Turn key Ready to Move (RTM) 1468 sq. ft. Bungalow on full basement
Contracted early September 2009 for completion/delivery Jan/Feb 2010. They did basement in December 2009...did not even start RTM until Feb. 2010! Ongoing problems getting costs & documentation for extras. RTM not delivered/installed on foundation until end of JUNE 2010. Occupancy not until end of September 2010 and that was with temporary counters, sinks and taps throughout. Had to hold a substantial holdback in order to ensure contracted work actually completed. Permanent counters, sinks & taps not installed until Christmas week 2010. Contracted New Home Warranty NOT provided...it turns out that sometime in February 2010 they were no longer a member of the warranty provider while telling us in March that they were. Problems still remain...they refuse to give date/time to correct. While Rob is a good carpenter, work & product quality inconsistent and management of subs poor; work of some subs was mediocre at best (e.g., LOTS of nail pops, paint, electrical, plumbing, & window installation problems in basement, failure to provide warranty information, installing "old" products they happened to have available). Our original expectations were based on what we saw of partially constructed homes; design/look and "how" they built we liked; could not find any reviews of this contractor. We never, ever expected to have these problems; nor the stress and added costs due to late delivery/occupancy (e.g., having to find temporary accommodation, board horses, extra travel costs, furniture storage costs). Cost above does NOT include services (water/well, septic, power, gas) and some items we ended up purchasing ourselves (e.g., better hot water tank, better light fixtures, appliances) but does include extras such as enlarged deck & higher end finishing, extra wood airtight F/P. We purchased appliances for house in Sept 2009 so builder wanted to have specs (they wanted info/decisions right away & we tried to accommodate)...kept having to delay delivery...as it turned out it was 13 MONTHS after initial purchase before we even used them.
On the positive side, the builder did fix the access road damaged because of their late delivery of the house and they did manage to deliver/install the RTM on the foundation without incident which was a challenge; they appear to have done a great job building the deck; and they did fix about 85-90% of the problems we identified....at least while we still held a substantial holdback. And they did do some nice/appreciated extras such as take & provide pictures of the "move".
- Approximate cost of services:
- $390,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Actually DO what they say they are going to do; better manage their time and resources AND their paperwork; plan their day (more effective time and resource management would reduce overhead costs and waste less time); improve QA/QC; deliver CONSISTENT QUALITY based on the price being paid; READ & clearly answer emails; provide firm dates/times for completion of tasks; do WRITTEN project planning & scheduling. If they want to build SPEC houses, stick to that---do NOT attempt to do CUSTOM building...
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Make sure all dates are written in stone. Make sure you have CONTRACTOR penalties written into the contract for failure to deliver (have YOUR lawyer review the contract before signing as many contracts are written solely to protect the contractor, NOT you). Make sure you have written in the contract substantial holdback amounts and make sure you hold back enough money to ensure they are motivated to do what they say they will. Confirm in writing at the start of the project that your Home Warranty (or any similar contractual commitment) is in fact registered/paid for and have a recourse acceptable to you if it is not. DEMAND product quality cost allowances up front for flooring, hardware, lighting, etc. so not only will your expectations be realistic but also you will be able to better judge what they are or will be actually delivering for the dollars about to be committed....and CHECK these allowances against the actual cost of what you want in your house before committing to the project. If they won't give you this information (or aren't organized enough to provide it) walk away. Remember, no matter what you are paying for the "service", if their incompetence starts to impact their bottom line, YOU become unimportant to them. DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT