There's a form of reputation arbitrage where when there's a lot of demand, a reputable contractor just says yes to everyone with a project and then subcontracts out to the not-so-reputable contractors that the customer doesn't want to touch. We ran into this with our solar installer - they came with great reviews from 2 coworkers, and all their other reviews up until about a month or two before our project were great, and when we actually got folks who worked for the company out they were pretty good. But then they took our money and subcontracted it out to some roofers who drilled through our roof, even after the salesguy (who I later learned was also a subcontractor, and seemingly trying to screw the CEO) explicitly told me they wouldn't subcontract it.

I figure this is the brick & mortar equivalent of an exit scam, or a tech startup's "incredible journey". Build up lots of good will over several years and then blow it all as you collect enough money to retire and never deal with people again.

Were they not supposed to drill through the roof? Did they botch the install?

Yeah puncturing a roof is a big no-no - it can lead to water or structural damage to the house. Most companies (including ours) offer a warranty for it, and they did come out and fix it with some wood putty and paint, but we're still a little pissed. The also damaged the driveway (we're on a steep hill with a private drive, and told them that they can't drive large trucks up it, but they did anyway). And they seem completely incompetent for the first 2-3 times coming out and fixing it, until they finally gave up on subcontractors and sent their own guys out. CEO seemed to have no idea what was going on with his company with his underlings intentionally undermining him.

LMAO!!! This is a perfect example. Not surprised, in fact this is what I would expect to happen. People have no idea how difficult it is to become a good builder and make money. It rarely happens.

Stick to buying spec houses. They will always be better than a custom home because people get to examine the house before they agree to buy it. Whole world changes when you are under contract for a build/remodel.

We bought a spec house, but it was just getting underway when we signed the contract. I like that option, it worked out well for us. Got to pick all the finishes. Made some minor changes along the way to the plans, changed the appliance choices to fit my preferences, etc. So I got the upsides of a spec build, but I also got to make sure they put in a properly large kitchen island, double ovens, and other improvements that usually get left out of a pure-spec build.

I also got to visit the site every day and take pictures, which is really nice to have. Especially the day before they did drywall, I went nuts with pictures and now I can tell you exactly what the inside of every single wall looks like, what the electrical looks like, the plumbing, conduit, smurf tubes, etc.

Also, if you are nice and polite, you can talk directly to the subcontractors in some cases and get even more customization at a great price. E.g. the electrical guy offered to run cat5 throughout the house for a few hundred bucks. He couldn't terminate it, because he's not licensed for low voltage, but he could run the wire itself and leave it coiled up in a single gang box in every room. The builder didn't think to offer that, but having a chat with the electrician when he was on site gave us that option.

All the <10 yr old spec houses in housing estate near me have got huge mould problems as somebody cut corners on either the installation of the insulation, the detailed design of the floor/ground connection or the ventilation, or all three. In the UK spec housing has a reputation for being very poorly built. Try claiming anything under a building warranty and you'll realise you get nothing more than minor cosmetic repairs without going up against the warranty company's lawyers.

Hopefully he watched some YouTube videos on how to mix and pour concrete /s

I would be livid and consulting lawyers if I was exposed to this brazen bait and switch by so called “reputable” company.