H2 Custom Homes

After delivery we notified the builder that there were many issues which needed to be corrected. He agreed that they would be corrected. The builder indicated there were cost overruns that needed to be addressed prior to the items being corrected. The builder sent me a message itemizing the cost overruns on 08/19/10 at $19,532.83. The builder then met with us to discuss the itemized charges. At that meeting I requested a copy of receipts for the materials for which he wanted to charge us. He could not provide any receipts. Mr. Herring stated that he had none and left. He has since refused to respond to inquiries. A complaint with the Better Business Bureu has been unresolved and closed. Mr. Herring built a detached garage for us prior to the house being built. A separate meter was installed on the garage at his direction. New Bern Electric charges commercial rates for garage meters. The cost of correcting the problem is prohibitive. New Bern electric said they hardly have any residential garages with separate meters. Most garage electric service is via a sub-panel off the main panel. The detached garage floor has cracks all over it. His response that "garage floors always crack" is unacceptable. The attached garage here has no cracks. It was done be a different concrete subcontractor. The plumber Mr. Herring used put a restrictor valve between the water meter and the house. This reduced our water pressure by 33%. The plumber we had correct the problem said that Craven County doesn't require restrictor valves. When we visited the site during the build-out, Mr. Herring and I noticed water running down the foundation walls in the attached garage. He claimed "we've had a lot of rain lately" prior to our arrival and said the problem would be corrected during the back-fill. It was determined to be a leak from a water line that was broken during the construction phase (either the house set or after). We had water running under the house for over 2 years. He apparently knew that this was happening because he tried to hide the leak on the foundation wall using plastic sheeting. The only wall that this sheeting is attached to is the area where the foundation leaks. We have laid sod in the front yard and landscaped. The yard had to be landscaped again as a result of attempts to locate the leak. There has been a recurring crack in the hallway outside the master bedroom. Mr. Herring has fixed the crack several times and I have repaired the crack two times. The crack continues to widen, indicating a serious foundation issue which may substantially degrade the house structure itself over the coming years. On 10/26/2009 during an inspection visit by us, we noticed a significant crack in the south-facing foundation wall. You indicated that this was expected and that "it probably cracked on one of the steps". That crack has continued to widen. You resurfaced the foundation wall to hide the crack. The crack has reappeared. In October 2009 we discovered that the house main plumbing line cutoff valve; which was placed in the house for the homeowner's convenience, was bypassed and a cutoff valve was placed in the front yard. This valve was placed roughly 2 feet below grade. We discovered in August 2011 that the smoke and CO2 detectors had not been completely wired. This was a serious safety issue; which we had to correct ourselves. On 11/25/13 I discovered water under the master bathroom shower. Inspection has revealed significant water damage to the house structure as-well-as a black mold problem. Contractors who have inspected the shower have stated that it was incorrectly constructed and will require major repairs. Repairs to the shower and associated damages have cost us $8,000+ and the loss of use of our master bath for 3 weeks. We have had a structural engineer begin work on stabilizing the house foundation at a current cost of $20,000. We paid Mr. Herring $292,000 for our retirement home. He didn't really deliver a product as much as abandon it. He is doing business as H II Custom Homes http://h2customhomes.com/