Smalygo Properties Inc

Smalygo Properties promised that we would have a custom house and that they would be accessible to us whenever we needed them. The first clue that they had overpromised came when we were working on the building plans. It took several weeks of going back and forth to finalize the plans, even though we actually modified an existing floor plan. They would commit to have the revisions to us in 3 days, and almost 2 weeks later we would get them. The sales contract was a modified "boilerplate" contract that they did not review in detail with us - they gave it to us and told us to let them know if we had any questions. While they knew what they had put into the deal, they did not take any time to sit down with us and review the items in the contract. They did not review any options with us prior to developing the contract - later when we asked about items such as selections of materials the response was "it was in the contract". The subcontractors that were hired appeared to be hired based on price rather than quality of work product. The electrician and plumber specifically seemed to do the bare minimum. When the electrician was requested to do work the way we wanted his answer was "I don't do it that way". We were so concerned about the work of the subcontractors that before closing we contacted the State of Oklahoma builder inspectors and had them look at the house. They found that the HVAC, electrical and plumbing did not meet state code. The builder was upset that we had called in inspectors, but he was the one who assured us that the work on the house would meet code. Rework was required on some of the installation. We opted not to use a standard house inspector as we were concerned about code compliance. Just a side note - builders may tell you that there aren't any codes that must be complied with, but this isn't accurate. The national building codes are required everywhere - it's just that most of the time only cities or municipalities may enforce them or even have stricter codes that must be complied with. All buildings must meet the basic codes. It may be that there are no required inspections for single family homes, but they can be requested. We asked that all excess building material be accounted for (as we were questioning why items we had paid for were suddenly gone such as extra bundles of shingles). We pushed them on making sure that we used the granite slabs as effectively as possible and magically had enough granite to put granite countertops everywhere in our house. Had we not pushed for this we would have bought the same amount of granite, yet had formica or faux marble in many rooms of the house. Smalygo builds a good looking house, but the experience was painful. Phone calls were not returned in a timely fashion if at all. We learned early on to make all requests in writing and if we had any conversations with the builder we followed up with an email detailing what had been committed and/or requested during the conversation. Smalygo has a reputation for communicating badly. If I had to do it over again I would have spent far more time in the early parts of the process making sure that we had spoken about every detail (including things such as when selections needed to be made for carpeting, tile, paint colors, appliances, etc) and where they suggested that we make these selections. They have a tendency to call you to let you know that they need something and give you 24 hours to get a response to them while not returning your calls for days or weeks. If I worked with them again I would do the following: - Make sure that I had a detailed timeline that spelled out when selections such as brick, stone, carpet, tile, etc had to be made. In addition I would require a list of suppliers for those items. - Go through the contract with a fine tooth comb and make no assumptions. We ended up with a small mailbox because we didn't think to specify that we wanted a larger size box - we never thought to ask. Now that I know what to expect I would not sign the contract until we had gone through the plan foot by foot and listed the selections that had to be made. - After the walls were framed and after the electrical and plumbing had been roughed in but before sheet rock was put up I would call in the state inspectors to go over the installation. If the installation didn't meet current code I would have it redone until it did. I would also have written into the contract that I was going to do this so there were no surprises. - After the finish work was done I'd call the inspectors back in to review the final installations including the HVAC. - Question every line item and get their answers in writing. - I would also write in a requirement that phone calls and emails are responded to in a prompt manner. Everyone with whom I have spoken who has built a house with Smalygo has had the same complaint about communication. The biggest issue with this builder is the lack of communication. Almost all of the issues we had could have been resolved early on and not blown up into major problems. They make a lot of assumptions that the customer knows what is going to be done, and then they are surprised when there are issues. Would I build with them again? No. But I have learned from this experience and if I were to build again, I will be far more skeptical of any commitments made by any builder. I certainly would not take their word that they would do things the way we discussed. Trust but verify. My father was in home construction all his life and would have been appalled at the way we were treated. It was unfortunate because we love our house, but are always wondering when something is going to go wrong or break. This experience reminded me that there are three things you can ask for: price, quality and service. You can only ever get two of the three. You pick the two you are going to get.