As a Maryland home builder with nearly 35 years of experience, we know that superior quality construction starts from the inside out, which is why we’re as focused on the details in the home that you can’t see just as much as we’re focused on the details in the home that you see and utilize every day!

Each Sturbridge home is built according to our company-wide standards, regardless of the price point; which includes Supervision, Trusted Subcontractors, and Construction Quality.

Buying a home is a major decision in a person’s life and we feel that a home buyer should understand exactly what they are purchasing, especially when it comes to the quality of the details behind the drywall.

 

We encourage our potential home buyers to compare our core standards against the competition to fully understand the different construction qualities of each homebuilder they are considering!

Every home is built with adherence to The Sturbridge Advantage:

Onsite Supervision-test - Every subdivision has at least one full-time in-house superintendent to make sure that each home in our communities is built to the same standards, from the first home settled to the last.

Trusted Subcontractors - The consistent relationship we have with our subcontractors ensures that our standards are upheld from project to project and home to home within the same community.

Construction Quality - From wood framing to the house wrap to the prevention of squeaky floors, the quality of a home starts with a dependable and sturdy structure. Our building practices go above and beyond the standard building codes, which is why we pride ourselves delivering quality craftsmanship to our homeowners.

Wood Framing- In general, we use more wood in our homes than many builders. This is more expensive and usually above and beyond standard code, the quality of a home starts with a dependable and sturdy structure. We space our interior and exterior studs 16 inches on center while many Maryland builders space their studs 2 feet on center. The 16 inches on center spacing was a trusted method builders used in the past when lumber costs were lower. While code allows more distance between studs, our 16” on center spacing provides the following; reduces the effects of settlement on the finished wall over time and reduces the movement of exterior siding and sheathing. They are less inclined to shift over time. Closer studs increase the chances for a straight and professional exterior look for a longer period.

Reinforced Studs - Bowed studs can affect the look of the finished wall system. When we see a stud that is bowed or is susceptible to becoming out of line, we install blocking in between the studs to ensure their integrity. Many builders expect their carpenters to take care of this process which often does not happen leading to structural issues once you’ve settled into your new home. 

Cabinet Blocking – We provide extra blocking in the kitchen to ensure the cabinets can be secured properly to the wall by the cabinet contractors.

Floor Squeak Reduction- We put glue on every floor joist hanger to ensure a snug fit over time. While this takes extra time and is not required by code, it is vital to reducing floor squeaks. Builders who do not use glue or do not glue every joist are doing their buyers a disservice. When a home builder does not take these extra steps, the chances of squeaky floors, a week/month/year after homeowners move in are greatly increased.

House Wrap – We install house wrap on every outside exposed wall to reduce the amount of air infiltration into a home. In addition, Sturbridge goes the extra step and wraps underneath every conditioned overhang. We diligently check our house wrap to ensure that there are no voids which would compromise the integrity of the wrap.

Insulation – We go above and beyond what is required by code when insulating our homes to maximize efficiency. We use a combination of spray foam which is applied to all band boards and exterior headers and batt insulation to properly seal all our homes.

Cleanliness – At Sturbridge, we pride ourselves on maintaining a clean job site during construction. We feel this shows our dedication to building a quality product.

Slab – Sturbridge pours all our concrete slabs 4 inches thick compared to other builders that pour only 3-inch slabs to save concrete costs. While Building code allows 3-inch concrete slabs, Sturbridge feels the thicker slab increases the strength and durability of the slab over the long term