R T BAILEY CONSTRUCTION

I have learned a hard lesson being this was my first home purchase. Within a couple of months the side of the front porch split in half, walls and flooring inside the house began to split. After the first 6 months everywhere there was a seem, such as where floors meet baseboards and where walls meet trim and molding- it was all coming apart. I also had light bulbs blowing every few weeks, and. O lighting was ever installed on the exterior of my house where the stairs lead off of the deck. The garage door has one side that suddenly popped apart and will not completely close. The builder received a list of all issues way before the 1 year warranty expired and said they would get right on it. No one ever called, came by, and my phone calls stopped being answered or returned. After a year of trying to chase him down, I learned he went into business and was now under Winchester Homes. I believe he has flip flopped several times as I know other neighbors whose home he built who had to threaten to sue for any repairs to be made. When I finally found a way to contact him, the secretary sent out someone to "fix" things after I threatened to have an attorney contact them. I was given a couple of rolls of blue painter tape to stick over all that was wrong. I took time off work to be here and point out things. Long story short, some new sheet-rock was spackled in the major cracks in walls, and they caulked where the floor was apart from the baseboards and slapped a small extra piece of trim over it to make it aesthetic. I was told they would be back to paint once the drywall was completely dry....needless to say I have not heard from, seen, nor had 1 single call answered or returned. I still have white patches and blue tape on all of my walls, and the same splits re-opened within 2 weeks. I have spent thousands on drainage solutions for my yard to keep water away from my foundation, I purchased gutters (which Todd Bailey said I didn't need because my roof had so much pitch), and I had to pay a structural engineers to find that my home does not have enough foundation to ethically support my house- yet it met Columbia County's code. It was also discovered that the framework on my house was once of the most horrible, corner cutting jobs they have seen. Unfortunately, the building codes are only designed so that a house doesn't crumble or burn down. I do not have the time, energy, or deep pockets to keep chasing a business owner down for a job that should have been done right in the first place. Needless to say, I would strongly discourage anyone using this builder to build even a bird cage. My experience has been a complete nightmare, and according to many neighbors I am not alone.

The house was built with our changes. No major problems with the sales or construction personnel. Kitchen island was installed but not squared up. We have a punch list of a couple minor paint touch-ups and the fence needs to be painted. The builder has not been responsive to us or to the architectural board in our neighborhood. The sales personnel have been contacted and they have responded within their limits, however nothing has yet been completed.

With this being the first house we have had built, I do not have a baseline to use as a comparison. That being said, the overall experience is satisfactory; we have a very nice home and the contractor worked with us to satisfy issues that came up during construction. However, the lack of attention to details during construction and poor followup after the sale have been frustrating; had I not been able to visit the house frequently, many of the items that would not have been caught early on would have resulted in costly redos and possibley delayed completing construction on time.
The builder appears to have several houses under construction at any given time and has supervisors assigned to specific territories to handle the day to day operations. The builder provides standard floor plans with a list of upgrades (e.g., hardwood flooring, granite counter tops, higher quality primer/paint, nicer trim etc.) from which to make selections if desired. Allowances are given for items such as appliances, lighting, door hardware, mirrors, and landscaping. As expected, the customer is responsible for overages. The customer is given a list of providers to use and a penalty may be imposed if a purchase is made from a provider not on the list. For example, Lowes is not a provider so you would not be expected to purchase appliances from Lowes.
Shortly after signing the contract, we met will providers listed by the contractor; made our selections; and shared the selections along with the providers with the contractor. The following bullet points outline some of the points of frustation during and after construction:
* Construction: I have no issues with the skill of the workmanship. My issue is the lack of attention to details. We had agreed to a vaulted ceiling in the master bedroom. The carpenters had not framed the ceiling as agreed to. This was discovered prior to installing sheet rock. We had also specified no fireplace yet those instally the gas lines were ready to run the piping to where the fireplace would have gone had I not been there to instruct them otherwise.
* Lighting: While most of the providers had a good selection, the provider for lighting is a small organization with limited selection. Their showroom is small, and they do not have a Web site to make selections easy; they are still 'old school' using books to filter through and marking items of interest with post it notes or dog ears.
* Appliances: The allowance initially for the appliances was $2500. After making the purchase, a representative of the contractor stated that was a typo; the correct amount was $1540. While the contractor was willing to pay for the difference, in an effort to establish good will, I proposed splitting it 50/50 and move on. When the appliances were finally delivered, every appliance was wrong; they had delivered the appliances for the standard package. This was corrected within a week.
* Paint: Upgraded primer and paint were selected. I noticed shortly after the painters arrived a different paint was being used. I took pictures of the materials being used and contacted the supervisor. For whatever reason, the painters continued with the same product. I then contacted the contractor who resolved the issue but not until after the outside of the house was completely painted and the inside was mostly finished. The resolution was to repaint the house inside and out. I expressed concern over not being able to tell where what type of primer/paint was used for the inside, and we agreed that I would be given a credit for half the cost of the upgrade.
* Stacked stone: The stone delivered was the wrong design. Fortunately I made the discovery prior to the installation; the correct stone was delivered and installed about 10 days later.
* Plumbing: An upgraded shower head for the master shower and kitchen faucet were selected; however, standard fixtures were installed. The shower head was easily discovered since we upgraded to a wand type. The kitchen faucet wasn't so easily discovered. I noticed the faucet didn't seem to be of the quality I expected from an upgrade. I hadn't been given an itemized list fromt he vendor for what had been selected, but I did take pictures of what was delivered. I got the model number from the picture and contacted the vendor; sure enough, the standard faucet had been installed. Both items were corrected in a timely manner.
* After closing: Prior to closing a walk through was done and punch list created. The expectation was that all items on the list would be addressed prior to closing. While most were, some were not. I agreed to not delay closing so long as the items would be addressed shortly after closing. While most have been addressed, monies should have been placed in an escrow to provide more incentive to wrap up these open ends. I have conatacted the supervisor several times in an attempt to schedule appointments with little success. I have tried to make it easy by suggesting catching these items when workers are in the neighborhood building other houses; one house has been built and another almost finished and still some items remain open.
In summary, the conctactor builds an excellent house with quality material and workmanship. However, poor attention is given to details, and if not discovered by the client, may never be discovered. While the contractor is very accommodating when the discovery is made, he cannot address what he is not aware of.
* Do get an itemized list of allowances.* Do get itemized lists with model numbers from providers for all items selected.* Do make frequent visits to the house and inspect work and material.* Don't expect the supervisor to catch installation of standard items where upgrades have been made.* Don't close until all items on the walk-through are completed or insist on having monies set aside until they are completed.