Solitaire Homes

From what I’d heard, Solitaire was a top manufactured home builder. Unfortunately, that was then and this is now.

Solitaire boasts about their high quality homes. They used to make a big deal about using only Energy Star appliances, windows, and construction techniques. BUT NOT ANYMORE! None of their appliances are now Energy Star rated. They changed from Whirlpool to using cheap, low-end Frigidaire appliances now. The water heater is also bottom-line, with only a year warranty. Their windows now barely pass the minimum federal HUD standards, so forget the Energy Star windows they used to brag about. I will give Solitaire credit for still building thick outer walls, but they compensate by making extremely thin inner walls—not much thicker than a door. And those thick outer walls no longer come with thick insulation inside them, so what's the point? Again, they barely pass HUD minimum insulation requirements.

My own home had two roof leaks when it arrived. Then when the water was connected, the line to the tub burst, shooting out gallons of water in every direction. That left me with a home with no water at all, because Solitaire doesn’t even put valves under the sinks or toilets! Nope—only one main shutoff for the whole house. So when you have a leak, you must shut off the water to the entire house. Forget about getting a glass of water or flushing the toilet, let alone bathing or doing laundry or washing dishes. Until your leak gets fixed, you’re hosed!

So far I’ve mentioned only the major problems with my home. I didn’t mention the cabinets are no longer made of wood. The only real wood is in the frames of the cabinet doors. Everything else is cheap veneer over OSB. In case you don’t know, OSB isn’t even as good as low-grade plywood. It’s made of wood remnants glued and pressed together, and it soaks up moisture like a sponge. So after a couple of years, it warps and bulges and basically begins to fall apart.

Solitaire brags about all the glue they use in their floors, so they’re strong and don’t creak. I’m guessing they no longer do that, since my floors creak more than any other house I’ve lived in. And remember, this is a brand new Solitaire home—not an old dilapidated haunted house. As for the workmanship, cabinet doors are crooked and scrape against each other. Drawers get stuck because they’re installed wrong. The baseboards around hard floors are barely an inch high, and the carpeted rooms have none at all. Other manufacturers include decorative window frames and ledges, but not Solitaire. Need I go on?

As for Solitaire’s warranty, it’s virtually worthless. I’ve been waiting a month to get the walls and floor repaired after the water leaks, and I’m told it will be at least another month from now until they might get around to fixing it. Which reminds me—when the roof leaked and the tub sprayed water everywhere, their repair staff didn’t want to open the walls or floors to let it dry out. I had to insist the soggy drywall be cut away, and I pulled out the water-soaked insulation under the house myself after they left.

Solitaire claims their homes are built like real homes, but that’s an outright lie. It may have been true at some time in the past, but it sure isn’t true today.