WAYNE S LESHER IV Inc

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We had issues from the beginning with moisture to the point we ended up getting mold in the attic.  I had to hire a home inspection company to find the mold.  Trying to correct it and the issue was another headache. He blamed everyone but himself for the issue.  Turns out the ridge vent that he purchased was cheap and collapsed therefore the attic wasn't getting any air flow. The mold was taken care of by Lesher after we had to get an attorney and a new stronger ridge vent put on and also the gable vents that he put in when the moisture was so bad, were removed.

The contract states 2 year warranty which Mr. Lesher is not honoring. Lesher told Ed (the name on the deed) to sue him if we want everything fixed.

One of our main concerns when we met with Wayne Lesher in his office was the windows that would be installed. He showed us Simonton windows which we were ok with.  Didn't realize until after we moved in that Lesher put in CHEAPER windows, United windows.  We have had wet windows for 2 winters now, top to bottom to the point water even ran onto the sills, even had ice this past winter.  One window pane cracked this winter on a very cold day and is not covered by the company warranty. Have the same issue with the French door, that isn't installed correctly, and never received the screen door (which we just purchased one) even though I have an email stating the screen just came in, that email is from Nov 2013.

Speaking of warranty, he never gave Ed any paper work on warranties for anything in this house.  Heat pump, well pump, septic system, roof, siding, etc.  We have no idea who even installed these things.

The list of things that need fixed in this house is way to long. 

He told our realtor first she was not allowed to contact him or we would call the State Police. Then after I started questioning him on the issues he told me the same thing.  Then after Ed wasn't very nice to him in the middle of the moisture issue he sent ME an email t with an attachment for Ed stating Ed was not allowed to contact him.  And there is a 2 year warranty......... 

The vanity in the hall bath is scratched and chipped up.  The edge of the bath tub in the same bathroom is dull and scratched from contractors standing on it.  The faucet in the tub is loose, don't use the tub because of this issue.

The floor cracked when coming into the laundry room something terrible, Ed just figure out how to fix that.  He had to screw the floor to the wall.

The master bedroom was to be insulated so you could not hear noise through the walls, well you can have a conversation without raising your voice from within that room and the garage.  All the walls are like a mobile home, paper thin.

The baseboard does not meet at the corners. The walls are cracking in the corners, the drywall tape in the skylight (master bath) is peeling off.  He put a cheap sky light in too.  Concrete on the front porch, side walk (2 different colors, which was brought to his attention at the time) and the pole building is cracking.  The pole light at the sidewalk is leaning because they placed it in front of the bedroom window so we asked that it be moved.  Lesher's guy came out dug it up and put it in another hole, never cemented it in.  The doorbell hasn't worked since we moved in.  One of Lesher's guys came out and said "this is a fire hazard" and was to have fixed it, nope still not working.

The siding is all warp and the heat pump is leaning towards the house, can't use the electrical outlet behind it (have no idea why they would place the outlet there in the 1st place).

Lesher told us he doesn't seed the yard.  Well to our surprise he did, we thought that was nice of him until spring came and I racked up the straw that was put down and saw the fill he used.  Rocks, rocks and more rocks. Trash and weeds.  It is terrible!! 

The walls are bowed in the kitchen, between the back splash and the wall they filled in with silicone putty also the baths are the same way. Looks terrible! 



Also, the front door which cost $1000 was dented by the contractors and we told Lesher about it.  He said we fix that with body putty.  I didn't think that was right, a new house and have a door with body putty!  Well, the contractor he hired to fix it said it's the best he could do and he wasn't satisfied with it.  You can still see the dents, looks awful and the door is black so it makes it all the worse.

I'm sorry, I'm burnt out on this house and I'm sure there is more, I'm done for now.

4/20/2015

In response to Wayne Lesher's comment "we would arrive on site and by 9am the homeowner would have already consumed 3 drinks". Low blow Lesher, you didn't state that the homeowner worked 3rd shift and wouldn't get home until between 9:00 -11:00 in the morning and his mornings are like your evenings except he didn't feel the need to crack a beer as soon as he walked in the door.  I did call around to try and find out about warranties/information on the items listed above because you haven given Ed anything.   I did find out that you never told the township that there was electric in the pole building and in other words it was never inspected. We did incur expenses by hiring an attorney and home inspection company to figure out the moisture issue.  As you know the last time you were here with several people trying to come up with  a solution on the moisture you didn't have readings from your so called moisture monitors and the owner of the home inspection company called you out on it.  You tried to say the moisture issue had gotten better when in fact you had no clue and then got p***** off and left before everyone went into the house & worked together.  The so called ridge vent that you purchased for the roofer was the reason it collapsed not that it was nailed down too tight.  You bought a stronger one (we hope) so it wouldn't happen again.  Even the insulation guy told you in Dec 2013 to come out and check the ridge of the roof because there was no ventilation at the peak, but you always want to blame someone other than yourself.  The one sheet of plywood with mold was put on the house the wrong side in, go figure and there was some mold on the rafter by the skylight.  To date you haven't addressed the issues that need be corrected and haven't even tried.   You did not honor your 2 year warranty, you are a poor excuse for a businessman.

It is just a matter of ceramic tiles, countertops, new cabinets. The den which previously tunnelled is really cheap. The drywall looks terrific. My powder room is the next part of the next stage. I am very pleased. They were very nice people, easy to work with, and I hired him based on his personality. It was reasonable.

unknown

Lesher was the only contractor to prepare and offer sketches (rough and detailed) of house plans.
Original building site was on ridge top, however, after meeting with excavators it was realized that the cost of putting the driveway in and clearning of land would be in excess of $30,000. Lesher suggested building on a lower level to save cost.
Lot was cleared of existing timber and resloped to meet maximum 18% slope for drive. Towhship reviewed site plans (more than once) and required creation of a sediment retention pond.
Basement was excavated, partially into slope, and footers set, aggregate laid down. During pour of basement walls, subcontractor failed to set L-bars to join footings for garage to basement walls. This resulted in separation of the two (noticeable within 2 days). Lesher responded to this by contacting an engineering firm which then drilled steel bolts from the basement walls into the garage footers. The bolts were tightend to ensure a solid fit. Also, parts of the garage footings were reinforced with concrete block to ensure stability. We were not charged for the costs of repairing these deficiencies.
To provide sufficient space in the basement, a steel I-beam was used to transect the basement. This eliminated the need for 12 support posts. This was an extra cost of about $3000. Also, we wanted a basment with extra height, roughly 10-11 ft. Lesher objected to this due to extra cost, but we held firm.
Our exisiting house has 10 ft ceilings in the basement. We wanted a similar height for the new house. Lesher wanted to go with the standard 8 ft. After some interchange, ceiling height was agreed at 9 ft. This cost a bit extra but going with 9 ft it was possible to utilize standard drywall without the extra cost of cutting and mudding.
Another point of exchange was the kitchen cabinets. We wanted cabinets to go to the ceiling, Lesher objected due to extra cost. We had a number of discussions and met with R.F. Fagers who came up with an acceptable design. Fargers was also involved with the kitchen counters. We wanted granite and the original stone company we met with could not meet quality requirements so Fagers utilized another.
Bamboo flooring was installed in the kitchen, dining room, and part of the living room. Tile flooring was installed in the bathrooms. Carpeting was installed in the living room, bedrooms, and front room. Pocket doors including French pocket doors in the front room were installed.
At the end of July, the house was occupied. About that time a small spot on the master bedroom was noticed. This spot grew over the next month. Investigation via through the attic identified that the venting for the master bathroom was not connected to the rest of the piping allowing rain to fall through the ceiling, into the attic and seep through the spider insulation. Contact with Lesher resulted in an immediate response and repair at no cost.
Three geothermal wells were installed for heating and cooling. A well was also drilled to supply the house. All come in through the basement wall. The pipe connecting the water well leaks at where it comes through the wall. This was noted several times and Lesher dug out the pipe and attempted a repair. This repair was insufficient and the wall still leaks. Lesher has not responded for multiple requests for repair since 10/2011.

I would have Wayne live in my garage if I could. He is fantastic. He repaired and also it was a reconstruction of my bathroom. Let me put it this way, it was deconstructed and reconstructed. It’s a new bathroom. He did some interior painting as well. I will use him again, I have another work left for him so he’ll be back.

Wayne met with us in advance (when competing with other custom builders) to discuss plans, view lot, and write up proposal and estimated costs based upon our draft house plans and draft material requirements. He also took us to a house he was currently buidling so we could look over the type and quality of workmanship. Prior to contract signatures, Wayne went further than the other contrctors in meeting with us and our concerns regarding costs and answering our questions, and even drafting up a set of house plans.

During construction, the township was difficult (fighting about house placement, erosion, set backs, property boundary, timbering, permits, etc.), but Wayne worked with them to get approval to proceed and all required permits. After the basement was poured, the foundation separated from the garage footers (the sub-contractor did not install J-shaped rebar to join the basement foundation to the garage). Wayne promptly contacted an enginer to rectify the problem and a solultion was developed that included drilling through the basement walls into the garage footers and installing tension rods, digging out around the basement to enhance with block and stone the garage footers. This was done at no cost to us. During interior work, wayne was willing to handle changes (flooring, cabinets, lighting, utilize outside sub-contractors), and has a long list of qualified contractors he uses with which he is willing to have you meet with and to discuss your needs and requirements.

After completion, Wayne is "on call" in regards to additional questions and problems. He is generally prompt in his response and has not charged us anything in regards to repairing a leak in the roof (plumber did not join the ventilation system of the master bathroom to the vent through the roof which resulted in water ponding in the attic), seepage around the geothermal pipes that enter through the basement, re-hanging the basement door, replacement of a closet light that shorted out.

In summary, Wayne is knowledgeable and well qualified in building a custom home and all aspects of home buiding. He works well with others and is on your side in regards to disagreements with zoning officials, complaining neighbors, recalcitrant sub-contractors.