takes or the inconvenience it causes their customers.In addition, their sales person was not knowledgeable at all. We were told overhead lighting in the bedrooms was included, but were sorely disappointed upon finding out it was extra when it was already too late to opt for them. She failed to go through all of the options available even though we had repeatedly asked.UPDATEIt took 6 months but they finally did fix the shower (though I missed several days work over the 6 months over this) so I changed this from one star to three.

Good reliable architects.

My husband and I recently built a custom home through Garman. Many builders would not consider building a custom home, or even making other than very basic changes to their standard plans. The builders who would have customized their plans would have done so at considerable additional costs. Not only was Garman willing to make the modifications we hoped to have, but there were almost no expenses associated with doing so. The home is exactly what we wanted, and many have commented on the uniqueness and the obvious quality of our beautiful new home.Every Garman employee we came into contact with was very professional and personable. They answered our questions and addressed any concerns quickly and completely.We enjoyed the process of building our home through Garman and would highly recommend using Garman Builders to anyone who is considering building, or buying, a new home.

I never trust a company that has their employees making the good reviews. Of course an employee will give a good review - can you imagine facing your boss after giving him a bad review, especially publicly! My experience with Garman Builders has been one of the worst experiences in my lifetime.

I just had them give me a quote for a small (50 sq. ft) bathroom renovation. Im a designer who has done extensive home renovations so Im familiar with what costs what, things that are difficult and things that are simple. 80% of the plumbing stays the same although the space gets gutted. Majority is tiled but nothing fancy. The quote: $30,000-40,000. Thats $800/sq. ft! (Average, country-wide is $125/sq. ft.) Take from that what you will.

We are very happy with our new Garman home. Everyone in the process was professional and helpful.

From sales throughout the build process and customer service, Garman has been ahead of the competition bar none. As a three time homeowner, I appreciate Garmans customer first approach. Special thanks to Kristine and her customer care team of Bob and Chris who provided outstanding service for all the post move-in issues (albeit minor in nature). Every small concern has been promptly addressed and in a highly satisfactory manner. Rajan in sales at the Orchard Glen Townhome community always available to meet your needs. I can honestly say that Garman has made us feel like part of their family. Job well done on all levels of service.

Great company to work for! Ive also built two personal homes with them and can attest to the quality construction.

We just built our second home with Garman; and my sister also built a home with them several years ago. Our first home was a Sienna model home in Lebanon when we relocated from Maryland. We had no issues with the home...was the home absolutely perfect, well no, nothing is; and believe me thats saying a lot from me because I am serioulsy a perfectionst; but have also realized you need to be a realist as well when it comes to things being made by other human beings not machines. All that being said, our second home the Stietz is perfect! And its not because the painting was 100% straight with no imperfections, or because there was so confusions on door and colors, but because it is a very solid, well built and incredibly beautiful home (which Ive been told had some offers in from contractors who came in to do some work). Garman is an HONEST and solid and affordable builder. I moved to the central PA area and only considered one other builder (whos lots didnt work for us). The entire process of building a house is stressful, and as my own realtor, I can tell you, it is not any easier, BUT, Kathleeen Wagner, Troy Hossler and our favorite site supervisor Stan Martin were phenomenal! I could pick up the phone or email anyone of them and we got respones and answers to our questions or concerns within hours. The adminstrative staff like Brittney, and home designer Kristen Hunt and customer service rep Kristine are great to work with at any time of the week (I sent Kristen text when my mind would race about something at 9pm and she would graciously respond and remind me of things or explain things again). If you are looking for nice neighborhoods, with homes that keep their value and appreciate over time, Garman is your builder! I 100% recommend them to everyone, they have homes for singles, newlyweds, starting a family, large families, downsizing, and over 55. Cant say enough good things about them.

We heard nothing but positive comments about Garman Builders, and they certainly lived up to that reputation.

If you want to learn about Garman quality and its commitment to customer satisfaction, look up the lawsuit filed in Lancaster County Court by the residents of the Fieldcrest condo development in Ephrata.

***update 5/9/10: things have gotten worse!!!!!! Their landscaper ran into our fence and now they want US to pay to have it repaired and then will reimburse us. Sorry. I already paid for the fence. Not paying to have it repaired, to MAYBE be reimbursed by Garman. Horrible customer service. It hasnt ended since we moved in. Who builds a $400,000 house to find out their master bathroom was not insulated correctly, and has pipes freeze the first cold day of winter? A GARMAN HOMEOWNER. Please, go elsewhere. This has been one of the most frustrating and time consuming things in my life.... ****8/2018: Twice now, they have changed something and wanted us to PAY to have it fixed. We opted for a patio,but guess what? All of a sudden, the grade has changed and now we cant have a patio, but we can pay $1500 more for the deck. Otherwise, we have a back door that drops half a flight of steps. AND, we chose the lot (and were very open about it!) Because we could place a pool on the property. Went to look at progress, and they ran the electric and gas lines straight thru the property. Paying $400,000 for a new custom built home, but yet cant have a pool now, bc the ranthey ran the lines thru the largest part of the yard. But they can fix it for only $2000. Totally ridiculous. They are just another large business,wanting to throw up homes and take your money. If we had listened to people in the development,we would have been warned. But now we are stuck. With a dream home thats going to not have a pool....the WHOLE reason we paid more for this lot and picked it. Disgusting. And they refuse to do the right thing.

Love the house, do not like the quality nor do I like the builders response to my issues. Worse house building experience ever. Too many defects to list--caution to buyers.

Custom Builders w high level finishes and services...they will build you a BEAUTIFUL Home !!!

Hope for a better future.

The best!

See photos.