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Shelley H
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posted 19 May 2005 15:21 CET
Do not buy a Plantation home or any MHI affiliate. Once they receive your money you are no longer valuable to the company. We have had three major leaks which we were told were due to high wind rain. Eventually when my kitchen window leaked in SEVEN different areas they agreed to look into the problem. My sheet rocks was ruined, my little boy had mold in his room (still does) and my garage wall has mold in it. We asked them to test for mold and they said no. We paid (a lot) for a mold inspector to come out and test it out of our own pocket. Plantation refused to treat the mold and just fixed the "superficial" sheet rock. My son still has mold in his room. They actually tried to just paint over it. Our porch now has wood rot after one year of ownership (due to the leak in the garage). We also asked to see our Energy star rating and they will not release it to use. During the winter it felt like one of the windows was open. No, it is just Plantations horrible work. There are no federal agencies that help out with the home owner. We have looked into it and have contacted with our representatives. The laws they have written actually protects the builder. |
valerie young
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posted 19 May 2005 05:57 CET
We purchased a new DREES Custom Home in Berry Creek Country Club area of Georgetown (Austin area), Texas. We paid $265,000.00 for this home in July of 2000. Since that time, the inside unit of the A/C had to be replaced in August 2004 at a cost of $1,100, and the inside of the downstairs unit had to be replaced May 2005 at a cost of $1,900. Even though the units were under the 5 year warranty, the builder's A/C company would still charge us about a 1/3 of the cost of the new unit installed by another A/C company. The old A/C company would have still used the same old Goodman junk that was initially installed, plus we would not get a new 5 year warranty, only whatever was left of our warranty. The original A/C company told us last week that the units that were installed by DREES should expect to be replaced in 5 years. Other neighbors on our street whose homes are approximately 5 years old have had to do the same. We chose to use a different A/C company and go with a different and more reliable A/C unit. Of course DREES has not helped in any way. We have also had to replace the insides of our toilets a number of times due to the shoddy products DREES used...among other repairs we should not be having to do with a new home. If you have had A/C problems in the first five or so years of your new DREES home in the Austin area, please contact me. I would like to get DREES to step up and take responsibility for their shoddy products and work. DREES is building several new homes behind us here in BERRY CREEK...WARNING, unless you have about $10,000 to put into your new home replacing or repairing shoddy products...THINK AGAIN!!!! |
Melanie Norton
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posted 17 May 2005 09:19 CET
We are recently in the pre-building stages with Gordon Hartman homes and have asked them to flip the house so that the garage is on the left side instead of the right. We have seen several houses in the neighborhood that are flipped. Initially when we were looking at the lot we purchased the sales manager suggested that we request to flip the house to save a tree. Well the builder decided that flipping the house wouldn't save the tree. Everyone we have spoken to just tell us that they aren't going to flip the house. They have never given us a true reason. The house diagonal from our lot is flipped yet the sales manager for the builder states that the lots are predetermined and that all the houses on that side have their garages on the left. Two other houses on the same side of the street have their garages on the right side. We are being told that if we back out of going ahead with construction that we will lose 2,500 that we have put down. We feel as if the builder is just telling us no but yet has still accommodated other buyers. Is there something we can do to get them to change their minds or is there a way we can get our money back? |
Zystra Miller
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posted 15 May 2005 12:09 CET
Zystra Miller
posted 15 May 2005 11:49 CET
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My Grandfather owns a home in Fresno, Tx. The county is planning to take more than 40 ft. of his front lawn and pature to build a 4 lane highway from the street that is currently in front of his house. I was wondering, is there a law that states greivance to protect his land due to my grandparents buying this house together? She died in 2001 and I was wondering if the house is protected by any laws. He is desperate to save his land but feels he has no rights. Is this true? Does he have no rights to preserve what he and my grandmother worked so hard to build? |
Zystra Miller
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posted 15 May 2005 11:49 CET
My Grandfather owns a home in Fresno, Tx. The county is planning to take more than 40 ft. of his front lawn and pature to build a 4 lane highway from the street that is currently in front of his house. I was wondering, is there a law that states greivance to protect his land due to my grandparents buying this house together? She died in 2001 and I was wondering if the house is protected by any laws. He is desperate to save his land but feels he has no rights. Is this true? Does he have no rights to preserve what he and my grandmother worked so hard to build? |
Deborah Bryant
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posted 14 May 2005 13:01 CET
I bought a newly constructed Perry Home on November 24, 2002. I have had nothing put problems. The most recent is all of the carpeting installed by the builder is coming up in every room that carpet is installed, and floor boards in an upstairs gameroom are loose and creak when stepped upon. In addition, there are major cracks in the sheetrock in the entrance-way, and the a/c heating/cooling unit now needs $1000 in repairs, as the coil has failed and it leaks oil. The builder's representative, Matt Jones and the carpet installer whose name I do not know told me that in 1% of cases, they do not know what causes all the carpet to come up in every room where it is installed. This is very self-serving. Any carpet installer with half a brain could immediately see that the carpet was improperly installed. Perry Homes does not live up to its reputation as a quality homebuilder, and employs substandard subcontractors who performs inferior installation in your home, and/or and installs inferior products in your home. The builder's representative, Matt Jones, just told me its too bad, and there was nothing Perry Homes could do for me. Unbelievably, the carpet installer (Perry's subcontractor) who came with Matt Jones to inspect my carpet on 5/13/05 offered to take care of my carpet problem by charging me a fee for a job that was incorrectly done in the first place. Buyer be ware when purchasing a Perry Home, for Perry does not live up to its reputation. |
Renu Gharpure
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posted 13 May 2005 13:12 CET
Meritage Home is building a house for us in City Of Carrollton TX.
At first builder submitted the plan with the city even before we meeting with us.
While building the foundation they missed a piece of foundation. We found this error
on May 7, 2005 I called the builder and told him of the error. He acknowledged the error and also said that the way foundation has been laid out it will not fit either of the two elevations plan has. This is a major error. So foundation has to be fixed. We told him that foundation has to be re done as foundation has to be a monolithic structure and is not made up of patches as Meriatge Homes wants to in order to save money on the mistake they made. They have to re do the foundation. They want to fix their mistake by just pouring concrete. Meriatge Homes in order to save money is not re doing the foundation. In spite of us telling not to proceed with the frame till we resolve this they continue to work on the frame.
I wrote several e-mails to project manager, his boss, sales manager who sold the house,
John Landon (CEO of Meritage Homes) and David Rich of Meritage. I have not gotten any response back from them. I will be happy to send you the mail I sent them.
.. Thanks
.. Renu Gharpure |
Deondra
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posted 12 May 2005 17:03 CET
This is not a complaint, just wanting some information. We are moving to the Austin/San Antonio, TX area soon. Could anyone recommend a great builder? We are considering Plantation Homes, because we haven't heard anything negative about them yet. We WERE considering KB, Perry and Centex Homes, but decided against them due to reading comments on this website that has posted many negative comments and problems. Please e-mail me back with any comments or helpful information. |
DOROTHY SHANNON
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posted 12 May 2005 14:45 CET
PURCHASED A NEWLY BUILT HOME FROM ARMADILLO HOMES:ROBERT GUTIERREZ(CEO) AND THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND THIS HOUSE CONTINUES TO CRACK/DIAGNALLY AND THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE FOUNDATION BUT MR.ROBERTO REFUSE TO LISTEN AND I'M BLAMED FOR NOT PUTTING SOD IN THE BACK YARD AND THAT'S WHY MY HOUSE IS SHIFTING. IN 90 DAYS HE VOW TO COME BACK AND CHECK THE CRACKS--AFTER PUTTING GRASS DOWN AND REPAIRING THE CRACKS AND MY POINT IS THAT ONCE THE FOUNDATION IS BAD -WHAT GOOD WOULD IT DO TO PATCH UP THE CRACKS? I HAVE 20 YRS TO PAY FOR THIS HOUSE AND I'M NOT HAPPY WITH THIS HOUSE AT ALL. I HAD AN INSPECTOR''SCOTT INSPECTION' WHO FOUND LOTS OF DIAGNAL CRACKS AND I FAX A REPORT TO ARMADILLO HOMES TO NO AVAIL. I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN RIPPED INTO AND HAS BUILT ME A LEMON HOUSE AND I DO NOT WANT TO BE STUCK WITH SUCH A POOR BUILDING THE REMAINDER OF MY LIFE--PLEASE HELP. THANKS |
Lisa
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posted 9 May 2005 20:26 CET
HELP!!
Has anyone heard of a builder really buying back the home. How to they go about asking for what is fair based on buying this lemon 3 years ago, fighting with the builder for 1.5 years now and trying to find a comparable home in today's housing market. |
Jonathan Block
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posted 7 May 2005 23:09 CET
Herthum Construction Co. run by Marty Herthum is a horrible builder I found out. My family has been in our house for 2 1/2 years and we are still fighting with the builder to repair or replace items. We had the builder put on a $15K deck made of trx. The installation was horrible looking. The planks are warped, split and poorly cut. We found out that since the builder didn't follow the manufacturers guidelines on spacing and securing the material our deck no longer has the 10 year warranty Trex comes with. He had his mason pour a walkway of solid concrete, a slab over 40 feet long, in the middle of winter with temps below freezing. It heaved and cracked the first year. Even after getting a lawyer involved, he still has not replaced the walkway as is needed after conferring with several other masons.
Wiring was substandard, and we have had to spend large sums of money and time to repair his mistakes. Among the mistakes;
the heating and cooling system was never balanced so some rooms get high flow, and others get low flow.
two bedrooms were run on the same electrical circuit so running anything too heavily in the rooms at once overloads the circuit breaker.
there was not enough insulation in once area so pipes had frozen each winter.
He was asked to insulate and seal a second floor storage room, but it freezes in winter and "cooks" in summer. Air moves through there constantly.
The banister for the staircase was loose and had to be reshimmed and resecured.
Door jambs had to be reshimmed and secured so the frames would not move.
The front storm door was not put on square so it does not close properly.
The fireplace was not properly insulated so cold air blows in around the framing in winter.
The living room bump out was not insulated properly so the floor in that area of the living rooms is 10-15 degrees colder in winter.
Doors were no set square so they stick when trying to open or close them.
The back hallway off the kitchen was not build wide enough so that when the the door to the hall bathroom is open even slightly, you can't open the door to the garage all the way.
A hot water line was run to the main hall bathroom.
The electrician installing network wiring set it all for telephone usage instead of computer networking, and the builder refused to pay to have it redone. We had to hire another electrician to redo that work.
There was improper amounts of insulation around the foundation.
He failed to follow the plans fully and several rooms do not measure the full distances they are supposed to be.
The sliding glass doors off a second floor sitting room leak air, and the builder has not readjusted them as required.
There are other smaller issues as well that escape me at present.
Regardless, Herthum Construction is a poor contractor creating faults that the average consumer won't catch unless noticed or reviewed by another contractor. |
DOROTHY SHANNON
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posted 5 May 2005 13:49 CET
I PURCHASED AN ARMADILLO HOME IN THE MONTE VIEJO DIVISION AND IT'S BEEN EXACTLY ONE YEAR AND MY FOUNDATION IS SHIFTING BADLY--CHRIS THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY WILL NOT RESPOND,ALL THE OFFICE WORKERS EITHER IGNORE MY CALLS INCLUDING FAX,CERTIFIED LETTERS--I GET NO RESPONSE-AND NOW THE YEAR IS UP AND THEY ALL SEEMS SATISFIED. MR. ROBERTO GUTIERREZ WAS CALLED 3 TIMES THIS WEEK AND I LEFT MESSAGES FOR HIM TO COME AND SEE THE FABULOUS HOME THAT HE GOES ALL OVER THE WORLD TO BRAG ABOUT. BUT TO NO AVAIL. HE HAS EXACTLY TWO WEEKS TO TRY TO TELL ME A LIE--I WANT OUT OF THIS HOUSE THAT'S GETTING WORSE-EVEN AFTER GOING TO THE OFFICE AND GIVING A COPY OF THE INSPECTION THAT WAS DONE ==STILL NO RESPONSE.PLEASE HELP. |
Suzanne Gamboa
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posted 29 April 2005 13:15 CET
My builder was Pulte. I received notice by my neighbor that she was sueing Pulte because my garage was on her property. This was in 2001. Now my other neighbor is pulling up my sprinkler system because she says it is on her property. I called the surveryor and he stated he did not want to get involved due the lawsuit going on with my other neighbor. Pulte is supposedly settling with my neighbor concerning the garage on her property next week(May 2005) . I live in Texas and don't know what to do. I am a single mother with two children.
My complaint is the sale of my home may be illegal and I will not be able to sell the home. |
Will and Chrissy Tharp
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posted 25 April 2005 15:17 CET
Our new US Home has many problems caused by construction defects. Upon moving in, we had leaking windows and sliding doors. The sliding door took 2 years to be repaired the windows were never repaired.
After developing a sickness shortly after moving into the Home which took 2 years to diagnose as Mold related, we discovered that the Home had high levels of various types of mold, one of which my Dr. diagnosed as a delayed immune system reaction. US Home did try to reduce the mold levels however, denied my Dr.s orders to have the mold levels below 10 CFU for recovery from the illness. After moving back into the house, then getting sick again, we had to completely move out of the home. It has been since 11/04 that we have not been able to live in our sell our home. My health has now recovered, but our finances are now in turmoil.
We even tried to put the home back on the market. US Home had informed us of a problem with the roof but would not disclose what exactly was wrong with it for our real-estate agent's request for disclosure documents. We contacted Patrick Hanley, Brian Soresby, Sam Keareany and Chris Rudeger, none of them would return our call. There are several other homeowners in our neighborhood that have had the same problems with US Home.
US Home, had told us that we would need to rely on the mediation / arbitration clause in our contract in order to regain our losses and expenses incurred due to all the problems we had encountered. We were told that this was a fast process, it has taken 5 months to get a mediation date and every possible reason to extend the date has been made by US Home attorneys. There are many other issues with this complaint; this is just a brief outline and cry for help that this will be resolved, we have done everything US home has asked and feel as tough we have been given the run around for over a year now. |
Laura Macias
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posted 22 April 2005 17:48 CET
Hello: I bought a house in El Paso, Tx to Quality Craft Houses. In the contract, they supose to pay for landscape $540.00, and they said me that in the course of the first month after closure, I had to pay for the landscaping by myself and they would send me a check once the landscape was made.
When a tried to communicate with tehm, alwasy the same answer: Give your Ph number and I will call you back. After more than 4 months, and several calls, today a went to their ofiice (second time I go) and finally they tell me that I will not receive anything, and the most important of all, they say me "do what ever you want to do, and complaint where you want, but you won´t have any money".
You can understand my impotence I felt. So I´m searching for help, not because the money, but for the fraud I am been victim of.
I hope you can gime an advice and help me to resolve this fraud.
Thank you
Laura Macias, MD |
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