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My wife and I had sold our house back in August and decided to have a new home built. We have been living in a crappy extended stay hotel since sept 29th. Our walk through was Saturday and we did have quite a few think marked that we wanted fixed. There was about a foot long scratch in the wood floor, a golf ball size dent in the third stall garage door, a broken cabinet door, sunken spots in the yard, a broken ceiling fan, a gap in the floor by the island and multiple scratches in the cabinets and walls. We tried contacting the builder the day we were to close and couldn't get ahold of him, finally we got a call from our realtor and said the builder was going to back out and didn't want to sell us the house. The builder finally sent me an email and said the we were expecting the quality of a half million dollar home and that's not what he builds. If this is how he's going to act I don't want the house but what a huge waste of time. Also the frame around the garage door was cracked.

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If all those issues are visible, there has got to be more. It sounds like the house may not even be up to code.

It's not that you were expecting the quality of a half million dollar home, you were expecting quality. When I built houses, NONE of that would have been acceptable.

 

You're better off going elsewhere, especially with the housing market as depressed as it is.

 

Report him to the Chamber of Commerce, etc.

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We had a great meeting with another home builder yesterday and looks like we are going to go with him. I just don't want this guy to start saying that we are hard to work with, I am very reasonable and know things are not going to be perfect but this house was pretty screwed up. We were able to get our $1000 back we spent on blinds but are still out the closing costs from the bank. Our realtor is trying to get that back

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Be leary of certain builders. And he shouldnt be backing out and claiming that your too picky and have high expectations. Down here, after the closing when people have issues after they move in that they want resolved, its called a pick list. A good contractor will do this himself or have the subs come back and fix or replace whatever needs to be. I install garage doors for a living and I see some pretty shitty work on lots of new construction sites. Some builders flat out fuck people over, take the money and run. But with that said, the issues with the garage door dented sections can be fixed by whoever installed them by getting replacement sections as they should be under some sort of warranty, but not the framing part, as that falls on the builder.

 

I dont know about up there, but several people Ive done doors for have fired their contractors half way through the construction process, and hired someone of better character to finish the house. I take it this house is almost done now since its ready for closing, and now he's backing out? Wasnt it your money to begin with that paid for him to get this house built?

 

NM that last question, as I just read post 4.

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If you get your down payment back, then thank GOD count your blessings. It could have been much worse, the issues you described should be no problem to fix. We had a house built 7 years ago and fought with the builder for two years to get most of the issues fixed. They made it as difficult as possible to fix each and every issue. AFTER you get your deposit back, take him to court I would wait for court action and try to be "nice" to get your money back from him first. If he realizes you are taking him to court he may hold on to it all and wait for the court to decide. Our builders wife was a lawyer so he didnt mind going to court.

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We had a great meeting with another home builder yesterday and looks like we are going to go with him. I just don't want this guy to start saying that we are hard to work with, I am very reasonable and know things are not going to be perfect but this house was pretty screwed up. We were able to get our $1000 back we spent on blinds but are still out the closing costs from the bank. Our realtor is trying to get that back

 

Home builders normally have a reputation with who ever they list through. The list of fixes is a pretty standard punch list on most residential jobs. Each of the aspects mentioned are normally the responsibility of the subcontractor (broken cabinet door, flooring ect.). And would be fixed with a phone call, unless he burned them they would likely come back to fix their problem to get future work.

 

If your worried one builder will call another... Don't worry they are not friends.

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I talked to a friend last night and his rental townhouse is opening up on the first so we are moving in there and waiting to start the process again. What really sucks is we were supposed to have our home inspection for our adoption next week so that is being rescheduled until our other house is built.

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I had a co-worker back out on a house he had built. It worked out for him.

He had a contract for a $100,000 home.

The frontyard was a pond that drained into the celler via a casment window.

The backyard was a wasteland of building supplies and what the bulldozer pushed over.

The living area wasn't even 800 sq. feet.

The full one car garage wasn't even big enough to open both doors on his car at the same time.

The house looked really nice, but was acessed at a value of only $78,000

He wasn't gonna pay, nor would I, $100,000 for a $78,000 home.

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Imagine what you cant see, but will have to fix in a few years.

 

We paid a little over $100k for a 5 year old 1850' here and have not had a single problem. Asking for your new custom house to not be broken isnt and unreasonable expectation.

 

I just don't want this guy to start saying that we are hard to work with, I am very reasonable and know things are not going to be perfect but this house was pretty screwed up.

 

Yeah, I hear business is so good that home builders are turning people down left and right for the most minor things. :rolleyes:

 

IMO if you're building a house, it better be perfect. Plenty of imperfect homes out there for amazing deals in this market, if you're resigned to an imperfect home. Hell, with eough looking you can probably find your perfect home for an amazing price, eventually.

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you did not want that house. for 1 problem you see I bet there were 10 you would find later. move on and tell everyone about the builders ethics. Word of mouth is what feed builders or starve them.your situation with the adoption does disappoint, hope it all works well in the long run.

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At the company I used to work for, two different managers had homes built. (Different areas, different builders.) BOTH of them had to check the progress daily, and babysit the builders. The errors they found the whole way through were amazing. Really makes me wonder if any builders give a damn anymore...

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Yep....definitely lawyer up. The builder needs to pay you for ALL you losses and expenses, including additional hotel time and mental distress. I'm serious. We used to have a "general" (contractors license and NONE of the stuff you SAW would happen. Go after his license. Go after his bond. Just go after him. What he has done to you is just pure bullshiet. Contractors must go by a higher "CODE". Ha ha ha. HB of CJ (dinner postponed sosss I don't have to cook just yet) :) :) :)

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Sunken spots in the yard are probably where construction debris was buried. Consider yourself fortunate to get out of that deal. Imagine how crappy it would have been to have huge sinkholes form and damage the foundation or even worse, literally swallow up the house!

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The builder finally sent me an email and said the we were expecting the quality of a half million dollar home and that's not what he builds. If this is how he's going to act I don't want the house but what a huge waste of time. Also the frame around the garage door was cracked.

 

Ask that builder if he would pay $55,000 for a new BMW with scratched paint and dented doors. You paid for a new house it should look like a new house.

I think the others have the right idea, in asking about the potential problems you can't see if his finish work is that half ass. The sins he could have buried in your walls/foundation, and pluming.. run run like a scared little rabbit.

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Run fast. Like someone else said there is much more wrong with this house that you can't even see. Usually a crappy builder will at least try to hide the obvious stuff but this one doesn't even seem to care about that. That's a major red flag.

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Boy I guess times have changed. My cousin and I built Spec. homes and usually had a contract before we finished fraiming. Dealing

with prospective buyers was tough but never did they move in un-happy. One of my jobs was the punch list. I would walk around and

list everything that needed to be fixed and get it done. Then walk through with the buyer and fix or correct what they wanted. For 13 years

we never sat home a day. I say congrats on backing out. Hope it all works out for you..

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