BIRCHWOOD HOMES INC

DON'T DO IT!! If we could give them a zero, we would. We read the other negative reviews online but figured we would be ok with what we thought was a "reputable" builder considering how long they've been around. It seems they have earned themselves a new reputation, and it's catching up with them. I have talked to many people that just shake their heads when I mention them. This company cares nothing about its customers. You are only a dollar sign, and they will get around to building your house when they d*** well please. If you used a real estate agent, plan on taking a backseat to those that went direct to the builder. The communication is insanely horrible as others have said. I called to talk to John Torczon and was told by their rude receptionist that since I used an agent I could not talk to the builder, I could only talk to their agent, Jeff Elsberry. Jeff would completely blow off emails and phone calls and lied about something he told us in response to a very specific question at a meeting we had. Questions go from you, to your agent, to their agent, to the builder then back to their agent, and your agent, then you. You may get an answer in a week or two if you're lucky. We signed papers in early May, and as of October our foundation walls that had been sitting there for 9 weeks (that had been backfilled, but not braced) cracked badly in several places and started to bow. Meanwhile, a spec house up the street had been started 2 months after ours and already had lumber dropped. When we were working on plans it took several months because any changes would take 2-3 weeks to turn around. Even when it was their architect who drew something wrong, too bad, "You have to get back in line behind everyone else" we were told. That one alone took 3 weeks to get fixed. They will use every excuse they can to delay. They claimed weather, but even when it was nice for weeks at a time, nothing happened. It got to the point where it was absolutely a joke. The superintendent showed up at our first meeting not even knowing where our house was and tried to tell us we were wrong about there being a foundation already. He also tried to tell us that the upgraded patio they had drawn on the plans and signed off on, was actually a buried electrical line and we wouldn't get that upgraded patio. He had the foundation floor scheduled to be poured the morning after we saw the cracks. As a "superintendent" shouldn't he have noticed the jacked up walls? Why did we have to point it out? They will bs you every step of the way. This builder has gotten too big (they seemingly own everything), and their goal is to build as many houses as they can without any regard for the people whose lives they are affecting. They are completely overcommitted and just don't care. After having picked out every single thing we needed to for that house, we backed out and walked away, and they had the nerve to tell us we couldn't change our minds. Bullet dodged! Save yourself the nightmare you will inevitably have to endure if you make this mistake.

The responsiveness to warranty work was pitiful, the builder tries to get all of his subcontractors in on the same day to fix your issues, this can be overwhelming as you cannot oversee a half dozen workers and make sure they are doing quality work. Once they 'fix' an issue, even if it is not good - they will not respond to further calls to fix that item again. I called dozens of times about numerous issues - some they finally fixed, others I was told would not be worked on further because of builders code. This company is horrible, I had to use my own money to fix these issues that were there from day one of ownership...unfortunately because he is a large volume home builder, one person will not affect him -- and he lets you know that! Do the research, find a builder who puts everything in writing - writing that you agree to, there are enough builders in the Omaha metro area that will do this for you. Lastly, do not be afraid to call out them or their subcontractors when something doesn't look right, many people listen to their construction people, when they should be hiring their own private inspector, who can take it to the builder. If you build with this company -- Hire a private inspector that has no affiliation with this Birchwood/Woodland/PineCrest or Richland Homes!!

I ve had a lot of problems with this house. I ve called many times for them to come out and fix them. They didn t do as good as they should have and they will not follow up with my calls. They have returned a few calls but they keep putting me off and that doesn t make me very happy.

They really paid special attention to detail and made sure that the work was done correctly. I think that the company did a good job. The whole project did not take a long time and the workers were always friendly and on time. I would recommend this company to anyone. I was personally pleased with the service.