Benjamin Stout

Description of Work: On our very first home we've saved for quite a long time and began having it built in April 2011 and ending (not really) July 29, 2011. Within the first few weeks (and after visiting the site multiple times per week to video the process) we noticed our builder was never on site. The home, being custom, had a specific floor plan and we had to speak directly with subs when we noticed details (huge) being overlooked on the plan itself.This was hard because most of the subs (in many instances) could not speak english. It became a full-time job after a while, and very early on to take the time to visit to ensure they were doing things correctly, like following the floor plan. I essentially became the foreman. I frequently contacted the builder by cell from the site to address my concerns and mistakes I was catching, but can say in the months of the building process on my pop-up visits, he was never on site. We relied on his promises to be a "one stop shop", attentive, and knowledgeable builder to handle both the realtor and building aspects of the job. He also promised his subs were all very professional and very experienced. It is now November, and I have been caulking, repainting, and changing blown light bulbs for months due to an obvious electrical problem that has yet to be addressed. I have to stuff towels around all doors to ward off high electrical bills. Why? Because you can see light coming through them all. Other contractors I've hired in the last 90 days for regrading the land, repainting, and providing other fix-it services, etc,etc... are all overwhelmed that this is actually a new home. "Lipstick on a Pig" is one term used by our painting crew. The team we hired for security camera installation reported "loose trusses" in the attic, and recommended reinforcing them as they shook their heads. Before work I have to collect the water (hot) from our children's tub for watering plants, the pet, and filling the washing machine (for later use), due to a leaking faucet which has yet to be fixed. I have to cut the main water supply to the home in the morning before I leave for work, and before bed. It produces 1 gallon per every 1 1/2 hrs. I simply close the drain when I arrive home to save water for bathtime and add hot water to it for the children's bath. We will surely have to invest hundreds if not thousands more to make it what we expected, and that alone makes us disgusted, to say the least. The 12 month warranty is a wonderful IDEA, only if he answers the phone and actually honors it. This all is on me while my better half is in Afghanistan dodging bullets. There is too much to really explain and so many issues that we could not fit in due to the VERY long list of things that a new homeowner should not have to deal with. After three months my front door still scrapes the wood frame around it as it opens and closes due to the framing not being done correctly (as I was advised by yet another contractor who was called out to reverse the glass door panel that had been put in backwards :0) ) it's something we will have to address soon, or the wood and door would soon be irreversibly damaged. We use the garage entrance as much as possible. There is still no shoe moulding under any of my bathroom vanities, or kitchen counters, which I've had to caulk with very expensive silicone caulking, to prevent any water damages to the floors, because of the large gaps between the cabinets and flooring. There is not a day that passes that I have not TRULY regretted using our life's savings to have a home built by someone who promised to deliver a well-built home, when in reality he did the exact opposite (IN OUR OPINION). I saw some red flags, and should have listened to my gut, but I did not. He was recommended by a family member that thought there would be no way he'd ever do us wrong, considering that she knew his family very well. I often ask myself....What person could I have chosen in which to put my family's best interest and well being first, that could be worse?..There could've been no worse choice. I have to live with this regret and disappointment every day.. Be advised that we are expressing our opinion on actual services provided to us for payment in return. Although the building process was not performed perse by this person, we would expect that a builder who manages, and supervises all work done to a home to ensure that it is done correctly, and therefore standby their work and his choice of subcontractors. This reasoning is what has lead us in forming our OPINION. Please reference attached pictures for just a few highlights of our wonderful new home...