Kaye Lifestyle Homes

We signed a contract with Kaye Lifestyle Homes in July 2021, expecting completion by September 2022 but the house wasn’t finished until March 2024. It was only through our constant oversight that any progress was made after discovering a seven-month delay in permitting. We moved closer to Naples to monitor the progress, which was promised monthly but delayed each time. Communication was poor; we went through eight project managers, causing major delays and frustration. Financially, we were hit with a $72,000 overage just weeks after being told the project was on budget. Unauthorized upgrades were performed and charged to us, and They dug up the grass on the right of way, laid sod that should have been for the front yard, forcing us to purchase more sod for our lawn. The contracts are heavily skewed in favor of the company, allowing them to extend timelines indefinitely and refusing to address issues found after moving in. Prospective buyers should document everything, be prepared for delays and extra costs, and thoroughly review contracts. I am writing this review not out of spite or to seek revenge, but to provide a genuine account of my experience with Kaye lifestyle Homes in the hope that it will help others make informed decisions. I wish I had been more cautious and aware of what to expect when choosing this company, and I want to share my story to prepare others for potential issues they might encounter. When we signed the contract in July 2021, we were assured that building a home in Naples while living in Wyoming would not be an issue. However, it turned out that we needed to be much closer to oversee the progress, as we had to constantly nag the company at every step. After giving all the downpayments, we were "forgotten," and they didn’t even send in for permitting for seven months. Had we not come down to Naples for a vacation in February 2022, our lot would still be undeveloped. We anticipated having the house completed in September 2022, retiring October 2022 and moving in soon thereafter. Upon discovering this neglect, we immediately contacted the company, who then promised to expedite the permitting process and assured us the home would be completed by January 2023 at the latest. However, as time passed, it became clear this was not the case. We reached out again and were given a new completion date of March 2023. Consequently, we retired in February 2023 and moved to Okeechobee to be closer to Naples. Every month, they promised completion the following month. During this time, we had to dip into our retirement fund for living expenses, which could have been avoided had we been given the correct information. The house was not complete until March 8, 2024, over a year later than promised. It took a total of 2 years, 7 months and 17 days to build this house. And this was only completed due to our diligence in making sure that they kept working on our house. Communication with the company was inconsistent and there were significant delays in responses, which added to unnecessary stress and frustration to the process. We went through eight project managers from the beginning until we closed. The disconnect repeatedly set us back on our timeline. Financial discrepancies were another major issue. We were hit with an overage fee of $72,000, just weeks after the owner Jay Kaye, told our loan officer that the project was on task and they did not need any extra money. Additionally, the company would perform upgrades without approval and then charge us extra. It’s crucial to be diligent about what they are doing. They also tore up the grass on the right of way and placed sod meant for our yard there, leaving us to pay for new sod for the front lawn. One critical point to note is the nature of Kaye lifestyle Homes' contracts. Both the initial contract and the "New Home Orientation" agreement are heavily skewed in favor of the company. The initial contract allows them to charge extra fees at their discretion and extend the project timeline indefinitely, as confirmed by two lawyers. Additionally, the "New Home Orientation" contract states that Kaye lifestyle Homes will only address cosmetic issues and punch list items noted on the inspection report at the time of the orientation. This means they will not fix anything discovered after moving in, which is impractical since it's impossible to identify every potential issue during a brief inspection. Prospective buyers should be aware of these terms, as they do not seem fair and can lead to significant challenges and additional costs. Given these experiences, I advise anyone considering Kaye lifestyle Homes to be vigilant and thorough in their dealings with the company. Ensure all agreements and promises are documented in writing and be prepared for potential delays and communication challenges. My hope is that by sharing my story, others will be better prepared and can avoid some of the difficulties we faced. I sincerely hope Kaye lifestyle Homes takes these issues to heart and works towards improving their customer service and communication practices. • Signed contract in July 2021, with an expected completion by Sept 2022. Actual completion: March 2024. • Lived in Wyoming during construction; found out they delayed permitting by 7 months. The house only progressed due to our constant oversight. • We retired in February 2023 and moved closer to Naples to monitor progress, which was promised monthly but delayed each time. • Communication was poor; we had 8 project managers, causing major delays and frustration. • Hit with a $72,000 overage just weeks after being told the project was on budget. Unauthorized upgrades were performed and charged to us. • They dug up the grass on the right of way, laid sod that should have been for the front yard, forcing us to purchase more sod for our lawn. • Contracts are heavily skewed in favor of the company: they can extend timelines indefinitely and will not address issues found after move-in. • Prospective buyers: document everything, be prepared for delays and extra costs, and thoroughly review contracts. • Signed contract in July 2021, with an expected completion by Sept 2022. Actual completion: March 2024. • Lived in Wyoming during construction; found out they delayed permitting by 7 months. The house only progressed due to our constant oversight. • We retired in February 2023 and moved closer to Naples to monitor progress, which was promised monthly but delayed each time. • Communication was poor; we had 8 project managers, causing major delays and frustration. • Hit with a $72,000 overage just weeks after being told the project was on budget. Unauthorized upgrades were performed and charged to us. • They dug up the grass on the right of way, laid sod that should have been for the front yard, forcing us to purchase more sod for our lawn. • Contracts are heavily skewed in favor of the company: they can extend timelines indefinitely and will not address issues found after move-in. • Prospective buyers: document everything, be prepared for delays and extra costs, and thoroughly review contracts.

We had our home built by Kaye. I thought we would be having a nice time during construction, boy was wrong. It was a nightmare. Stuart was extremely nice, up until the sale was made. Then he basically ignored our problems. They constantly asked for payments before the agreed upon due date. Also there were turnovers in employees so I had to keep explaining over and over what was agreed to with Stuart. In the contract there was to be a meeting 30 days after settlement, to record any problems.This did nit happen for over 2 months. To this day, 16 months later they have t resolved the issues. Only after I bugged them did they finally get 1 finished. Still a list remains. 16 months. They do not hold their contractors liable. I guess they are getting them cheap and don't want to upset them. A prime example is that we paid over $3000 for extra sod and 5 shade trees. 4 of the trees died. Kaye has now passed this problem to me. As you know it takes a long time for a tree to die. They looked ok until they dropped their leaves, in the fall. They never came back. They are passing the buck to the supplier, who they will not disclose to me who they were. Kaye received 20% of the cost of the trees, so I believe they are responsible. That's only one part of the nightmare in having Kaye build our Dream house. I recommend a lawyer when dealing with Kaye, Better yet a different contractor.

A CLAIM HAD TO BE FILED WITH THE WARRANTY COMPANY THAT THE BUILDER TOOK OUT ON THIS HOME AS THERE ARE SO MANY ISSUES WRONG WITH THIS HOME AND THE LONGER I AM HERE THE MORE I AM FINDING WRONG. WHEN I MENTION THE NAME STUART KAYE WHO IS THE BUILDER OF THIS HOME I ALWAYS GET THE EXACT SAME COMMENT - I'M SORRY YOU ARE DEALING WITH THAT SITUATION IS HE REALLY STILL IN BUSINESS ? I HAVE TO EXPLAIN UNFORTUNATELY HIS ORIGINAL COMPANY HE TOLD ME HE FILED BANKRUPTCY FOR THE CHINESE DRYWALL ISSUE BUT YES, HE IS BACK BUILDING HOMES, THIS HOME WAS BUILT BACK IN 04/05 THOUGH" KAYE CUSTOM HOMES now KAYE LIFESTYLES HOMES ......kayelifestylehomes.com **** PLEASE HEADS UP THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LUXURIOUS ABOUT THESE HOMES BUILT BY **** STUART KAYE ****. IF HE COULD BUILD IT **** CHEAP HE WOULD FIND A CHEAPER **** WAY POSSIBLE !!! I think they completely ignored all of the updated new Miami-Dade Building Codes back at that time there was a MAJOR UPDATE done in 2001 !!! Purchased a home of his co'd in 2/2005 in July 2012 in Golden Gate Estates E of Everglades and S of Desoto. There are so many issues in this house from the roof to the foundation and from front to back to back and side to side also around the house the grading is horrible, HOW THIS HOUSE WAS PASSED I WILL EVER KNOW - I PULLED EVERY SINGE CONTRACTOR AND THE PERMIT PROCESS FROM COLLIER COUNTY AND HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH THESE VENDORS THEY HAD HAD NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT KAYE. The GRADING, cannot walk around the house the incline is so steep, left trees in the dugout used to elevate the house. The ROOF is disintegrating and falling apart from the lack of ventilation.The ONLY ridge vent was installed on top of the garage NOT on top of the highest point.There is NO other roof vents except the normal underside fascia.vents, but heat RISES does not DROP !! The roof on either side of the entryway is so soft you can push with your hand, the roof looks like a roller coaster in the front and back bc of the far spacing btwn the rafters I've been told builders do this to SAVE $$$. Straps & diamond plates are actually not wrapped properly around the beams with nails, they are left hanging in mid air, the plates don't have nails securing them they are only pounded in. DRYWALL in the house in SOFT it is the only way to explain it. try hanging something and it falls right off, I literally have to use butterfly fixtures to hang anything I cannot use any type of regular hooks they picture or whatever I am hanging will fall right off, It's very bizarre. Tried looking for markings on the back of the drywall up in the attic and either the paper backing is torn off or positioned in such a way that you cannot see it. The FOUNDATION in the master bedroom, bathroom and the garage has very large cracks up to 1/4" wide that span the entire length of the rooms multiple cracks at that. MULTIPLE IN ALL ROOMS. WALLS IN EVERY SINGLE PART OF THE HOUSE INSIDE AND OUT HAVE CRACKS most are vertical and some are horizontal, even in the ceiling.. There are also cracks in the patio area that run from the roof, down the walls onto the flat surface area of the floor. The PAINT used inside and out was the cheapest possible. On the inside using a flat paint and painted the walls and the ceiling the same color in EVERY single room in the house !! Even in the bathrooms and the kitchen where a semi-gloss or a more durable paint should be used they used a flat very thin paint. The CABINETS of course are not even wood but cheap paper covered pressed board, IDENTICAL in the bathrooms and the kitchen. The TILE is POPPING bc it was not properly laid on the floor, TOO CHEAP to finish under the cabinets, actually used BROKEN TILE under the dishwasher and frig, in the baths under cabinets. tile in the showers are falling apart, grout is cracking apart, after the inspection it looks that the shower liner may be too short as well, cracking tile in the bathroom walls and showers The WINDOWS and SLIDING GLASS DOORS are not even white aluminum or vinyl they are PAINTED WHITE aluminum, the window do not fit they are impossible to open and close, cracks are in the walls inside and out at EVERY single window. NOT ONE IS MISSED !!! The BATHROOMS very basic faucet fixtures and lighting fixtures you would think you were back in the 70's not in 20th century in 2005, the toilets used were also low sitting not higher toilets and not even high efficiency !!! The INSULATION that shows on the blueprints does NOT MATCH that of what is in the ceiling, at that there is insulation missing over the entire back of the house. I'M SURE I'M MISSING SOMETHING BUT LITERALLY EVERY INCH OF THIS HOUSE IS THE FARTHEST THING FROM A LUXURY CUSTOM BUILT HOME .... ITS A CHEAP PIECE OF CRAP. KAYE COULD REALLY CARE LESS ... HE STATED, HE LOST HIS RECORDS, HE DESTROYED THEM, HE FILED BANKRUPTCY, HE DIDN'T NEED TO KEEP THEM, THE HOUSE WAS OVER 5 YRS OLD SO IT WASN'T HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO HANDLE IT I NEEDED TO GO TO THE WARRANTY CLAIM (WHO BTW SAID THE HOME WAS POORLY BUILT THEY COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT) .. I LITERALLY HEARD EVERY EXCUSE FROM HIM, SO DID MY REALTOR. The warranty 2-10 that is offered if an ABSOLUTE JOKE .... I FILED A STRUCTURAL WARRANTY CLAIM on the house because that was all that is left to file. The company sent out an INCOMPETENT & INEXPERIENCED man from Orlando by the name of Kevin who just complained over and over that he had to drive here to Naples from there.The 1st time he came out here his report was so bad and incomplete the main office in Colorado sent out a 2nd rep by the name of Mike and demanded that Kevin show back up who was over 45 min late coming from Orlando again. you could tell he did not want to be here at all. The Kaye's contractor's has left so much building debris in the soil around the house it is just unbelievable, every time I am digging to plant something I am pulling up broken tile and concrete blocks, wire and other building materials it just unreal. EVERYTHING I DESCRIBED ABOVE WAS IN 2-10 WARRANTY REPORTS BUT REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE DAMAGE BC THEY STATED IT WAS VERY POOR WORKMANSHIP IN ALL ASPECTS. I WAS TOLD TO GO AFTER THE BUILDER and CONTRACTOR !! The area in back of the property where they used to dig out dirt to raise the foundation is a small lake, but they also left all of the trees in that area which is ILLEGAL to do. It is considered dumping and they should have been removed, but just like everything else that was done they didn't give a crap. It's filled with very large trees that now must be removed adn i am going to be going back after the builder to pay for this !! THE ONE THING I WAS WARNED ABOUT FROM KAYE HOMES THAT IS VERY SERIOUS FROM EVERYONE THAT HE IS FAMOUS FOR CLEARING THE LAND, NOT DOING IT PROPERLY AND LEAVING WOODED DEBRIS BEHIND. DOES A COMPACTION TEST, HE WILL PASS BECAUSE ITS SO EARLY BEFORE THE DEBRIS WILL BREAKDOWN. WHEN THIS HAPPENS IT CAN LEAVE FROM A SMALL TO A LARGE VOID UNDER YOUR FOUNDATION - THIS IS WHEN YOU CAN HAVE MAJOR ISSUES WITH YOUR FOUNDATION CRACKS IN THAT AND THE WALLS BOTH INSIDE AND OUT. FORTUNATELY FOR ME I CALLED EVERY SINGLE GROUT COMPANY IN THE AREA THAT WORKED WITH KAYE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT YES THEY HAD REPAIRED MANY, MANY HOMES FOR VOIDS UNDER THE FOUNDATION IN THE HOMES HE HAD BUILT BUT MINE WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. THE OTHER THING THAT IS DISTURBING IS THAT THERE ARE NO PERMITS REQUIRED FOR THIS TYPE OF GROUT FOUNDATION REPAIR WORK.