Build.com Review: The Ultimate Home Improvement Shop

Build.com is a subsidiary of Ferguson PLC, which is why you will see the Ferguson name both on the build.com website and the build.com credit card.

The site seems to get either glowing or negative reviews, mostly for customer service response time (discussed below), with very little in between. 

Pros

• Huge selection
• Expanded network of sister sites
• Well-designed website with multiple design support tools
• Customized and personal attention available
• Free Shipping 
• Positive reviews for product selection and issues resolution 
• Ships to Alaska and Hawaii as well as contiguous United States

Cons

• Some products can be on the pricey side 
• Negative reviews for customer service/response time

Scoring

My Build.com Experience

From 2019 to 2020 my wife and I did a complete home renovation on our current home. The home we renovated was built in the 1970s. Aside from leaving the exterior walls up, almost everything about the home was re-done.

We used Build.com extensively on this renovation. We purchased many of the finishes for the home from Build.com including all lighting and plumbing fixtures, as well as sinks, tubs, toilets, door handles, locks, hinges, and more.

My wife and I enlisted the help of a General Contractor, along with an Interior Architect, who helped us navigate Build.com and find the stuff we needed.

Since we were using a General Contractor we made our purchases through his account, which provided us with a slight discount on the prices.

So How Was It?

Overall, we found the process to be painless. We discussed what we wanted with our General Contractor and Interior Architect who then worked together to come up with an initial list of products. Our General Contractor would add the various items to the cart and send us the entire cart for review.

This was super helpful as it gave us a chance to check and make sure everything that was about to be purchased was exactly what we were looking for.

Since the differences between items can be subtle during the purchase process it was nice to be able to see that final list in a cart before we gave it the go ahead.

Problems & Returns

During our renovation we had a few items we ordered from Build.com that needed to be returned:

1. Bathroom Light Fixture – one of our bathroom light fixtures seemed to have a manufacturing defect. The light itself was off-centered on the metal fixture.
2. Shower Fixture – despite the fact we ordered a very specific finish, somehow one of the plumbing fixtures within a larger kit was a different finish color than what we ordered.

In the case of the bathroom light fixture, we simply sent the product back to Build.com and they sent a replacement. Super easy. Though it did take around 6 weeks to return, get the new one, and then get it installed.

The shower fixture took considerably longer. After we identified the problem we mailed the fixtured back and received a new fixture. However, it was still wrong. We sent it back again and finally did receive the correct part.

The whole process took several months, as there was back-and-forth with Build.com and our General Contractor. In addition, many of the delays were likely due to COVID-19.

Overall Experience

Despite these issues, overall I would rate the experience with Build.com as excellent. Our experience was mostly through our General Contractor, who knows better how to navigate the various shopping and service channels at Build.com.

Nevertheless, I think as long as you fully understand the return policies and you always double check to make sure what you’re about to purchase is the right SKU, color, finish, size, etc. then you can avoid so many potential problems.

Build.com is a big site with so much to shop through and buy. While we purchased quite a lot, our experience is still fairly narrow. Below, we’re going to dive into the full scope of what you can shop for at Build.com to help give you a broader view of what to expect and how to get the best out of it.

What Build.com Offers

The build.com url, now an umbrella site for a variety of kitchen, bath, home improvement, lighting, and even home automation product websites, can trace its lineage back to original founder David Berman, a successful plumbing wholesaler. Plumbing fixtures have remained one of the most extensive product categories offered.

Now build.com has a massive product offering in these other home improvement categories as well:

• Bathroom
• Kitchen 
• Lighting
• Fans
• Hardware
• Appliances
• Flooring
• Cabinet Hardware 
• Outdoor
• HVAC
• Furniture and Decor
• Commercial
• Luxury Home
• Home Automation

Brands offered number in the hundreds. They contain most well-known and respected brands ranging from Hudson Valley for lighting, to Kohler and Moen for bathroom fittings, to GE, Maytag, and Frigidaire for appliances.

You can shop by category, brand, item, style, room—if you can think of a common-sense filter or sub-category, build.com probably has those options.

Project Organization

Build.com has your back when it comes to organizing your projects. Creating an account makes shopping and ordering easier. You also get a discount for signing up. 

The account works across all the build.com network sites, including:

• LightingDirect.com
• FaucetDirect.com
• HandleSets.com
• VentingPipe.com
• VentingDirect.com
• PullsDirect.com
• Faucet.com
• LightingShowcase.com
• WineCoolerDirect.com
• AllergyAndAir.com

Build.com offers a free Pro Account for building professionals, again with a discount to sign up. This earns you exclusive savings with their PRO Pricing rates, dedicated account managers for start-to-finish service on your projects, and fast, free shipping from over 500 distribution sites

You can apply for the build.com credit card for even more exclusive discounts as well as special financing on purchases over a certain amount.

Shopping Experience

Given how complex home improvements can be both creatively and logistically, a website design can make or break your project. The ease (or lack thereof) of use, intuitive flow, and practical website features make a huge impact on the shopping and organizing experience. 

Build.com has included some specific features that support the whole process for both amateurs and professionals.

Account

You can certainly shop and order as a guest, but creating an account is easy, free, and makes it all more organized. Like the Pro Account, your personal account will work across all the various build.com sites.

Deep dive note: Under Account Details, you can quickly manage all your subscriptions and notifications. The page walks you through it more clearly and in far more detailed options than is common. This may be an extra plus for those who don’t want to get swamped with extra emails and do like to customize more than the average person. 

My Projects

This offers an efficient way to design and manage your home improvement projects. From the My Projects section, you can:

• Organize items by room
  Print specification sheets
• Keep track of the running totals
• View orders

This is also a good way to save your favorites to potential new “Projects” Files as you explore the curated looks that build.com collects for you.

Organizing communication across a big project can be one of the most challenging aspects of any home improvement undertaking. My Project allows you to invite contractors, designers, family, and friends so that you can collaborate in one place. 

Showroom

Shop by room, featured look (e.g., Gilded Zen for a bathroom, Farmhouse Industrial for a kitchen), or trends and influences (e.g., Tropical Tangent, Study in Blue, Nature and Textures).

Each showroom look is broken down into all the items that it uses. You can save any time to your cart or to one of your projects. 

Personalized Consultations

These are an option for those wanting more direct assistance. The site directs you to shop the Showrooms for ideas and inspiration, then collect information on what professionals you might already be working with, details of plan, blueprints, measurements, etc. for your project, and budget.

You can make a virtual, or if a Ferguson facility is near you (searchable by zip code and location when making the appointment), an in-person appointment for a personalized consultation. Given the stunning amounts of look, style, and product choices you have, you might want to access this option if feeling overwhelmed. 

Learning Center

Speaking of being overwhelmed, a particularly helpful feature of build.com is their Learning Center. This area of the site gives you instant access to articles with design ideas, pro tips, and buying guides. The Learning Center is easily searchable by Room (Bedroom, Bathroom, Closet, etc.) or by Article Type (Build Tips, Product Spotlight, Pro Series, etc.).

For more help, subscribe to the build.com emails. This gives special access to coupons, exclusive deals, and design inspiration.

Special Note: While build.com is, of course, online and you can browse all you want on their site or on their monthly online catalogs, they also offer a physical catalog. Sometimes it is just easier to circle things, turn down pages, or cut out images for those who like a more tactile experience. Offering both online and physical catalogs is a great way to offer options for everyone, whatever your creative preference. 

Chat Feature

The chat feature is more detailed than some. You must fill out a name, give an email, and answer yes or no on a few other questions before you can start chatting. On the plus side, you get told what number in line you are, so you can see how close you are getting.

It might be nice if you could type your question into a chat box while waiting to be connected instead of having to be connected first—not a real issue for short simple questions but it could be somewhat annoying to wait to even start typing if you have a long inquiry with lots of details to convey. 

This is a tiny detail, however. In our experience, connecting to someone was fast and easy. The support personnel were knowledgeable and downright eager to help. A text transcript of the chat is made instantly available for reference later, which would come in handy for those really detailed questions. A followup email came quickly, with more offers of assistance. 

Mobile App

Build.com has its own free mobile app, Build Ferguson, for home shopping and expert advice. It is available on Google Play and the App Store (for iPhone and iPad only), and has a 4.8/5 rating with 4K reviews.

A mobile app might not always be the best way to do full-on shopping for larger home improvement projects. It is however a great way to conveniently track orders and get notifications.

Build.com Reviews

As of the publishing of this review, build.com seems to evoke extreme reactions on either end of the spectrum. Online reviews offer snapshots of people claiming either very positive or very negative experiences, without much in the middle.

For example, build.com has under 3/5 stars for cumulative reviews on TrustPilot and Sitejabber. The negative ones seem to be mainly for customer service and response time, rather than product quality. 

At the same time, both sites also show glowing build.com reviews for the exact same reasons and in the same time frames.

houzz.com shows a similar polarization. 

User hillary from 8 months ago wrote:

“I loved my experience with Build. Ordered door pulls, lighting. Great prices. They even worked with me when I needed to return something past the deadline to do so.”

But User NJ DEVS99 from 6 months ago wrote:

“Absolutely horrible experience with order placement, receiving damaged and opened goods and a complete run-around when trying to return.” 

It is possible that build.com had growing pains as it added more networked sister sites. It is also possible that it faced personnel and shipping challenges in 2020 that it is now working to resolve.

BBB Ratings

The Better Business Bureau gives build.com an A+ rating. While it is worth noting that customer reviews are not factors in that rating, it is also worth noting that BBB ratings do reflect the BBB’s opinion of how business is likely to interact with its customers and are based on information BBB is able to obtain, including complaints received from the public. Most complaints registered on the BBB site show a response from build.com with efforts to resolve any dissatisfaction.

Reviews are of course notoriously skewed, and no substitute for personal experience. In our experience, customer service was easily reachable, responsive, and knowledgeable. An experienced project manager was ready to jump in immediately to help with a project.

We recommend contacting the company first if you have any concerns. This will allow you to make a direct contact, get their email or other contact information, and articulate those concerns. 

Contacting a company before starting a large home improvement project with their products is a good idea anyway. A personal contact can smooth the process for you and help resolve small issues before they become large ones.

The 180-day return policy offers a wide window in which you can work in case of any issues. 

Ordering Process and Policies

Organization and logistics are obviously one of build.com’s strong points, so it will come as no surprise that the ordering process is easy, clear, and supported every step along the way.

Cart

The build.com cart has a few features we like. Each item in your cart will show:

• The number of your specific item(s) in stock
• Estimated number of days for it to leave the warehouse
• Specification sheets for immediate downloading

You can email your whole cart to someone, or save it to a project you have going in the My Project section. The cart also conveniently links directly to the Shipping Information page.

Our favorite feature, however, is the way in which you can check the shipping costs to your zip code right from the cart without having to enter any personal or billing information or start the checkout process first.

Many companies make customers go through several steps before checking shipping costs. Knowing your cost upfront makes the process much easier. 

Make sure to enter any coupon or discount code before starting the checkout process, as there does not seem to be another chance to do so. 

Shipping

Standard shipping over $49 is free. Freight shipping over $1,499 is free. 

Build.com partners with carriers that offer insurance and tracking, including UPS, FedEx, and USPS. Shipping times depend on the carrier’s daily cut-off time as well as warehouse turnaround, which is listed on each product page.

Options for shipping include:

• Standard Ground Shipping: 1-5 business days (free over $49)
• Second Day Air: 2 business days after shipment (extra cost)
• Next Day Air: 1 business day after shipment (most expensive)

Build.com ships to addresses (excluding PO Boxes) in the contiguous United States as well as Alaska and Hawaii. For standard delivery (not freight orders) to a APO/FPO/DPO address, contact the Customer Service team at (800) 375-3403 to place your order and obtain a custom shipping quote.

Canadian and international orders can be filled via freight forwarding service providers.

Get more details about build.com’s delivery and shipping information here. 

Payment

Payment methods include:

• Credit cards—MC, Visa, Amex, Discover
• Paypal
• Amazon Pay

You can also apply for or use a build.com credit card. 

Returns

All Returns must be made within 180 days of the date of receipt. Returns are not subject to a restocking fee. But you will have return shipping deducted from your refund total. 

Use the original packaging if possible. Once you “Set Up a Return” through your online account, follow the instructions provided with the Return Goods Authorization (RGA) number you are emailed. Use the return label provided to track your return more efficiently. 

Returns may be made for defective and incorrect items.

Other items:

• The item must be in resalable condition 
• It must be free from scratches and/or defects 
• Product must not have been installed 
• It must be in the original manufacturer’s box and packaging and be free of writing. 
• Packaging must not be missing pieces 

Clearance and closeout items are not eligible for returns. 

Check the build.com help center for more details on receiving, signing for, and if necessary, returning products.

Summary: Who is Build.com Best For?

Build.com offers an extensive range of products in all home improvement categories. Access the sister sites in its network for even more options. The website provides impressive visual inspiration with examples, different ways to look for items, and informative articles.

A potential drawback may be the negative experiences that some have had with delayed or unresponsive customer service. 

We recommend build.com for those who:

• Lots of Options – Want a wide array of options in all styles 
• Single Supplier – Like getting multiple parts of their projects all taken care of from the same company 
• Online Organization – Would rather organize home improvement projects via an online platform rather than a physical location
• Customer Support – Don’t mind reaching out to Customer Support with any concerns 
• Visual – Like lots of visual inspiration 

Check out build.com or any of its other sites for more information and to shop for your next large remodeling or simple home project.