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View Full Version : Things are not always what they seem,million dollar home, total rubbage



atc007
08-22-2013, 09:36 AM
This is a friend of mine. Went through the Army,became a DR,and dumped his life savings into a home. This is what he got...We've all seen shoddy craftsmanship before. But IMAGINE thinking you have this beautiful home only to find out it's not even safe to draw a breath in.. I really feel for him and his family. This blew my mind. Be VERY careful when buying property!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5P_nX-aOog

ATC-Eric
08-22-2013, 10:11 AM
Oh my god! Its a real life money pit. Those builders took the money and ran!

just ben
08-22-2013, 11:54 AM
I would be suing the municipality also for allowing their inspectors to not do their job. Unfortunately permits and inspections are just to generate revenue and not to protect the homeowner. I see it all the time. The inspector shows up on the site, shoots the breeze with you for a few minutes signs and dates the inspection cert tells you to tape it to the front window and have a nice day. I had a framing inspector give me a cert. without even getting out of his vehicle, on the same project the electrical inspector told me to hang the drywall before he even inspected it. Pretty tough to see wiring behind drywall. Point is if these inspectors were doing their job the whole situation your friend is going through would have been avoided. And Stucco in the northeast? The only time stucco is used up here is to make a building look nice for a short time.

atc007
08-22-2013, 06:27 PM
Trust me Ben. Lawyers are his life :) :). I'll run that by him though. But I assume his team will get the municipality also. It is just an unspeakable mess. He has become quite the "contractor 'learning the way things should have been done. It was a beautiful home. Def not my style personally,but beautiful for sure. It will never be right... Much better, but never right.Sorta like a new car that was in the ocean a few years... He has a wife and 3 kids living in this hole..

Ghostv2
08-22-2013, 07:50 PM
Its a beautiful house if your there on a day where it doesnt rain.
I did carpentry and construction for a few years and i do not know how any of this is acceptable. Granted i went to school for it, but they learn this stuff from such a young age. Especially the Amish, thats what the men do and are known for aside from farming. I think its time we call the Amish Mafia.

I did not watch the entire 46 minute video, but more than enough to see how much he got screwed. Really such a shame. I cannot imagine what he is going through. I hope he gets justice and some money to make up for it.

atc007
08-22-2013, 08:11 PM
I told him from Day one. That $300,000,isn't gonna put a DENT in putting that place correct. Time will tell,,well,actually. He is already North of that and work continues everyday ...

Ghostv2
08-22-2013, 08:18 PM
I told him from Day one. That $300,000,isn't gonna put a DENT in putting that place correct. Time will tell,,well,actually. He is already North of that and work continues everyday ...

I dont even think $300k begins to sum it up considering all the people coming out to look at it, lawyers, etc.
That money might just be in material alone.

ebaccm26
08-22-2013, 09:38 PM
Beautiful house, such a shame that so many contractors are crooks. My parents had a very similar situation when buying their current home. It was also a house built for the Parade of Homes which they bought from the builder. With the first major storm the problems became apparent, much of the carpet in the basment was damp and there was dripping on the walls. During an even worse storm in the spring that coincided with snow melting there ended up being about a foot of water in the finished basement. Long story short the builder of the home was long gone and my parents had to pay out of pocket to replace all of the flooring, add a ventilation system to prevent mold, and to have the foundation of the house repaired. If corners weren't cut and the inspectors had done their job better this could have been avoided. It was a stressful time for my parents but they were able to get past it. I know some of you who have bought stuff from me have seen the home to which I am refering because that is where I keep the majority of my toys. I feel for your friend, I do not own a home but I was still living with my parents when they were dealing with this and there is no reason anyone should have to go through so much stress and so much hassle because some greedy people decided to cut corners.

atc007
08-22-2013, 11:13 PM
He called at 9 tonight and we just hung up. It's taken up too much of MY time now lol...

M.Pargiello
08-23-2013, 06:47 AM
Beautiful house, such a shame that so many contractors are crooks. My parents had a very similar situation when buying their current home. It was also a house built for the Parade of Homes which they bought from the builder. With the first major storm the problems became apparent, much of the carpet in the basment was damp and there was dripping on the walls. During an even worse storm in the spring that coincided with snow melting there ended up being about a foot of water in the finished basement. Long story short the builder of the home was long gone and my parents had to pay out of pocket to replace all of the flooring, add a ventilation system to prevent mold, and to have the foundation of the house repaired. If corners weren't cut and the inspectors had done their job better this could have been avoided. It was a stressful time for my parents but they were able to get past it. I know some of you who have bought stuff from me have seen the home to which I am refering because that is where I keep the majority of my toys. I feel for your friend, I do not own a home but I was still living with my parents when they were dealing with this and there is no reason anyone should have to go through so much stress and so much hassle because some greedy people decided to cut corners.

That's insane, my dad still comments on how beautiful that house is. I would have never guessed!

atc007
08-23-2013, 07:58 AM
Always Love your input Glamy ! Rainfall here ranges from 35-55 inches a year. Why stay? They LOVE the concept of this home being done. However,,last night he realized a MUCH simpler,smaller home would have made him much HAPPIER. And that IS all that matters in life. At any rate,as with ALL of us, his life story is very complicated and he has weathered some real serious storms behind a lawyer.Having said that, they truly believe they will prevail every cent back in court. I hope they do. This was his lifes savings to give to his wife and kids. Yes, things should have been caught,but these guys were VERY good at covering everything up after a few "failed' showings. I personally think stucco,no matter HOW it's applied has no business around here. As Ben said above. They are confident in their "new" way.. Time will tell. Since this video, the entire garage has been gutted where the generator is. It was all mold and rot. And they have found even Worse damage. They are videoing everything,but don't plan on posting for a while..

El Camexican
08-23-2013, 09:18 AM
Too bad the wood is too wet to burn, otherwise I would be able to suggest a quick fix;) Seriously, I couldn’t watch the whole thing, it just made me sick.

up-tyte
08-23-2013, 09:20 AM
All I can say is wow. I have been in the residential building industry for over 35 years and this is not the first time I have seen these issues. First this is not a 4 month to build home, for me this is more like 12 months. From the beginning pictures there are a lot of areas that are problems waiting to happen and unfortunately you will find the practices that this original builder used to be very common. Anderson windows will tell you their number one leak issues are caused by improper installation. Staples are very common for house wrap and also use of the improper wrap is common. Tyvec makes a special wrap just for stucco, this home appears to even have two layers and two different brands. As for building inspectors, not all areas have any building codes, I can drive about 20 miles from my house in 3 directions to areas with no codes, some builders will only build in those areas for that reason. I do agree with some of the above comments about them not doing a very good job, although we have one inspector in our area that is very good at his job and all the builders complain about him to his boss. I could go on and on about this but it all goes to greed, the builder wants to make the most money while most home owners want the most sparkle and glitter for the least money, they don't seam to care as much about structure. I lose a lot of jobs because of this, the most important and largest investment you will make and saving a couple thousand dollars is their granite counter tops are more important than the bones of the house. First real visable sign of cheap construction are the blue plastic electricial boxes. I better stop. Hope it all works out for them.

just ben
08-23-2013, 10:41 AM
No codes at all up-tyte? Some towns around us have stricter codes than others as far as remodeling but all new construction codes are basically the same. There are some inspectors around me who do their jobs very well and are very thorough. But it seems the majority just go through the motions .

atc007
08-23-2013, 11:13 AM
Uptyte, please don't stop lol. Seriously. What's wrong with the blue plastic boxes? I know they are cheap and flimsy. I used them once,then went to black. But I would love to hear your opinions. You sound like you do it once and do it right. And that is the way it all should be! Again, the problems have only gotten worse as they've went. And yes, they went with 100% Anderson windows :)

up-tyte
08-23-2013, 11:50 AM
Nope, you want to use a 55 gal drum for your septic tank go right ahead. The county south of us adopted codes about 2 or 3 years ago but it was a tough sell, people want to do what ever they want without anyone telling them they can't even when it is a life and safety issue. Its amazing what I have seen, here's an example a propane driver told me, how about using garden hose for the gas line in your house? Needless to say he wouldn't set the tank. The blue plastic boxes are ok once in a while but we use the fiberglass ones they have a better rating and are more sturdy than the plastic ones. And yes we always try to do it right the first time and give the customer a realistic idea on cost not a low ball to get the job cost. Everything we do is cost plus but we are usually within 5 % of our estimates. I don't want to go back to the house except to visit.

samuraiguys
08-23-2013, 10:11 PM
I would have just bought some land and put a new house up, that way you can build it how you want it and inspect the progress. Your friend has one hell of a mess. That window company should be replacing those windows no questions asked.

atc007
08-23-2013, 10:25 PM
Me too.. No doubt,but.. We're all different !

Dirtcrasher
08-25-2013, 12:27 AM
I would not live in that house.

NO WAY will they get every drop of mold gone. It's unsafe!!

atc007
08-25-2013, 08:02 AM
They are VERY thorough. But unfortunately,I couldn't agree more.. I also HIGHLY doubt the integrity of the "new" stucco. Is what it is! Either way,the house has a ridiculous story behind it !

up-tyte
08-25-2013, 08:09 AM
Even when/if they get all the issues fixed they may never be able to sell it, they will have to disclose everything they have done. I have even heard of people not be able to get homeowners insurance once there has been water damage.

atc007
08-25-2013, 09:47 AM
I am 98 % sure they will be raising their kids here. It wouldn't be a problem for him to disclose everything. He's a good egg. Eccentric? Maybe lol. But they are good folks. IF they were to sell. THIS video would be the FIRST thing they would show potential buyers! Then go from there. Either way ya slice it,it is a steamin mess. Did any of you watch the entire thing to see the sink hole and what all was buried in there!? He has a separate video of that. I have not watched. But he didn't elaborate in this one. He fell into his crotch in that hole. Had it been one of his kids, there is truly no telling what could have happened. There was a cavern straight below him. Snakes and spiders bigger than he had ever seen before. The water damage was just the straw that broke the camels back.

plastikosmd
08-26-2013, 09:14 AM
wow what a video. Just doing the math, I honestly think it is a knock down based on the damage. I think it is much more than 300k, say closer to 500k. At a sale price, not sure of the margin in his area the build cost is maybe 700 or less? I would never trust that home as I dont think you can get to every issue IMHO

atc007
08-26-2013, 07:10 PM
I was literally JUST sitting here thinking about you sir :). My Sons home shopping,,having seen Your palace. Would you go log for the long haul? He is considering it,but isn't sure he wants the up keep. There are some aMAZING home packages out there! Anyhow,, I sort of agree with you about a bulldozer..,, this is just a bad deal..

jeswinehart
08-26-2013, 08:37 PM
I have had a love/hate relation ship for my old house since buying from my Mom in 1982 or there abouts.
Basically lived here since 1963. I know this place inside + out, all the good and the few negitives it has.
I realized quite some time ago I would never get out what I put into this place of ours and would have been so much farther ahead to have a stick built home erected. BUT, at least my place has history to the Mrs. + I.
Now with all that said,,, about THAT place ~ wow. I am a upbeat positive type of fella IMO but I would hafta be put on some kind of "watch" list. There seems to be a growing list of people involved with that "home" that seriously need a prolonged beating ~ physical or judicial or both.

Tri-Z 250
08-26-2013, 09:14 PM
Amish....lol, 6th grade Barn builders IMO. I would bet not watching the entire video that the basement is precast and not sitting on solid footers...another PA builder innovation(thats why you have the sump pump, built to leak) bad settling problems as well.

Dirtcrasher
08-26-2013, 09:46 PM
wow what a video. Just doing the math, I honestly think it is a knock down based on the damage. I think it is much more than 300k, say closer to 500k. At a sale price, not sure of the margin in his area the build cost is maybe 700 or less? I would never trust that home as I dont think you can get to every issue IMHO

Well said. My house has exterior grade plywood, OSB flooring and I insisted on plywood stairs to the 2nd floor. The lack of flashing leads me to believe that a couple of IDIOTS did build the home. Builder saves $$ with OSB and compacting the soil is the 1st fundamental element for a good footing. I bet they built on some earthy crap that should have been removed. I see a kids bedroom in there and I hope the hell no kid is staying in that mold disaster. Someone ought to go out for the night when some wires cross and arc, but that damn house being so wet probably wouldn't burn!! :lol:

up-tyte
08-27-2013, 07:38 AM
With the new innovations in engineered wood OSB is actually more stable than plywood. OSB is the choice in our area as the plywood delaminates with the slightest moisture. We never use the common OSB on the floors, we use a OSB product made by Huber called Advantec, excellent product I have had pieces sit through lots of rain and ice with no problems plus a great warranty. They also make a Zip panel for walls and roofs with a coating on it so you don't need housewrap, also has warranty. But like all things if not installed correctly you will have problems.

atc007
08-29-2013, 11:20 AM
Thanx uptyte. Dc, yes,they are all living in the home. :(

Dirtcrasher
08-29-2013, 11:28 AM
As for the plastic boxes, they are fine by code here - 2 nails into a stud, wire removal protection, sheetrock keeps the square and how often are they touched after installation. I use them EVERY TIME........

Mickey Dunlap
08-29-2013, 11:47 AM
I had a bad builder on my house,messed it up real bad. Spent 3 years in court,won my case of $30,000,he filed bankruptcy a few days later,didn't get a dime. A few month later he had a new company name and is back at it.

atc007
08-29-2013, 03:45 PM
After they file BR. I file with the sheriff,,another $90. He schedules a sale. Of which there is nothing to sell usually. BUT,,,, the case stays with the scumbag where ever he goes. Took me 15 years on one, but his Son had to make his bankruptcy whole before he could move forward.. My moneys in escrow now, $3700 and change.. It's making better interest than in a bank,,1.1 % lol..Once it's in my hands I'll say it was worth it ! But you might have something to go after, Especially KNOWING he has income.

CRAZY70MAN
08-29-2013, 05:24 PM
Wow is all I can say!! I really feel for them.........so so sad that can even happen.

up-tyte
09-01-2013, 04:26 PM
The plastic boxes meet minimum code, the fiberglass boxes just have a higher fire rating.
As for the plastic boxes, they are fine by code here - 2 nails into a stud, wire removal protection, sheetrock keeps the square and how often are they touched after installation. I use them EVERY TIME........

Dirtcrasher
09-01-2013, 09:06 PM
Doesn't PA have a board of health?? NO ONE should be living it that home. Tell him to lay off the piano and use his head!!