Holloway Builders, Inc.

We signed a contract with the provider on April 1, 2014 to construct a three stall shedrow horse barn, with a wash rack and a tack room. We were informed that it would take 2.5 months, approximately, to complete the barn once construction began, and that construction should begin within 2 weeks. Construction did not begin until the beginning of June, as a result of difficulty the builder had in securing the necessary building permits. This difficulty, though not verified by us, was as a result of county ordinances preventing us from placing the construction on our property where we had initially selected, and was resolved by having the land surveyed and parceled out, at an added cost of approximately $1500.00. Construction began and we would have about 2 - 3 days of progress, followed by 2 - 3 weeks of inactivity. The plumber, when running the water line from the house to the barn, ignored where we had waterlines run, and instead of connecting to the pipeline closest to the barn, ran it to our house, trenching up our front yard and driveway in the process. Also in the process, the plumber cut phone / internet lines, and came very close to cutting power lines, and never returned to fill in the trench. Stall footing was not prepared as discussed, i.e., tamped down and solidified for the placement of stall mats. Stalls were to have been 12x12 but due to excessively thick walls between stalls, are all undersize. Some hardware was not installed, i.e., latches for back stall doors and hay racks in stalls. Grates were to have hinged doors to allow for feed through as well as a means to have an opening on the stall doors for horses to put their heads out. None of that was provided. Land around barn was not prepared, and we had to complete the removal of debris and construction materials ourselves, to include arranging to have the port-a-john removed. There was continual inconsistency from the builder in terms of when providers would show up to complete jobs, and when they actually showed up. Construction was completed by the end of November, and, occupancy permits and electrical services secured by December 13, 2014. Just prior to the end of the construction, we became concerned that the reason the construction was taking so long was due to the financial instability of the builder. As a result, we requested, prior to final payment, that we be given signed releases by all service providers and suppliers indicating they had been paid in full for the services / products they supplied to the job. On the same day we notified the builder of this requirement, a supplier came to our door, indicating that he had been unable to contact the builder for several weeks and that he had not received payment for his work or for the supplies used in the construction of the barn. The builder, in contrast, reported that he had paid this contractor in full and went on to speak despairingly about the unrealistic expectations and lack of understanding of the billing / payment process of not only this sub, but other subs with whom he works regularly. The builder, on the occasion of this discussion, made a partial payment to the sub despite indicating to us he had 'taken care of him', which we took to mean he had paid him in full. Over the course of several months, it was apparent the sub had not been paid, and we ended up paying him on 2/13/15. The builder contacted us, indicating that if he could 1/2 of the final draw, he would be able to pay off the barn, and get the signed releases, to allow for the disbursement of the final payment. We compromised with him and gave him the final half, around the end of December 2014, and have not heard from him since, as of today's date of 2/18/15. Because of our experience, after we assumed full possession of the construction, we contacted the builder who had referred him to us, to inform him of our experiences so that he could decide whether or not to refer him further. Our contact with him did not find him unaware of what we had experienced as others had been recently in touch with him indicating similar problems with this builder. We were contacted on 2/13/15 by yet another sub of the construction, and was informed that, again, they had not been paid for their services or supplies for the job they did on our barn. We do not have a complete list of subs or contractors, so we are unsure whether or not there are others who have not been paid, despite our having paid the builder upwards of $25,000.00. The quality of construction is reasonably solid. It is apparent that this builder, and his subs, are not overly familiar with the functionality of a horse barn, but the building is solid and is very attractive in appearance.