Just for all you Ankeny bashers

[AgronAlum]

When looking for new homes last year, I really want to find something in Ankeny but it seems like everything was either really cheap from national builders, or way over our budget. Waukee, Urbandale, and Grimes had a lot more options in our price range.

The better builders focus on the 5-600k+ neighborhoods. DR Horton took over when they bought Classic Builders (not that CB was great either) and their builds are absolute ****. DR Horton and Greenland kind of run the show. There are some others like Happe and Sage that fall in that middle ground but I think some of those got caught with too much inventory when prices got jacked and rates went up. The national builders had the pockets to keep pumping out their dog **** builds to customers that want the cheapest house they can get because it's all they can afford.

 

[houjix]

Eh, even living here I'd say while the rest isn't as bad as Delaware, the rest is rather poorly laid out. one of the NS roads really needed to be more designed for flow through the city rather than a million stoplights. It legitimately might take less time for me to go from my house in SE ankeny to WDM than it does to go from my house to the north side of ankeny driving through town.

Hopefully some of these projects on Ankeny blvd will improve things, but overall the lights in general seem to be poorly managed. Theyre always talking about updating light timings, while WDM had adaptive signals at most of its intersections a decade+ ago.

My mother-in-law lives just south of town and some friends that live up near 18th and Ankeny Blvd. With the road work on Ankeny Blvd and other areas lately, I can relate to the travel time from WDM when I go to see my friends but have to swing by the in-law's house. It actually was better before they started finishing some of the side streets as several lights north of 1st have been off.

 

[NorthCyd]

What is up with the "downtown" knock on Ankeny? What suburbs have a "downtown"? Usually when you talk about downtown in a metro area you are talking about the city. Otherwise you're talking about a small town that has one street where all the businesses are located or maybe even a square like Polk City. It's just a weird thing to criticize when I feel like most suburbs lack what you would consider a "downtown" area because they are generally sprawling with multiple business districts.

 

[dmclone]

The better builders focus on the 5-600k+ neighborhoods. DR Horton took over when they bought Classic Builders (not that CB was great either) and their builds are absolute ****. DR Horton and Greenland kind of run the show. There are some others like Happe and Sage that fall in that middle ground but I think some of those got caught with too much inventory when prices got jacked and rates went up. The national builders had the pockets to keep pumping out their dog **** builds to customers that want the cheapest house they can get because it's all they can afford.

There were zero between 500-650 when we were looking.

 

[AgronAlum]

What is up with the "downtown" knock on Ankeny? What suburbs have a "downtown"? Usually when you talk about downtown in a metro area you are talking about the city. Otherwise you're talking about a small town that has one street where all the businesses are located or maybe even a square like Polk City. It's just a weird thing to criticize when I feel like most suburbs lack what you would consider a "downtown" area because they are generally sprawling with multiple business districts.

Yeah, it's not really any different than WDM with Valley Junction and the newer "town center" part being Jordan Creek.

 

[dmclone]

I agree with the downtown.

Uptown Ankeny has trailside tap, uptown garage, and leaning tower. Nice farmers market. I'm assuming uptown=downtown?

I lived for 20 years in johnston and can't tell you where downtown johnston is located. Same for Urbandale, is that where Christian photo is located? Grimes has an ok very small downtown.

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

Yeah, it's not really any different than WDM with Valley Junction and the newer "town center" part being Jordan Creek.

It's just not well thought out. There's two roads and they aren't wide enough to deal with the traffic.

 

[AgronAlum]

There were zero between 500-650 when we were looking.

Most of what's being built north of NE 54th falls into that range. Also, the north side of Deer Creek east of the interstate. Some more off of Weigel and 18th. Oh and the Berwick neighborhood.

 

[Carlisle Clone]

Eh, even living here I'd say while the rest isn't as bad as Delaware, the rest is rather poorly laid out. one of the NS roads really needed to be more designed for flow through the city rather than a million stoplights. It legitimately might take less time for me to go from my house in SE ankeny to WDM than it does to go from my house to the north side of ankeny driving through town.

Hopefully some of these projects on Ankeny blvd will improve things, but overall the lights in general seem to be poorly managed. Theyre always talking about updating light timings, while WDM had adaptive signals at most of its intersections a decade+ ago.

This is the best way to describe Ankeny. Lots of stoplights and teen drivers.

 

[NorthCyd]

Most of what's being built north of NE 54th falls into that range. Also, the north side of Deer Creek east of the interstate. Some more off of Weigel and 18th. Oh and the Berwick neighborhood.

Come check out Trestle Ridge if anyone is looking for homes in that range.

 

[KennyPratt42]

The better builders focus on the 5-600k+ neighborhoods. DR Horton took over when they bought Classic Builders (not that CB was great either) and their builds are absolute ****. DR Horton and Greenland kind of run the show. There are some others like Happe and Sage that fall in that middle ground but I think some of those got caught with too much inventory when prices got jacked and rates went up. The national builders had the pockets to keep pumping out their dog **** builds to customers that want the cheapest house they can get because it's all they can afford.

Not related to this threads topic, but can you tell me more about DR Horton. Does it have more to do with the quality of the materials used or workmanship issues or a combination of the two?

I have no first hand experience, but my assumption has always been that they are the lowest cost option so you get what you pay for to an extent. Is it worse than that?

 

[stuclone]

For everyone bashing on Ankeny restaurants, there are quite a few good spots. Nonnas has the best pizza I've had in Des Moines (but I love New York style pizza), Trailside Tap has good modern-American food, Hawker's Kitchen has really good Asian street food, 30 Hop is solid, Filet/Oceanside is a good steakhouse with good seafood, Bubby's is solid BBQ, Magee's has good Irish food. There's plenty of good restaurants for a city its size

 

[KennyPratt42]

For everyone bashing on Ankeny restaurants, there are quite a few good spots. Nonnas has the best pizza I've had in Des Moines (but I love New York style pizza), Trailside Tap has good modern-American food, Hawker's Kitchen has really good Asian street food, 30 Hop is solid, Filet/Oceanside is a good steakhouse with good seafood, Bubby's is solid BBQ, Magee's has good Irish food. There's plenty of good restaurants for a city its size

It has gotten a lot better in the last handful of years than how it used to be. Nonna's and Hawker's Kitchen are both worth the trip.

 

[AgronAlum]

Not related to this threads topic, but can you tell me more about DR Horton. Does it have more to do with the quality of the materials used or workmanship issues or a combination of the two?

I have no first hand experience, but my assumption has always been that they are the lowest cost option so you get what you pay for to an extent. Is it worse than that?

It's worse than "you get what you pay for". Most people buying a cheaper new build correctly have the expectation that the bones should be solid and it meets code but lacks finishes, square feet and extras. With DR Horton, the builds are absolute trash.

There isn't any single thing to pinpoint because it's just a lack of execution and detail but the people that have problems usually end up having expensive problems. The foundation is bad, the framing isn't square or is lacking in certain areas, walls not insulated properly, rushed plumbing and electrical jobs, poor drainage, etc. On top of that they also get the ****** finishes and base level building materials.

It can be hit or miss depending on who's in charge but in general boils down to rushing jobs and the company not wanting to fix what's broken if they can hide it behind a wall.

Just like most major corporations, national builders are driven by the bottom line only because a bunch of execs sitting in an office in some other state have major shareholders to report to.

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

Not related to this threads topic, but can you tell me more about DR Horton. Does it have more to do with the quality of the materials used or workmanship issues or a combination of the two?

I have no first hand experience, but my assumption has always been that they are the lowest cost option so you get what you pay for to an extent. Is it worse than that?

It's all the above.

 

[KennyPratt42]

It's worse than "you get what you pay for". Most people buying a cheaper new build correctly have the expectation that the bones should be solid and it meets code but lacks finishes, square feet and extras. With DR Horton, the builds are absolute trash.

There isn't any single thing to pinpoint because it's just a lack of execution and detail but the people that have problems usually end up having expensive problems. The foundation is bad, the framing isn't square or is lacking in certain areas, walls not insulated properly, rushed plumbing and electrical jobs, poor drainage, etc. On top of that they also get the ****** finishes and base level building materials.

It can be hit or miss depending on who's in charge but in general boils down to rushing jobs and the company not wanting to fix what's broken if they can hide it behind a wall.

Really appreciate the response and information. Would you say that most of their homes end up with significant problems or is it more of a roll of the dice where a person could either get a house without major issues, just low end finishes, or they could get one that is a big headache?

 

[BryceC]

Still a completely soulless community devoid of any authenticity or identity outside the Yankee Clipper.

How is that any different than any other suburb in DSM?

I’ve had an awesome time living in Ankeny, but guess what, I would have had an awesome time living anywhere.

I lived in Sydney, Aus for 4 months once. You know what I did there? The same stuff I’m doing here.

 

[AgronAlum]

Really appreciate the response and information. Would you say that most of their homes end up with significant problems or is it more of a roll of the dice where a person could either get a house without major issues, just low end finishes, or they could get one that is a big headache?

It's a roll of the dice. One that I personally wouldn't make because it's such a big investment but many people do. The majority probably turn out ok but some end up spending thousands or 10's of thousands in the hole trying to make things right. Nobody gets "wowed" and gets something that exceeds their expectations.

There's enough inventory right now that I, personally, would look for somewhere more established. I'm just a random dude with an opinion talking **** on an ISU forum though.

 

[NorthCyd]

For everyone bashing on Ankeny restaurants, there are quite a few good spots. Nonnas has the best pizza I've had in Des Moines (but I love New York style pizza), Trailside Tap has good modern-American food, Hawker's Kitchen has really good Asian street food, 30 Hop is solid, Filet/Oceanside is a good steakhouse with good seafood, Bubby's is solid BBQ, Magee's has good Irish food. There's plenty of good restaurants for a city its size

Red Chillez, Siam Table, District 36, Flavory Bistro, Portafinos, Silk Elephant, Main Street Cafe and Bakery, Breakfast Club, Pho 85, and so on. There are tons of local establishments with good food in Ankeny. I think people just drive down the major streets of these towns and see a Chillis or Applebee's and just assume that's all there is.

 

[AgronAlum]

Red Chillez, Siam Table, District 36, Flavory Bistro, Portafinos, Silk Elephant, Main Street Cafe and Bakery, Breakfast Club, Pho 85, and so on. There are tons of local establishments with good food in Ankeny. I think people just drive down the major streets of these towns and see a Chillis or Applebee's and just assume that's all there is.

One that never gets mentioned is Alohana Hawaiian Grill. I've eaten there a couple times and it's really good for what it is. I also enjoy Hawkers Kitchen and Fun Chinese Cuisine.