Starr Homes Llc

There are several good builders in KC who build high performance homes just like Starr. And just like Starr, they all think they are the only ones building good homes in Kansas City. Do your homework.\r \r I met with Starr and they were enthusiastic until I told them we had a half a million dollar build budget. You would have thought I said I wanted a $40k mobile trailer home. Their salesman Bob Osterlund lost interest immediately. Kit Starr was nicer about it but in the end they just kept referencing the home they were building nearby for a ""prominent doctor"" and the 17,000 sq ft mansion they were building in Southern JoCo. I checked with the ""doctor""...and the city where the doctor lived. Both did not recommend Starr. And big suprise, Bob didn't send me the doctor as one of their references.\r \r So if you're not a doctor, building a 17,000 sqft home, or a multi-millionaire......Starr Homes doesn't want to build your tiny house. more

After reading some of the reviews here, I felt compelled to write about our positive experience. We built a home with Starr over the course of 2010. We loved their original Evergreen model in Mills Farm and used that as a jumping off point to design a house that was actually modified from another plan. We were able to create a plan that met all of our needs and had full input into numerous different design decisions and plan modifications that left us with exactly the home design we were looking for. We felt that all pricing estimates and accounting were honest and transparent. Once things got rolling, we saw itemized receipts for essentially everything. During the building process, we were able to meet with our Project Manager Jim on a weekly basis on site and consistently address any concerns or questions, and issues were dealt with in a timely manner. Building a house from scratch with the involvement of sub-contractors will always have some glitches, but it's important to have a builder that is on your side during the process, and Starr always was. I had a friend building with another prominent area builder during the same time period in a different neighborhood, and his experience with that builder was contentious and filled with issues. Having this reference point made me all the happier that we built with Starr. We couldn't be happier with the finished product of our house. It is beautiful and well-built, and it met all of our expectations. We have confidence that any issues that arise with the house, even beyond our warranty period, will be handled fairly and responsibly by Starr, and we feel like they are truly on our side and have our back. Regarding the ""marginal"" house qualities noted by another poster, this is just incorrect. Feature after feature of the Starr houses exceed those of other houses in the area: Better floor system, better framing, better insulation, better windows, and numerous ""green"" and efficiency features that are far above and beyond what are done for other houses (flashing of all house penetrations, caulking of all framing gaps, the list goes on and on). I echo the previous sentiment that I would pick Starr Homes again to build my current home or a future one, and I couldn't think of another builder I would have rather used. more

These guys are unusual builders. They have an Evergreen model home in Mills Farm in Overland Park KS that is impressive. The house itself is marginal, the design is marginal and the construction is marginal - but the finishes on the interior are SPECTACULAR. Its pretty easy to get taken in by the finishes as we almost did. But their references did not check out. We met with Gerry Starr who comes across as a used car dealer. We were immediately turned off by this guy. It doesn't take much digging to see the red flags. One reviewer turned us on to jococourts. org which is a GREAT resource for many things outside of construction too. If you type in ""Gerry Starr"", you will find that around 2008/2009 he and his wife are or were being foreclosed on a property. We all fall on hard times, but we do not want our to-be built new home in the hands of someone who may be in financial distress. There are several active, financially sound builders in the KC metro area. Do your homework. I can't believe they tried to screw over the other couple on the house plans, that really compelled us to share our own story, or we wouldn't have bothered to write a review. more

We contracted a home with Starr Homes in July of 2010. Our experience with Starr has been great from day one. We met with Kit who gave us a very detailed tour of our home and explained all of the special features they incorporate. The attention to detail on all aspects of the build from insulation, home automation, design?etc. is second to none. Throughout the finish we worked closely with Jim (project mgr.) This made for a very low stress experience with the house. Like with any construction project there wil be hiccups along the way, but any problems were addressed immediately by Jim (without any hassle) Overall I can?t think of anyone else I would have rather purchased from. I would highly recommend Starr Homes for a quality build job. more

After purchasing a lot in a new neighborhood to build on, my husband and I toured the KC parade of homes to get ideas for what type of house we were looking to build. We met up personally with Kit and Gerry from Starr homes while on the tour. While initially impressed with their houses on the tour, we got into a conversation with them about what we were specifically looking for, and which of their houses we liked. We let them know that we were already working with a builder, we were just looking for the plans to build at that time. They informed us we could use their architectural services for a $400 fee (as stated on their website), and were then not under any obligation to use them as our builders. With this verbal agreement, we moved forward. After weeks of close work with Starr, we had our plans on paper! However, at that time, Starr told us that they now owned the copyright to the house that WE created with them, and that if we used another builder they would sue us. We felt pressured into using them as our builder since we didn't want to lose the plans, so we said we would build with them instead of our original builder. At that point, they added $30,000 to the price of the house stating that they used the wrong plans to bid it. Sensing something very shady happening, we informed Starr we were going with our original builders and that we would no longer require their services. We tried to pay the $400 for their architectural services, and they would not accept it. Months later, after getting HOA approval and permits from the city, days before we are to begin building, we have received a cease and desist letter from Starr Homes's attorney stating that we will be sued if we build that home that we created, or we can purchase the plans for $65,000. In my opinion, Starr homes finished product is not worth the headache it takes to get there. more