MTS Builders Inc

MTS Builders is essentailly one person, Mike Bugnacki, who is a general contractor. His function is to hire various subcontractors who do the work. His main job is to coordinate and supervise the subcontractors during each phase of construction. He did not perform this job and the results reflect his lack of dedication and committment. Dead trees on the lot were not totally removed. I had to hire a tree surgeon to complete the job that Mike didn't finish. I had searched a long while for a flat bulding lot, and I found one. Unfortunately,  I ended up with a house that sits on a mound, with a moat around half of it. I have since learned that this is likely because the subcontractor who dug the foundation was trying to save on cost by digging a shallow basement and building up the ground level around the basement in order to achieve proper depth. My cellar walls and floor are riddled with cracks. My bulkhead leaked due to faulty installation. My asphalt driveway sat 2 to 4 inches above the surrounding yard, resulting in cracks around the edges of the driveway.  Interior walls and ceilings were not taped, spackled and prepared properly prior to painting. Ceiling light fixtures designed to sit flush against the ceiling were hanging up to half an inch off the ceilings. Appliances, including my refrigerator, oven, and microwave were delivered prematurely during construction and damaged during construction. Mike did replace my refrigerator door as a result, but the freezer door and other appliances were not replaced. Tile work done in my bathroom was cracked in places, with uneven placement of the tiles. The grout used was not uniform in color, seemingly because different batches of grout were used. My whirlpol tub did not fit into the space allowed for it. I had told Mike early on when the house was being framed that the tub would not fit. The problem could have been corrected at that point, but he ignored me. The eventual result was that the floor joists had to be cut to allow proper depth for the tub. i did not want my floor joists weakened in this way. The contract with MTS had allowances included for fixtures, appliances, and plumbing. I was assured that they were sufficient to allow for items appropriate for the house. I was told that the allowances were sufficient because MTS had agreements with certain dealers who would give me special discounts. They were unable to meet the allowance limits in the contract, and I had to pay substantial additional monies that I had not budgeted for.  One of my toilets was cracked during installation. My fiberglass tub and shower has several large spider cracks that evidently occurred during installation. Neither the toilet or shower have been fixed to date. My expensive Shaws kitchen farm sink was deeply scratched during installation. Mike did nothing to fix this. Window grids to be inserted into my Anderson windows were the wrong color, and some were missing. Mike did nothing. He left the grids in boxes in my basement; now i know why.  My fiberglass front door was scratched because the door knob was improperly installed, hanging loose and scraping the finish from the door. My floors were finished improperly, using an oil base sealer that was not allowed to dry prior to the application of a water base finish. The result was a finish that was soft and non-durable. I had to hire another company to resand the floors and apply a proper sealer and finish. Mike did  nothing. The vinyl siding on the house was a discontinued product. i did not know this until the subcontractor installing the siding told me. When i had contracted with MTS, I had asked for an extra two boxes of siding for future replacement if damage were to occur. I got only half a box ( seven pieces of siding). I was repeatedly promised that i would receive an additional box. i never got one. Mike finally admitted that the product was discontinued and unavailable. This became an immediate problem because the subcontractor that installed my stamped concrete sidewalk and back patio accidentally sprayed sealer on my siding. He should have covered the siding prior to spraying. Mike should have been superising this. Anyway, the sealer cannot be removed from the siding, and the seven pieces of siding that I had were insufficient in number to replace all the damaged siding. Mike did nothing. Furthermore, the sealer used on the stamped concrete was defective and quickly peeled. The subcontractor started to repair it and then walked away. Mike did nothing. I  never got bathroom mirrors, a shower door, a rear door roof, or a front porch railing that I paid for. I was charged for a back patio that is almost twice the size of what I got. The list of problems goes on and on, but hopefully I have provided enough to demonstrate the problems that arise when the contractor is not on site constantly to supervise construction. As soon as Mike got a certificate of occupancy for the house, he demanded final payment. When i refused to pay, he took me to arbitration. i had to get an attorney and defend myself. The outcome was satisfactory to neither of us, i think. i am now acting as my own contractor, hiring subcontractors to fix and complete the work that Mike left me with. I hope to move into the house by early 2012, nearly 3 and a half years after i signed my contract with MTS. Estimated costs involved in completing the house are about $60,000 over and above what I paid MTS..