Taylor Morrison Vs. Lennar: Choosing The Best New Home Builder

If you’re in the market for a newly constructed home, Taylor Morrison and Lennar are two of the biggest national builders you’re likely to encounter. Both companies have been building homes for decades and have established reputations for quality and customer service.

But there are some key differences between these home building giants that you’ll want to understand before making your decision.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare Taylor Morrison and Lennar in depth so you can determine which builder is the best fit for your new home needs and preferences.

We’ll look at each company’s history, reputation, construction practices, floorplans, amenities, customization options, warranty coverage, and more. We’ll also highlight the pros and cons of building with each home builder.

At-A-Glance Comparison Table

Before diving into the details, here’s a high-level overview of how Taylor Morrison and Lennar stack up against one another:

Aspects	Taylor Morrison	Lennar
Year Founded	1936	1954
Headquarters	Scottsdale, AZ	Miami, FL
Homes Built Per Year	10,000+	29,000+
Types of Homes	Single-family, townhomes, high-rise condos	Single-family, townhomes, condos, multifamily
Real Estate Brands	Darling Homes, Campbell Homes, William Lyon Signature Series	Rialto, Eagle Homes
Price Range	$200,000 – $4M+	$200,000 – $1M+
Customization	Flexible options available	Limited customization
Warranty	2-10 Homeowner Protection Plan	2-10 Home Buyer Warranty Program

Now let’s explore each home builder in more detail.

Taylor Morrison

Taylor Morrison has over 80 years of experience building quality new homes across the United States. The company was founded in 1936 and has constructed more than 165,000 homes since its inception.

• Brands and Home Types: Taylor Morrison operates several brands offering single-family detached homes, townhomes, and condos. Their brands include Taylor Morrison Homes, Darling Homes, William Lyon Signature Series, and Christopher Todd Communities. The builder is known for its energy-efficient home designs ranging from entry-level to luxury in suburban communities.
• Construction Quality: Taylor Morrison has won multiple quality awards including America’s Most Trusted Home Builder from Lifestory Research. They carefully vet subcontractors and provide supervision throughout the building process. Their pre-drywall Homeowner Orientation gives buyers a chance to see their home’s quality before drywall installation.
• Floorplans and Design: Taylor Morrison offers 100+ open concept floorplans across its brands. Homes typically range 1,500 to 4,500+ square feet. They focus on single-story living and one-level living plans. Design features include gourmet kitchens, spa-like baths, outdoor living areas, and flex space per plans.
• Green Building: Taylor Morrison’s STEPS® program promotes sustainability in energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality, and waste reduction. Over 85% of their homes are ENERGY STAR® certified.
• Customization: Taylor Morrison allows more flexibility than other national builders when it comes to customization. Buyers can work with a design consultant to modify plans, finishes, fixtures and more (within budget). Custom homes are also available through their Christopher Todd brand.
• Smart Home Technology: Most Taylor Morrison homes come with their Taft technology package allowing homeowners to control lighting, thermostats, security cameras and more from their smartphones. Amazon Echo devices are also included in many new builds.
• Warranty: Homeowners are protected by Taylor Morrison’s 2-10 Homeowner Protection Plan covering defects in materials and workmanship for 2 years and major structural components for 10 years. The builder handles warranty repair requests directly.

Pros: Quality and customization, STEPS® green building program, great for one-level living, Taft smart home technology included

Cons: Smaller national footprint than competitors, fewer quick move-in homes available

Lennar

As one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, Lennar has built over 1.5 million homes since being founded in 1954. They offer new construction homes in 19 states.

• Brands and Home Types: Lennar’s core brand builds single-family homes across suburban subdivisions. Their other brands include Rialto for entry-level homes, Eagle Homes for age-targeted active adult communities, and Lennar Multifamily for apartments and condos.
• Construction Quality: Lennar has a reputation for quickly building quality homes. They use a database and technology to standardize the building process across markets. Each home is inspected by a Quality Assurance team throughout construction.
• Floorplans and Design: Lennar offers 200+ open concept floorplans ranging 1,500 to over 3,000 square feet. Their homes typically feature gourmet kitchens, owner’s suites with spacious closets and baths, tech niches, flex rooms, and outdoor living areas per plan.
• Green Building: Lennar’s Everything’s Included® program incorporates water-saving fixtures, high-performance insulation and windows, programmable thermostats, and low/zero VOC materials. Roof solar panels are available for purchase in some markets.
• Customization: Lennar offers fewer structural customization options than other national builders due to their standardized building process. But buyers can still select various predetermined structural and design options when purchasing a home.
• Smart Home Technology: The builder’s Everything’s Included® program provides smart home features like Wi-Fi CERTIFIEDTM automatic garage door openers, wireless security systems, and Amazon Echo. Upgrades like surround sound, CCTV, and home automation systems are available.
• Warranty: Lennar provides warranty coverage through their 2-10 Home Buyer Warranty Program. This covers defects for 2 years and major structural components for 10 years. Warranty requests are handled through local field offices.

Pros: Large national homebuilder, quick construction timelines, Everything’s Included® program

Cons: Less customization flexibility, quality varies slightly market-to-market, not focused on one-level living options

Key Differences And Factors To Consider

Now that we’ve compared these two home building leaders side-by-side, let’s summarize some of the key differences and factors to consider as you evaluate Taylor Morrison vs. Lennar for your new home purchase:

• Customization – Taylor Morrison allows more flexibility to modify plans and finishes compared to Lennar’s streamlined process.
• Quality Consistency – Lennar uses national construction standards but quality can vary slightly by market. Taylor Morrison focuses more on local quality control.
• One-Level Living – Taylor Morrison offers more single-story and one-level floorplans, while Lennar has fewer options targeting this demographic.
• Green Building – Both builders include green features, but Taylor Morrison’s STEPS® program emphasizes sustainability across all their homes.
• Warranty claims – Taylor Morrison handles warranty requests directly while Lennar goes through field offices, which can impact response time.
• Smart Home Technology – Lennar’s Everything’s Included® package and available upgrades provide tech-forward features comparable to Taylor Morrison’s Taft package.
• Affordability – Lennar tends to offer more entry-level pricing in certain markets while Taylor Morrison serves more move-up and luxury buyers.
• Availability – With its larger size, Lennar may have more quickly available homes and speedier construction timelines in many markets.

As you can see, there are valid reasons to choose either Taylor Morrison or Lennar depending on your priorities. Key factors like customization options, quality, home technology, warranty coverage, and affordability will impact which builder is the best fit.

Making The Decision

If customization is important to you, Taylor Morrison gives buyers more flexibility in this area. Their focus on single-story living also makes them a great choice for empty nesters and retirees.

However, Lennar will likely get you into your new home faster and may have more affordable options in your market.

Here are a few final tips when choosing between Taylor Morrison and Lennar:

• Tour model homes by both builders to see the quality and finishings first-hand
• Speak to realtors knowledgeable about each builder’s reputation in your local market
• Review the specific floorplans each builder offers in the communities you’re considering
• Ask about structural and design customization options upfront
• Carefully compare warranty coverages
• Make sure home technology offerings and green features meet your needs

Either Taylor Morrison or Lennar can be an excellent choice for your new home construction. By evaluating all the factors discussed, viewing model homes, and having in-depth conversations with sales representatives, you’ll be equipped to determine which national home builder is the winner for your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are brief answers to some frequently asked questions when comparing Taylor Morrison and Lennar:

Wrapping Up

In summary, Taylor Morrison and Lennar are two excellent national homebuilders with stellar reputations. By evaluating their differences in customization, quality, pricing, warranties, and more, homebuyers can determine which company is the right choice for their new construction home.

Do your research and choose the builder that best fits your needs. Both Taylor Morrison and Lennar will provide you with an outstanding new homeownership experience.