Schell Brothers

Very, very pleased with the home and overall experience. I have purchased multiple houses in my life, but I can say that these guys got it right. Highly recommend this builder.

We had our final review on this past Friday and let me start by saying Karen was amazing. Her and my wife just clicked. It was a fun experience and I spent more than I wanted but the upgrades helped us customize our dream. The people at this studio are kind, friendly and very knowledgeable. Cant wait to see it come together. A shout out to Allie as well her homework up front made this day very enjoyable

We live in Hailey's Glen by Schell, and while we are very happy with our home, we are extremely disappointed with the upkeep of the common areas managed by Schell and the developers. Despite still being under their control, the HOA has failed to provide proper maintenance.

Over the entire summer, there has been no irrigation, resulting in the grass and trees being either dead or dying. The lights at the entrance are broken, leaving the area poorly lit at night, and the pond is drying up. The neglect of these common areas significantly detracts from the overall appeal and enjoyment of living in this otherwise wonderful neighborhood. We hope Schell and the developers take immediate action to address these issues and maintain the community to the standards we were promised.

Great Design Center experience with Somers Reeves

This was our first in-person experience at the design center. Immediately upon entering we were warmly greeted by Somers Reeves, Design Consultant. She was extremely informative, professional, and knowledgeable of all the products related to the interior design of our home. Somers, throughout the 3-hour visit, was always available and tended to the needs of each group effectively, efficiently, and with a pleasant demeanor. She created an overall positive and upbeat customer experience. We are looking forward to our next visit to the design center. So far, our experience overall with Schell has been a great experience.
Thomas and Rick

Built a house with Schell and the process was TOUGH. We had a salesperson who lied about dig and build times, a construction manager who was stretched too thin, the president of the division who was a gaslighting and lying misery, and a warranty manager who shouldn't be in charge of organizing books in alphabetical order, let alone any kind of project management. The craftsmanship inside our home looks like it was done by toddlers. Despite reaching out to corporate for months, they have yet to respond to any phone calls or emails. Absolute nightmare.

My wife and I just returned from our 2nd trip from Lewes, Delaware to take a 2nd look at a resale Schell built home and another resale home in another neighborhood. The 1st home was in Coastal Club which we were very impressed with,by one of the Whimbrel model homes …the quaility ,the club house facilities and the general location.
We visited the house and clubhouse and the last thing we did was go over to the garden area, since one of my hobbies is gardening. On the way out near the garden shed we ran into a man that was going to do some end of season garden plot cleanup. We had a conversation about how nice the gardens were ,and we then ask him what he thought of the neighborhood and he started to tell us he was moving out after living there for 3 years and he was selling his house as he was very disgruntled with how the Coastal Club membership turned him off due to the many real estate listings that were advertising the Club as a resort and renting houses and townhouses in rectless ways. I researched this on the web and there are many listings for rent that do indeed say that the Coastal Club a resort style rental vacation.He said in the summer there are so many renters that on most days you can’t use the club facilties especially the pool. I got on line this afternoon and read about a petition that the owners have put together and read about the problems on other websites.
Then we found out that there is high price to pay to belong to the club,which no one had mentioned early on… approximately $5000 buy-in and then a quarterly fee.
We thought the monthly $270 HOA fee + a one time $5000 fee was all that was required. All this has unfortunately turned us off and away from buying retirement in that neighborhood.
The 2nd house we looked at in another neighborhood, a little older and it also had a clubhouse.It was an OK house but not as impressive as the 1st house. On the way out of that neighborhood we saw a lady walking her dogs and we stopped our car and ask her if she wouldn’t mind if we ask her a few questions about the neighborhood and about Schell homes. She said the neighbood was very nice and she has lived there 6 years. She bought her home new and was not to happy about too many problems that had to get resolved such as roofing defects, several water leaks,Washer and dryer problems.
Just talking to these several people in the 2 neighborhoods and then reading about about all negative comments( yes I read the positive ones also) makes my wife and I wonder why we would want to continue too look a homes any further in Schell home built communities? We were very impressed at first ,but sorry to say, kind of depressed ,feeling we wasted our time and very disappointed after getting more details about these neighborhoods and homes as a possible place to move and retire to for us.We will never consider buying a house in a neighborhood that has its amenities ( that you pay a high price for) that are intended for its community home owners, and also share them with renters that crowd you out in the summer season making it difficult use the facilities.

I am a retired environmental attorney who lives on Cedarwood Lane in Lewes, Delaware. Schell is building the Welches Pond housing development within proximity of my home. As a result of the company's water diversion at the site, my toilets and water heater have been degraded with silt. I will have to replace the toilets and water heater. Next week, I am having a filter installed at the water intake site in my crawl space in an attempt to prevent silt from ruining my toilets, water heater and appliances. I, along with a neighbor, visited Schell's corporate offices in Rehoboth Beach in an attempt to speak to a corporate official about the degradation of the water in our neighborhood. I was met by a stonewalling receptionist, who insisted there was no one available, and she was extremely rude. Finally, after I asked to speak with the project manager for Welches Pond, she put me in phone contact with the production manager for all of Schell Brothers' projects. Clearly, that was not the person I wanted to speak with. The production manager was rude, condescending and demeaning. He insisted Schell was not responsible for our water issues, and there was nothing he could do for me. He then proceeded to lecture me, a a former litigation attorney and prosecutor of environmental cases at the US Department of Justice, on how, should I bring a lawsuit against Schell, it would be impossible for me to establish a nexus between Schell's water diversion at Welches Pond and the degradation of my water supply. It is clear to me that Schell is only in business to make money, has no concern for the damages it causes to people and their property living within proximity of its construction projects and refuses to accept responsibility for the deleterious effects its projects have on the environment. Be sure to do your due diligence before you purchase a home from Schell Brothers. Caveat emptor!

This company is building a development called Welch's pond half a mile from my house. They are diverting all the ground water. We have no water and our wells are dry. The trees are starting to die. Our clothing appliances everything is getting ruined. My neighbor had a well person come this morning and they had to replace all the corroded pieces .

Cadillac of Builders. Walk through their model homes and neighborhoods then go to the other builders. It wl be clear to you why they are more expensive. Noone does entrances into a community or Clubhouses better than they do. They also know how to throw a great party!!!

We recently moved into our brand new Lilac, built by Schell Brothers. The home building experience was a dream from start to finish! They communicated with us every step of the way, and made the entire journey seamless. We felt it was a perfect balance of having choices to pick sections at the design studio, but not say many choices that we felt over-whelmed. Our vision of how this home would look is spot on, thanks to the guidance we received from the Schell team throughout. We could not be happier with our dream home.

My friend had a house built by Schell and less than a year later there are cracks on almost all the walls from the house settling (AKA a sign that the house was constructed POORLY) You can tell that these homes really aren’t worth the half a million dollars that they’re charging. They throw them up in less than month and could care less.

Oh, and not to mention the ecological damage it is causing to Sussex county’s indigenous species. What about the trees??? They make NO effort to replant what they’ve destroyed. All of these houses will be under water before we know it. Not to mention the carbon emissions. But who cares about the environment anyway?? All there is in this company is greed. DO NOT BUY!!!

We have been in our Schell Brothers forever home for 7 months and can honestly say they deliver happiness. It is not just a mantra for them, they mean it. The entire process was pleasurable and the team we interacted with is outstanding. Who says you can't buy happiness?

After living in our Schell Brothers home for 4 years now, we are still very pleased with our decision to buy here in South Delaware. The quality of materials, the details to construction and the companies friendliness and commitment to this area is unsurpassed. Thank you .

This builder has no regard about preserving trees. Obviously it’s because it makes it much more cost effective to cut them all down with little regard of the creatures that live on, in or around the forest. So beware if you care at all about nature, wildlife and the environment please consider another builder

We moved into our house 18 months ago with a major problem in the back
Yard(it’s on a slope). We were hesitant about signing the contract, but was
Assured the problem will be taken care of. They came on three occasions and move dirt around. Each time they showed up, they made the problem
worse. We were told this is the best they can do. Right now we cannot walk
on part of the backyard and part of the side of the house. I just want Schell
to do the right and decent thing and fix the problem and not just put a
band aid on it.
I am hoping Schell Brothers can resolve this problem as soon as possible

Thank you.

Disappointed homeowners.

Just a quick shout out to Schell Brothers for their outstanding work - start to finish - in building our dream home in Lewes, DE at the Governor's property. Their attention to detail, professionalism and customer service were all outstanding. Buying a new construction home can be stressful but they took the stress out of the process by being there every step of the way to answer questions, fix any issues that cropped up and just generally being a terrific company to work with! Would highly recommend!

I continued to tell Schell representatives that their lack of attention to my HVAC issue would result in greater damage. A year later, we still have no resolution and have no communication from Schell or Sobieski. Well, now the worst has happened. Their lack of attention has caused greater damage to our HVAC. We were told today by an outside vendor who is responsive to our issues, that our thermostat and control panel needs to be replaced. This requires IMMEDIATE attention as I have three young kids in my house. It has become quite apparent that Schell builds poor quality houses, using poor quality vendors like Sobieski, and then forgets about them, to build more poor quality homes. They are not responsive to warranty claims and have no urgency when it comes to resolving this issue. This requires immediate attention so my three kids do not suffer the cold weather.

They say that first impressions are the lasting impressions. When we walked into the Bluebell Model home at the new River Mill subdivision in Glen Allen, VA we fell in love. I remember my wife tearing up and saying "... this is our home". Yes, we bought a Schell Brothers home the Blue Bell model, but not right away. We did the research not only on Schell Brothers but also other builders in the same subdivision. We also looked at many other home sites by other builders. Non compared to the quality, style and the impression we got just talking to the Schell team. We are now moved into our beautiful Bluebell, first in the River mill besides the Model home. Our experience was nothing but perfect on the entire process. Yes there were some not so perfect moments along the way but Schell Brothers team members made it perfect. We love our home and are blessed to have family and friends who come by and enjoy it as much as we are.

My wife and I visited Delaware and looked at six 55+ communities, from Dover to Rehoboth. We found the Schell Brothers' homes in Millsboro to be beautiful and unique. We were given great advice from the community sales managers, Josh and Molly, who made the buying experience a lot easier. Schell Brothers' homes are superbly built and the interior designs are gorgeous. We love our house, we love our neighbors, and we love our Delaware community close to three beaches.

April 1, 2020 was the closing date on our new Schell Bros. home and we have been living the dream in our dream home. At the start of the process, we met Frank Ryan who walked us through the purchase. From the moment we met Frank, we were so comfortable making the right home choice for us. Frank answered all our questions with patience, humor and expertise. He prepared us well for our Design Center appointment and we left that day confident in our choices and excited to see how it would all work out for our new home.
Once construction started, we were put in the very capable hands of Logan Kaiser. Logan consistently, patiently and unwaveringly proved his expertise as our Construction Manager. The photos and phone calls that came every Friday were always the highlight of our week. Our excitement accelerated as the house rose up before our eyes.
All through the process we were made to feel as if we were Frank and Logan's only homebuyer and their number one priority.
It has been very satisfying to get multiple compliments from vendors and workmen who have been inside many Schell Bros. homes and hearing the raves of how outstanding our choices are and what a beautiful home we now have.

Even if you visited one of the Schell models you’ll know that they have fantastic floor plans that allow for today’s life-style. Their selection of neighborhoods and upgrade options are well beyond any other area builder. We purchased a Cassidy in the Senators neighborhood and couldn’t be more pleased with the results and this is 4 years later. These folks are really in tune with their customers.

I have purchased 7 new construction homes over the years from national and local builders and Schell has performed above and beyond anything I had previously experienced. From the option selections, thru the build and warranty services. If you’re about to consider making an investment in the DE area, you want to make sure you take a serious look at Schell Brothers.

They build a beautiful home. Great customer service. Everything about the home just makes sense. Very high quality. Every employee meets you with the same level of enthusiasm and care.

I am happy to share our experiences with Schell Brothers with others considering buying a home. We settled on our "Orchard" model on 11/12/19 and are now officially homeowners in The Preserve at Jefferson Creek. This is the third home we have had built and by far the most beautiful. The home models offered by Schell are second to none and the ability to customize your home makes each home unique and a true reflection of your individual taste. What separates Schell from other builders is the process. You end up with team that is dedicated to working with you and focused on your happiness From choosing your model and lot to the selection process and finally working with the Design Center, you are involved in every step of the home building process. Everyone we dealt with at Schell was a true professional. We were blessed to have Tom Goergen as our onsite production manager and he was a true difference maker. If you are considering a new home, don't do it without first talking to Schell. We love these folks!!!!
Rick & Alvirta

I love everything about my new Schell Bros. Home in Peninsula Lakes. First, the community is fantastic - great location, great amenities and wonderful neighbors. Next, home's design is perfect for my needs and the quality materials and workmanship are outstanding. This is the fourth home I have had built during my lifetime and I think it is the best one yet. Schell Bros.really know how to build a top quality home in a well planned and developed community. Thank you Schell Bros.!

After looking up and down the east coast for 3 years to find the right retirement home, we decided on Schell Bros. Independence. I have built 6 new homes during my life and none have delivered the quality of construction, materials and value that Schell delivers, especially in the area of energy efficiency. These homes are up to date in design, comfort and the ability to customize to the extent that other builders do not offer. The Schell team is like a machine and they have harnessed a system that keeps the entire Schell team and the new owners engaged throughout the buying, building and settlement processes. We all strive for perfection, but in the process of building a new home where so many things and different people need to come together at just the right time, it is rarely achieved, so it becomes extremely important how well a company and its people can acknowledge and recover from issues in a non-perfect world. In my opinion Schell is better at this then any of the builders I have dealt with, including some of the biggest national builders. In this regard, much of this falls on the shoulders of the Construction Manager and our Construction Manager TK, is one of the best I have dealt with and if I am ever crazy enough to move and build another house, I would want him to build it. I would also suggest Schell has built the best 55+ community in Delaware and it ranks right up there again with offerings from the biggest national builders in this arena. The amenities are numerous and terrific, the neighborhood is harmonious and welcoming. "The Schell team turns the anxiety of building a new home into the pleasure of building a new home".

To be upfront, I read some reviews that made it seem like Schell was not going to take care of their customers, so I was skeptical and worried even though we had a good experience while searching the area and comparing builders in Lewes. My wife has been in love with their homes for many years. We saw very good reviews and some bad and nothing in between which was confusing. So hopefully this helps someone else who is considering Schell. We built about a year ago and I have nothing but positive things to say. Construction is not perfect. A house is more and more like a machine these days. With many new technologies there are also many things that can break or go wrong. Why anyone would think that maintenance and repairs would not be part of the deal when you build a house right now, that is beyond me. We have needed repairs and items corrected and that takes time but all have been to our satisfaction. The Schell staff are friendly and helpful. Our electric bills are very low. Most of neighbors are also very happy and even the ones who say they aren’t, still refer their friends. I’d ignore the over reaching angry reviewers and talk to neighbors in these communities. Most are very much happy with Schell.

My wife and I have lived in five homes built by five different builders. Schell Brothers is the best — BY FAR! Before we visited Lewes for our first (and only) house hunting tour, our realtor sent us links to several new home builders in the area. Even on paper, we knew we wanted a Schell Brothers home and instructed our realtor to only show us Schell homes. The Schell Brothers team made our home buying experience a pleasurable one. The Sales Manager was great and always available to answer any question that we had. As we got closer to the start of construction, the Design Team at Schell and Decor Direct helped us choose the perfect finishes for our new home. Once the construction of our home began, the Construction Manager was terrific and kept us updated on the progress of our home at least once a week. After we moved in, the Warranty Department responded in a timely manner to those things that needed fixing. Now that we have lived in our Schell home for over a year, my wife and I are so happy that we built a Schell Brothers home and that we are part of the Schell family!

Schell Brothers' homes and communities were one of the first we looked at when we decided it was time to move back to the shore. After looking at communities up and down the east coast we came to the realization that we were comparing every other builder to what we had seen at Coastal Club by Schell.

We kept saying "It's nice, but it's not a Schell home" at every other community. It soon became obvious that Schell quality was what we wanted, and we have not been disappointed.

Schell makes the entire home buying process a joy. Their online tools showing floor plans, 3D walkthroughs of homes are outstanding. The online design center showing options made the decisions easy. No other builder has the social media presence, the amazing websites, and the online tools that guide you through your journey like Schell.

It is the people however that made Schell Brothers the number one choice for us. From the sales team to our design center consultant to our construction manager … every single person involved took the time to answer every question we had. We received weekly updates and pictures throughout the build process. We appreciated all of the opportunities to visit the home during the build and ask questions during the framing tour and drywall walkthroughs. Schell even set up opportunities for us to meet many of our soon to be new neighbors. Schell even provided the champagne.

Schell commitment does not end after settlement. We have 100% confidence that any and all minor issues will be taken care of promptly should they arise. We could not be more satisfied.

“When you find yourself comparing every other builder to the quality of Schell Brothers, you know that a Schell Brothers’ home is the one for you.”

From the moment we signed our contract with Melissa and Alli following her, to the design center with Rhianna, to the building of our house with Ryan, Mark coming in the middle we have had a GREAT experience. The attention to detail, answering all our questions, and explaining everything from beginning to end, they are ALL a class act!! Our home is BEAUTIFUL!! Thanks to ALL of you guys!!!

We searched the Delaware shore for a quality builder and found Schell Brothers had the most beautiful houses, desirable floorplans, and used quality materials. There was no question our next home would be a Schell home. We are beyond thrilled with our new home in Jefferson Creek which is only a short 1-1/2 bike ride away from the Bethany Beach boardwalk. Everyone we have interacted with have been very professional and accommodating. Jay Hauck (our salesperson) is awesome! Since he is in the model at Jefferson Creek we stop in frequently to visit with our "neighbor". Can't say enough good things about Schell!

We purchased and moved into a Schell Brothers home in the Peninsula a little over 3 years. At that time I raved to people about our experience with the company from the initial sales process, to the building and finally the move in. It could not have been a better experience.

OK thats great but the true test of a good product or company is do you still feel good about your purchase "down the road"?

Well as I said its been 3 years since we moved in and the answer to that question is a resounding YES! This is an amazing company. As you continue to live in that "new home' it becomes a complicated thing with numerous areas that can go wrong, fail or have issues along the way. Nothing that big is without some problems and the mark of a builder that you would unqualifiedly recommend is whatever issue or problem arose it was addressed and taken care.

To that end Schell met and exceeded our expectations. You may ask how the company could actually "exceed" our expectations, and my simple answer is that when you have an unusual building issue that arises over 3 years after you have lived in the home and the company not only addresses it without question, but also pays for adding a safeguard feature that we could have added at our cost when we moved in.....now thats a company, if someone asks us about purchasing a home from, we answer... "Don't Hesitate".

Karen and Barry Stiefel

We live in the city of Rehoboth Beach, with all it's rules and codes about what you can build. When it came time to do an extensive remodel of our rental property and turn it into a house we could live in full time we wanted a company with the experience to do this. Schell Bros, at the time had a division called Renew that did such work. The reason we went with them was the knowledge of codes, the ability of their designer to rework the foundations of the home and their size and buying power for our appliances and materials. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. They were able to keep us up on what was going on daily, even though we were living in PA. We have recommended Schell to several of our friends and now they love their Schell house too.

We live in Coastal Club. Our Schell Bros home building experience exceeded our expectations. From beginning to end we were kept in the loop. Weekly communication and updates from our Project Manager, Mike, as our home was constructed. We always felt part of the process. Any questions were answered in a timely manner. After the home was completed anything that needed to be fixed was fixed. This is not the first time we had a home built and I can tell you we were hesitant to go through that process again. Schell changed our minds. We are so happy to be part of the Schell family. Best decision we ever made.

After looking at many new developments and builders in the area, it was an easy decision to pick Schell builders and a Schell community. The quality of construction is unmatched. Solitude amenities are of resort quality! We can’t wait to use our beautiful infinity pool! You won’t be disappointed!

Laura and I have now been in our beautiful Schell Brothers home for 18 months. We are just as excited about the home and community today as we were the day we move in. As owners of 10 previous homes we recognize quality when we see it. Laura is an Interior Designer and fell in love with the Whimbrel model. The Schell Brothers quality of fit and finish along with added amenities was beyond our expectations. Finding our forever home has been a wonderful experience.

We made our decision to relocate based largely on the quality of the home we could have from Schell Brothers. The research always led us back to Schell. The building process was new to us but we had a lot of experienced people to lean on and the outcome could not have been better or more enjoyable. We have recommended Schell Brothers to friends and neighbors from "back home" some of whom have taken the plunge with us and are now happy in their very own Schell home. We will continue to recommend Schell Brothers and are more than happy to share the details of our experience to anyone who stops by and asks. Visit us at Tidewater Landing or take in any of the other Schell communities and enjoy as we have!

My husband and I moved into Solutude in Ocean View, Delaware a little over a year ago, and we absolutely LOVE our home and our community!

I’ve built four houses in my lifetime, and this has by far been the most positive experience I’ve had with a builder. The sales team was knowledgeable and didn’t try to oversell. The construction managers (We had Matt and Tom.) were accessible, professional, and called with weekly updates on the progress of the house. In fact, Tom STILL occasionally stops by when he sees community members outside and asks if things are good and how we’re doing!

The design team was helpful and (again) did not try to oversell upgrades. My husband and I had priced out similar homes (in size- not design) before deciding upon our Schell home, but we felt nickel and dimed by the other companies. Basically, a standard Schell home includes items that other builders consider an upgrade. Plus, we felt that the architectural design of the house was superior to what we had seen with other builders. When we got our final price after spending a day in the design center, we actually came in under our budget and decided to add a few more amenities - including solar panels.

Even before settling on our house, we were attending Schell sponsored get togethers which led to the formation of friendships and a great sense of community. Anyone who has moved a lot knows that neighborhoods like this are few and far between. The efforts of the company have truly made a difference and show that Schell means it when they advertise the idea of Happiness Matters.

We are VERY happy homeowners!

The Schell marketing is what lead us to visit a model home and then we feel in love with the floor plan of the Kingfisher and the rest is history. My husband and I moved into our Schell home 5 years ago, in Sawgrass North and we still feel like we are on vacation. We have great neighbors and it’s the perfect location. All of the of the Staff that we meant were always very friendly and helpful. We see many of them out on the town and they always stop to say hi. We love our Schell home and Schell experience.

We have lived in Coastal Club for 18 months. We are constantly pinching ourselves about how wonderful this move has been. There are many many reasons but since this is a Schell Brothers Page,let me address our home and neighborhood. The major intrigue for choosing Schell was their floor plan for the “Cassidy” model. The web site was well designed and easy to move through. Our first choice was The Senators but by the time we actually started to put research to action, it was sold out! We still decided to visit Lewes and what a great decision that was. There was no model of the Cassidy available but the models we did visit gave us an idea of what a wonderful home Schell would provide. We looked at four Schell communities and in Coastal Club we met Adam who would become another huge positive in this big step. Adam was always available via phone or email. He helped us with every question and gave us options that in hindsight, were perfect for our home. Even after 18 months there are days when we just smile. No new home project goes completely smooth but Schell has been with us at all times. Our project manager (JD), again answered every question and kept us informed as the house was built. After settlement, Zack and Tyler were our contacts and again, if something needed to be fixed, it was done! It appears that every single Schell employee has a strong investment in your happiness. I could write pages but fear this is already too long.
Lewes - an amazing small town with history, shops, restaurants that we did not expect. Charming
Cape Henlopen State Park - beaches (bay and ocean), hiking/biking trails, history.
A treasure
Rehoboth - more a resort town with boardwalk, restaurants and a different vibe from Lewes
Breweries - don’t get me started
Delaware- totally different from our lifestyle in Washington DC. It truly is slower.
Coastal Club - The Neighbors! Maybe the second best thing about this move. Just great friendships developed in a heartbeat. The amenities are pushed a great deal but I honestly didn’t move here for them. It’s a nice clubhouse, the indoor pool is a huge plus and our grandkids love the outdoor pools. It’s a lovely place to call home.
Like this review, I included way too many pictures. They don’t come close to showing you how great it is.
Cheers

A

Almost 4 years ago, we came down to Lewes for the day on a whim to investigate the idea of a home for family fun and eventually retirement. We fell in love with the Schell floor plans, the distinctive look, and thoughtful details. We were also impressed with Schell Brothers as a company, and how they truly put their slogan into practice with every interaction. Every step of the process was guided by professional and upbeat people who went from strangers to feeling like friends. From the weekly phone calls and pictures from our project manager, to the attention given to us when we visited, we always felt supported and connected despite living out of state. And now, it is a dream come true to wake up each day in this wonderful space, to share it with family and friends, to get to know our great neighbors, and to explore this beautiful area! We are thrilled to be part of the Schell family because the love doesn't stop when you settle on your home! We <3 2B :) thanks to Schell Brothers!

We had been looking for a couple of years for the right place to move and hopefully retire to. Schell Brothers had a wonderful floor plans and great locations. We settled on Tidewater Landing and could not be more pleased with the customer experience. This was a multi step process that was well scripted to guide us through the buying a new house. The team at all stages was professional, cheerful and interested in our vision of the final house. Excellent suggestions from sales on lot and house position. The Design consultant was incredibly knowledgeable on how to get the look and keep in price thresholds and the building manager kept us posted weekly as the house was being built. The Quality Control group is as picky are we were during the final walk through!!! Could not ask for better builder or team.

Simply put, our Schell Bros. experience was well beyond our expectations. Every step of the building process was handled with a high degree of professionalism, energy, enthusiasm and thoroughness. We were especially impressed with the "culture of community" that the company works hard so to develop. I am looking forward to meeting the brothers and personally thanking them for making our decision to buy a Schell property one of the best decisions we have ever made.

I would never buy a Schell Brothers house again!! I would absolutely tell people to go elsewhere if they're looking for a quality-built house based on my horrible experience!!

There is no need to contact the Warranty Manager as the staff is fully aware and has been working for quite awhile on the nearly 50 problems, many of them major, of this house! Thank you for your response.

Our Schell building experience was fantastic! We settled on our brand new Lilac model January 30th, 2019 and couldn't be happier. From start to finish we enjoyed working with the Schell building family and appreciated their professionalism, guidance and knowledge throughout the building process. We were especially impressed with the attention to details and standards you don't normally see with most other builders in the area. Schell builders really put a lot of thought into the design of their homes and it shows!
Thank you Schell for a pleasant, fun & memorable experience for our family. You truly do build happiness.
We already miss the building process. Now comes the decorating and finishing touches on this beautiful home.

We would very highly recommend building a home with Schell Brothers. The whole experience from the Sales consultation to Design Center to Pre-Construction meeting to Pre-drywall to Walk-through to Settlement was carefully and efficiently planned out. We were guided each step of the way by a Schell Brothers team member who was always positive and professional. We feel we are now a part of the Schell Brothers family. We would like to thank everyone we met along our journey in the building process who helped us decide to purchase a Schell home. This includes Mollie & Josh at Independence, Nikki and Joe at Peninsula Lakes, Vicki at Saddle Ridge, Rhianna our design consultant, Lisa & Jaime at Designer Décor, Mike, Andrew & Ronnie our construction managers and Peter & Zac our warranty specialists. We thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for all your help, knowledge and expertise in making our dream home a reality. These folks take pride in their job and are committed to providing the highest level of customer service and satisfaction.

We are happy with the house we had built by Schell, however, their customer service is hit or miss at times. They’ve fixed many issues, yet many remain since the house was completed in early 2016. We have some pretty severe problems, some of which were clearly Schell’s own doing. These items include, but are not limited to the 30-Day Tune Up Items, Open Work Orders and the 1-Year Warranty.

For instance, Schell built a new house next door and did not grade the lot or our lot properly which is causing a drainage issue creating a major swamp on our property complete with flooding and mosquitoes - this problem has yet to be properly addressed. Just to name a few others, sliding door does not lock at all, the siding is not installed properly and is sagging and/or is falling off the house, some of the double hung windows cannot lock at all and the driveway is breaking apart at the street. A newer problem is the house is settling and the master bedroom bathroom door is starting to hit the floor, soon we won’t be able to use that bathroom. Some of these problems are basic and should have been fixed long ago, granted sometimes things slip through the cracks; however, this is unreasonable to drag things out to the 2-year mark with no end in sight.

I’ve sent them an email detailing these issues on 4/27/2018; they responded and sent their warranty department supervisor out to the house on 5/9/2018. Keep in mind they’ve been told that some of these issues are pressing and time is of the essence. On 5/16/2018 I followed up with an email to find out the status of the inspection, no response as of today 5/19/2018. I’ll keep updating.

Community Sales Manager Gary and his assistant Megan were outstanding. Their professionalism, knowledge, understanding (when we changed our minds on the model we finally wanted), and helpfulness was most appreciated in the home buying experience. Design Consultant Karen was very helpful in process of selecting our options for our house. Only discontent with the option selection procedure was that it was all crammed into one day. It would have been nicer to have two days to consider our selections. Construction Manager Kevin and his assistant Andy were outstanding. They excelled in all areas. We were extremely pleased with all aspects of there work. The weekly communication with Kevin was most appreciated, and unheard of in other home building experiences that we have had in the past. He did his best to accommodate us. The building of our house in five months was an unexpected surprise. Settlement Coordinator Joni was excellent in the settlement process. We would most assuredly recommend a Schell home to a friend.

We're in our third month in our beautiful Heron model at Sawgrass North in Rehoboth Beach, DE and we are loving it! The home is just great - all that we wanted and more. We've now had lots of different friends in and everyone just loves the house. The building process was amazing - everyone involved was so pleasant and helpful. This is our fourth new home and the whole process far exceeded my previous experiences (and they were pretty good!) and my expectations for Schell. I recommend Schell homes to everyone!

WE LOVE JD, our construction manager. He was wonderful to work with during our building phase, even sending weekly pictures of our house building process. JD always returned calls and was responsive to any of our concerns.

You should also know that after settlement (an beyond our one year) Schell customer service has also been responsive to our questions/needs.

Additionally, we love our Kingfisher model and yes we did upgrade in the areas in which we felt we could not do or build on after settlement.

Sincerely
Greg & Patty Null

I'm not sure I have the words to decribe our positive experience with Schell. From the moment we made contact with Adam at Sawgrass it was smooth sailing until Settlement. Every single member we dealt with has been an example of professional service that any company could learn from. Building in DE and living 6 hours away in NY was very concerning at first. We had no worries with Chris and Matt's weekly construction update calls. Our house is more than I ever imangined and I would do it all over again!! Bravo to all those involved and thank you Schell Brothers!

Schell Brothers is the example of great customer service. Immediate responses. Relentless pursuit to make sure we were 100% satisfied no matter how trivial the request.
Thank you for taking ALL the stress out of building home

We always liked the look and design of Schell Brothers homes since the companies inception almost fifteen years ago. We did not build our first home, so this was our first experience with the building process. In many ways we felt this was to our advantage because we knew what we wanted and appreciated what Schell Brothers included in the price of their homes and the additional options that were available. We had high expectations and we were demanding at times during the process, knowing that nothing is perfect.

In the end we can honestly say that any items or issues along the way were discussed and rectified to our satisfaction. The majority of the staff we interacted with during the sales, design, building and settlement process were extremely knowledgeable, very responsive and professional. The final product turned out great and we can say that the full process from start to finish exceeded our expectations.

We feel proud to officially be part of the Schell Brothers family!

I've never had the luxury of owning a Schell Brother's home, but I've had the privledge of being in a number of them. The quality and attention to detail is unmatched. That's not even what comes to mind first when I think of this organization, the impact they've had on Sussex County from creating jobs for locals to their charitable contributions goes to show you the type of people you will be dealing with. The best thing about dealing with a family company is feeling like you're being pulled in as part of the "family", and that's exactly how the Schell Brother's make you feel.

I can't begin to tell you about how pleasant our experience has been with Schell Brothers. They are clearly a different type of builder that takes pride in what they do and cares about their customers. My wife and I have purchased a Kingfisher in Parkside, which will begin construction next month and we are very excited.

The entire process has been wonderful so far. We have very high expectations and Vicki King and Cori Bane have been so incredibly helpful throughout the buying process. They have spent so much time researching information and answering all of our questions. We consider this a big investment for us and it will likely be a house we will live in for 50+ years, so we had quite a few questions for both of them. Whenever we emailed or called, Cori and Vicki got back to us in a very timely manner. They never made us feel like we were bothering them or inconveniencing them, no matter how many questions we had, even outside of their scheduled work times. They are both highly professional and listened to our concerns and needs throughout the process. It is not common to find people that are this patient and willing to help customers, but they both deserve commendation for their efforts.

Aside from the excellent service, Schell also puts so much thought into the efficiency and livability of their homes. They provide great natural light, excellent insulation, healthy materials, and options such as solar panels. They have a number of advanced technologies and their build construction is phenomenal in the finished homes we've visited.

There are so many reasons we are thrilled with our new Schell Brothers home. The sales and selection team treated us like we were their only customers … they really listened to what we wanted. The construction process was exciting and interactive. We made two site visits and our construction manager made us feel like we were part of the team … then built the home exactly as we envisioned, with many standard features that would have been extra in other homes. And they don't forget about you after the closing. Schell's Customer Service team has been outstanding. They really treat you like part of their family.

After several years of looking at the beach, we are so thankful that our realtor suggested we consider a Schell Brothers home. We have the Junction and Breakwater Trail, and it is only a short bicycle ride to downtown Lewes or Cape Henlopen State Park. We are very proud to be among "The First 49" homeowners in Senators. And delighted when we learned that our realtor is now one of our new neighbors!

We began looking for a vacation home about 20 years ago. We had primarily looked up north in ski country because our entire family enjoys the winter and skiing. However, after spending many summer vacations at New Jersey's beaches, we decided we would be much happier owning a vacation home near the water. After learning of Delaware's low taxes and close proximity to our home, we decided to look in the Lewes area. It only took us ONE DAY looking in Lewes and, most importantly, at Schell Brothers developments to decide that we wanted to choose Lewes and Schell Brothers. The quality of the homes are outstanding and the care we received from the sales managers, namely Joshua Hays and Dan Kauffman, was excellent. We recently closed on our new home and we couldn't be happier! In fact, we have been down there every weekend since. I can't wait to spend more time there. Thank you Schell Brothers.

I had a problem with cracked grout in the master shower. Had a surprisingly quick response from Kathy Biddle about getting someone out. Dan Fiorio was the man that called, also quickly. He accommodated our schedule, was very responsive, timely, pleasant and thorough. It was much appreciated. Thanks!

JoAnn & Steve Catramados

While we initially bought our twin home from Schell Brothers because of the quality we saw in the model home, we became more and more happy with our decision as the building progressed. It was our third time buying new construction and based on those past experiences, we prepared ourselves for unkept promises and non-responsive staff. We were pleasantly surprised by the follow-through and commitment by all staff in giving us our dream home and truly making us feel "at home" with the community and the area. Each and every staff member we dealt with was not only friendly, but seemed genuinely interested in our family and cared about our opinions and responded promptly to every single call or email sent along the way. Schell is a one-of-a-kind company and a breath of fresh air for home-buyers!

In the fall of 2011 we began our journey to build our retirement home. What state was the first order of business. Well, after we left the Villages of Herring Creek it was Delaware! Without a doubt we wanted a Schell home. The journey was a smooth one all due to our sales manager Adam Pettengell. Adam saw us through every aspect of the build. We developed a lifelong friendship. Funny things happen when you met Adam... You find you want to leave NY forever, you decide you want to retire sooner than you planned....and you build a beautiful home for the next chapter of your life!!! There was never a "hard sell" from Adam. Adam quickly learned what we liked and made wonderful suggestions....for example:skylights in our screened in porch. Adam always answers phone calls, emails and text messages right away. Sure, it can be scary to build a home when you are a few states away. Never fear, Adam kept us updated with pictures, emails, phone calls or text messages. He also told us when he thought it was important to see stages of the build. When our children were getting ready for college a phrase was often used "the right fit". Chose the college where you will fit. This applies to our retirement. This is the perfect fit for us!!! We met the right person at the right time to help us build a dream home. What a feeling to know your next chapter is waiting for you!! We often wonder had we not met Adam we might still be looking for that dream home!!! Our entire Schell experience had been truly amazing!!!
Kath & Skip Siegel VHC proud Schell owners

When we began our search for a retirement community we came upon Independence. We kept looking at other communities but always returned to Independence and are happy we did! We have lived in our home for just a year and love, love, love it. The quality of our home is none other. The community and residents of INDY are fantastic. So many active things to do here in the community and beyond. Once you're here, you're not forgotten by Schell Bros. They mean it when they say their number one goal is happiness - they definitely strive to make their customers happy.

When purchasing a new home, the determining factor for most people ultimately comes down to “Quality”. We chose a Schell Brothers home not just for its’ affordable, quality construction, but also for the people that represent them. Our sales representative, Gary Desch; selection coordinator, Larry Gee; and construction superintendent, Kevin Stevenson are courteous and accommodating “quality professionals” that have made our experience seamless and enjoyable.

Kate & Chuck Gibson
The Peninsula