Sunday, May 6, 2012

Disgruntled Homebuilder!


PM called on Friday and we had 30 minute conversation.  It was a relief to finally hear from him as we've had a major communication breakdown over the past several weeks.  He didn't give much of an update because there were many other issues that needed to be discussed.  I mentioned the letter we received from RH about our May 14th Pre-Settlement Demonstration.  He told us to plan for the last week of May, as he never planned to have the house done by the 14th since he knew we aren't closing until June 1st.  No problem. 

One thing I noticed that has been causing me a great deal of stress is the fact that we don't have lights flanking our front door.  The Oakmont model we toured has them and our electrical blueprints indicate that we should have them.  I never mentioned it earlier because I assumed they would be added at some point and didn't feel I should point out every single thing I thought was wrong and risk making PM feel micromanaged.  Well, I started looking at the other homes on our street with front porches that were ahead of us in the construction process and realized that they didn't have these lights either.  I started putting two and two together and realized there is probably no plan to add them.  I asked PM about it.  He said RH has done away with them because of the recessed light in the porch.  I am very upset about this.  I think the front looks completely unfinished without them.  Most of the other homes on the street have them.  And we were under the assumption that we would too.  In addition, we saw folks moving into their new home (an Oakmont) in a nearby RH community this weekend and they had the lights!!  I was furious (and took pictures)!!  Why are they cutting corners in our community?  We spent a lot of money on the facade of our home and if we would have at least been notified that RH has eliminated this from the plans we would have paid to add them as a NSO.  PM said he would see what he could do but couldn't make any promises.  To be continued. . . .  

We discussed a few other  issues we have with the house (still smelling gas!) and scheduled to meet there on Wednesday for a walk thru.  I am hoping that much of my anxiety is relieved after that visit. 

I'll update on how it goes, but until then, here are a few pics of our island!
I love it!


View from family room

View from morning room

View from pantry

WTH?  Didn't the installer noticed that the trim was too long?
Or that the counter isn't resting on the corbel?
Something else to add to the punch list!


15 comments:

  1. grrr! I feel you as you know I had my severely annoyed time a few weeks back, when you really start getting most things in place you can see more and more shoddy work and it definitely raises your blood pressure. We just saw that some of our brick is totally out of alignment with pieces below it, pics to follow this week after we hear from the PM. We were nearly scolded that we should expect to see some "off" things mid-build and that they will all be taken care of by walkthrough. It really isnt that much work to get your lights installed, give me a break, fingers crossed.

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    1. Some of the smallest things have really msde my blood boil. Does no one take pride in their work anymore? Wouldn't they rather do it right the first time so they can move on and not make a return trip? Oh well, to be expected I suppose. Sure glad I have somewhere to vent!! :)

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    2. JBY, you imply that the guy installing will be the guy coming back to fix. I have discovered this is not always the case.

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  2. It would be a fair question to ask "when" they decided to do away with the porch lights and when to go with the recessed lights. If it was before then they should have pointed it out and you may still have cause have it changed since the blueprints had not been updated.

    If it was during your home build that they decided to make this change, that really falls more in your favor because they shouldn't be making those changes without letting you know first and they should honor what was agreed to upon signing.

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    1. We signed in September and had to sign off on the electrical blueprint at that time as well. We should have been notified of this change if it was between then and the time we broke ground. Hopefully we'll hear good news from PM this week.

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  3. Ugh...we had a similar situation with our garage lights. The model and all of the materials they gave me had them included, but we were later told garage lights were an upgrade to the tune of $550! Hopefully you will get what you agreed too.

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  4. Funny, we actually wanted the recessed lights instead of the porch light by the door because it really lights up the area nicely. Unfortunately, our porch isn't wide enough for a recessed light. I would suggest driving around at night to look at the difference. If it isn't what you want, then I would go back to them and say that the lighting plan is not what you signed off on and if they require us to put in change orders, then they should have given you a change order.

    Good luck.

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    1. Our plans call for both the recessed light and lights flanking the front door. I don't see how it would've too difficult for the electrician to add them, but we'll see I guess.

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  5. This is going to piss a few off, but if you plan to get on your hands and knees and inspect every square inch...you are going to be very disappointed. In the first three months, I have noticed many things here and there. Some I had fixed, some I let go. I don't mean to say that anyone should be happy with crappy work, but before your blood boils make sure it's something that will really be an issue. For instance, I have a couple case moldings on interior doors that are a tad short. While i wish they were done right the first time, I have no ambition to have them come back in, cut the caulk, and install a new piece. My worry here is the repair could likely leave me with something that will bug me more then a piece of trim molding .25" short.
    Another example and similar to this post, while sitting in the morning room, I discovered a gap between the back of the counter and the lower cabinet. Turns out they shimmed the counter a bit because (i'm guessing) the cabinet wasn't installed perfectly level. I have no plans to complain. I figure the only people that will ever notice is munchkins, children, and dogs. I'm good with that. IF it ever truly bothers me, I can run a bead of caulk.
    Again, not wanting to piss anyone off; rather, playing a bit of a "devils advocate" here.

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  6. JBY....I have to agree with you. Our sales rep had my wife and I sign off on our electrical blueprint same as you and everyone else. The prints I signed show exterior lights on the front porch and on both sides of the garage. When they start building I intend to hold them to that since thats what I signed for. I believe your building in Pittsburgh as I and I know there are a couple of Oakmonts in out development in fact there is one thats almost finished. I will drive thru the development tomorrow and take a look and get back to you.

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  7. Hi Jesse, thanks for checking for me. I appreciate it!

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  8. JBY....I drove through the development where we are building in the north hills and there are two Oakmont type homes there...one that is about completed and one that looks like it was just completed and both have lights on both sides of the garage and the front porch however neither has a awning or roof over the front porch....hope this helps

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    1. Thanks for checking! It is only an issue if you have a front porch. I plan on making some rounds around a few more communities this weekend to help my case.

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  9. I have seen a lot of shoddy work in my area too, especially when it comes to the kitchen cabinets. You would think it would be pretty easy to install kitchen cabinets and counters correctly when you do it every single day. We are building an Avalon in Maryland (about 15 minutes from our current home). I plan on staying on top of them and letting them know in advance that I expect perfection. I know it doesn't mean that I will get it, but I'll try!

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  10. Good luck! Stay on them! That I'd my number one piece of advice!

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