Eugene Mattingly Fine Home Design

From our initial meeting with Mr. Mattingly through our final building permit being issued, Mr. Mattingly was wonderful to work with. We came to Gene with a very long "wish list" for our new home, but a very fuzzy picture of what this new house would look like. Through unlimited meetings, daily e-mail correspondence (including weekends), and a multitude of revisions (all included in Gene's flat rate), we emerged with an absolutely beautiful house plan that received a final building permit 7 business days after we submitted our application. Gene brought an extensive and diverse background in home design and other related fields "to the table". Gene is very passionate about his work. Gene was always very enthusiastic and patient throughout the design process, and he completed his work in a very timely manner. Gene is very knowledgeable about "green" building and design practices, and worked with us throughout the design process to help us create a home that is very energy efficient! In selecting Gene, we had met with several architect firms. The architects we met with charged over 10 times the amount that Gene charged and had a very limited number of meetings and revisions included in their fee structure. The amount that we saved with Gene allowed us to build a much larger house with all of the green features and interior and exterior finishings that were on our extensive "wish list". Unlike the architects that we met with, Gene was always focussed on building the house of "our dreams" instead of his!

We began having difficulty with Mr. Mattingly when he was designing our home and the complex roof system. The floorplan and elevation required a rafter system and not a truss system. We eventually had to abort the entire floorplan and start over because Mr. Mattingly could not, as he explained, "get his head around" how to make it work. Disappointed, but not alarmed, we started over with a different floorplan. Unfortunately, the second time around Mr. Mattingly began to make elementary mistakes...forgetting to include stairs or bathrooms, etc. Several months went by with numerous emails in an effort to remedy the mistakes and get the project moving. Communication was very difficult with Mr. Mattingly, so we often requested his wife join the meetings so nothing was lost in translation. Unfortunately, the more egregious the mistakes, the less Mr. Mattingly would meet with us. The last time we met with Mr. Mattingly he chose not to attend the meeting and sent his wife instead. We believe Mr. Mattingly was incapable of designing a difficult project and was trying to avoid the embarrassment. Due to the breach of contract, we requested our money back, as we have no blueprints to build our home or carriage house. Regrettably, he refuses to comply, so we are forced to pursue legal means. Since that evening in March, we have discovered that Mr. Mattingly is not an architect nor a certified building designer as indicated in his advertising. In addition, he has not been a member of the AIBD (American Institute of Building Design) for the last 16 years where he would have been required to attend continuing education and testing. He has fraudulently stamped our blueprints with this AIBD designation. We have also discovered, Mr. Mattingly has fraudulently used copyrighted images on his website to solicit business. He has since admitted and removed those images after the architect/owners contacted him. Mr. Mattingly has also been contacted by Angie's List Brand Enforcement Department for using copyrighted material from their very own website. They are in possession of an email sent by Mr. Mattingly requesting that we submit a report on his behalf, but "double" the amount we spent. Due to Mr. Mattingly's misrepresentations, he is currently being investigated by several authorities. Several contractors and authorities in Pickaway County will testify to his dubious work on county projects. (Please be skeptical of those recommending his work. You will most likely find they have not built a structure from his blueprints.)

Mr. Mattingly was very responsive and was able to develop a set of house plans within a reasonable period of time. We contacted him in late October, met for the first time in early November and he was able to complete a set of house plans for us by mid January. Mr. Mattingly has e-mailed our house plans to numerous professionals so that we can obtain price quotes. We have had several comments from builders and other professionals that our house plans are well developed.