Dream house sours
...after pouring $400,000 into the construction of the home in South Tampa, Edward J. Gollobith ended up with shoddy workmanship and an eyesore that neighbors and the city want rectified or torn down. If it's not enough that Gollobith might have to demolish the half-million dollar home he has never lived in, the city plans to fine him $100 a day if he does not either apply for permits to complete the home or bulldoze it by Dec. 27. He has put the property up for sale but is not optimistic he'll get a buyer...Building officials across Florida say consumers can run into problems no matter how careful they are because several areas of the local and state construction system are broken.
Dream house sours
By IVAN PENN
Published November 20, 2006
TAMPA - On paper, it was a bachelor's dream house: a one-bedroom, two-story custom home with a swimming pool that flowed from the living room to a palatial courtyard.
French and sliding glass doors gave entree to balconies that overlooked the pool. Bamboo flooring in the master suite. Custom cabinets in the kitchen.
But after pouring $400,000 into the construction of the home in South Tampa, Edward J. Gollobith ended up with shoddy workmanship and an eyesore that neighbors and the city want rectified or torn down.
If it's not enough that Gollobith might have to demolish the half-million dollar home he has never lived in, the city plans to fine him $100 a day if he does not either apply for permits to complete the home or bulldoze it by Dec. 27. He has put the property up for sale but is not optimistic he'll get a buyer.
"Since the city and the state failed me, what should I do?" Gollobith said. "I'm the victim, not the perpetrator."
Five years in the making, Gollobith's tale is a portrait of how wrong things can go when building a home.
The builder, Michael Lane, a general contractor and window installer, blames the problems on constant design changes by Gollobith and architect Stephanie Ferrell. He said Gollobith and Ferrell made it difficult to get work done, and they could not handle the rising costs.
"It was just build it as you go," Lane said. "I should have never, ever taken the job."
Workmanship issues
Jim Greenhalgh, Tampa's chief building inspector, said he thinks that the changes overwhelmed Lane. Greenhalgh said he and his staff found serious workmanship problems with the house and cited Lane for failing to seek approval of the changes in the plans.
Greenhalgh brought charges against Lane and sought a year suspension of his contractor's license. The Hillsborough Building Board of Adjustments, Appeals and Examiners suspended Lane's license for three months and ordered seven hours of continuing education.
"The contractor needed to supervise more," Greenhalgh said. "The folks he was hiring really weren't skilled."
Greenhalgh said a home in the New Tampa area is embroiled in a similar controversy, and he hates to see potential for nice homes lost.
Construction regulators urge property owners to vet contractors before hiring them, steps Gollobith said he took.
He consulted a lawyer about how to approach construction of a home, and he had the lawyer review Lane's contract.
Moreover, Ferrell, the architect and a former girlfriend of Gollobith's, recommended Lane, who had no public complaints against his contracting license with state Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
So what does a buyer do after taking the recommended steps before construction, and still everything goes wrong?
Building officials across Florida say consumers can run into problems no matter how careful they are because several areas of the local and state construction system are broken.
There is no statewide database with all contractor information. If Gollobith wanted to check the backgrounds of Lane's subcontractors, whom inspectors called "unskilled," he would have had to cull information from the files of hundreds of municipalities, dozens of counties and the state. Then he would have to navigate the various licensing and complaint systems.
Consumers "totally have to remain vigilant ... and hope for the best," said William Brod, president of the Construction Licensing Officials Association of Florida.
Gollobith said he sought help from most every government agency he could think of, including the State Attorney's Office, Tampa police, city and county building departments and the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
At every turn, government agencies said that it was a "civil matter," as homeowners often are told. But in some cases it appears the wheels of justice have not made it through a complete cycle.
Contractor defended
Hillsborough building services suspended Lane's license, and the state business and professional licensing agency is considering action. But Lane is not without his defenders.
He built an elaborate home on Bayshore Boulevard six years ago for former developers Sam and Alyce Gross. She said the work Lane did was "excellent."
"Ours was a very complex design," Alyce Gross said. "Michael Lane is as honest as the day is long. ... He really understands construction."
Before he tackled the Grosses' home, Lane said he was the superintendent on 21 other new home constructions and the general contractor on countless home remodeling projects.
The original design of Gollobith's house, in the 4300 block of S MacDill Avenue, would have cost $770,000 to build, Lane said. When Gollobith saw the price tag, he began hacking away at the design.
"He wanted cheaper, cheaper, cheaper," Lane said.
Standing before the Tampa Building Code Enforcement Board, Gollobith blamed the contractor for poor construction and city inspectors for failing to identify it and have it fixed.
"The city's caused me this problem and it's coming after me," Gollobith said to the board.
Board members sympathized with Gollobith but said the problem has to be resolved, and he is ultimately liable. Fines of $100 a day would begin in 60 days.
"We have to enforce the code," board member Sean Donnelly told him. "That structure violates the city code and is unsafe. You can pursue the thief, as you called him, in civil court.
"I'm sorry," Donnelly said. "This is a pretty extreme case."
Ivan Penn covers consumer issues and can be reached at
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or 727 892-2332.
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/11/20/Hillsborough/Dream_house_sours.shtml |