VALLEY FORGE, PA — In the J.D. Power and Associates 2000 Syndicated New Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study, building products manufacturer CertainTeed Corp. examined the role certain building materials played in determining customer satisfaction.

“We wanted to understand specifically quality of workmanship and materials issues in the heating and air conditioning; window and door; exterior walls, trim and paint; and roofing areas,” explained Glenn Singer, manager of customer programs for CertainTeed. “What we learned in six of the top markets examined — including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington, DC — is that quality of workmanship and materials mentioned above account for nearly one-third (30%) of satisfaction, or 8% of total satisfaction.”

Some other specifics from the survey include:

Homebuilders score highest on heating and air conditioning with nearly four in 10 (36%) homebuyers rating their builder “truly outstanding” or “excellent” on a five-point scale.

Problems with heating and air conditioning occurred for 28% of homebuyers.

Only one quarter (26%) feel their builder did a “truly outstanding” or “excellent” job of resolving heating and air conditioning problems.

Heating and air conditioning problems are fixed quicker with more than four in 10 (43%) requiring only a single visit to repair.

Publication date: 04/09/2001