Wednesday, May 29, 2013

I'm getting angry now

 



So yesterday I posted all the problems I found with our framing and foundation and sent a long email to our PM and SR.  This morning we received a 1 sentence reply from our PM basically stating YES the concrete guy F'ed up but we will patch it up. (The PM has as much to blame as the worker if not more since he has the blueprint and suppose to be SUPERVISING).
 This makes me so angry that I responded with the letter below to both SR and PM. 

We want our PM to be more involved with the building process (that's his job isn't it?).  His job is to "SUPERVISE" the construction crew to eliminate mistakes (at least the big ones) but we feel he's not doing that effective enough.  The construction workers could careless about the quality of work since they probably get paid very little so quality control is all in the hands of PM's.  Our PM is a nice guy but if he's not doing his job then we have a problem.  It's his ass now or my family's problem in the future and we are not paying 2/3 of a million dollar house to have problems nor can we afford to.
All the mistakes I mentioned from last post could easily be prevented had PM verified, went over the blueprint and supervised the pouring.

On top of everything, we have already been delayed from June to July to August so INTEREST RATES are now almost 1% higher meaning we are paying for all the delays.  I see further delay in the future when big mistakes like the happens.  GRRRRR I'm so upset.

Ohh one more thing, we also noticed that one of our neighbor's house is ready and they purchase the house months after we did.  I remember talking to them because they changed models from a smaller model to the same "Shakespeare" model.



PM and SR,

Thank you for the update.
We want to let you know we are not happy with things are going right now and you can mention this to Ryan's headquarter.
It's not fair to (PM's name) that his time is being spread so thin supervising so many houses at once and especially not fair to the paying customer.  I'm a firm believer that if things are done right the first time it'll lead to less problems in the future.  Hence our multiple change orders to get it right since we don't have a blueprint to follow.

The foundation is the most important part of the house and it really concerns us that it's not poured correctly for the steel beam support (and the big gaps by the exit).  The first 2 levels of framing is already sitting on top of the steel beam, so I don't see how the "temporary" wood block and the "inserts between plates" can be removed without compromising the integrity of the rest of the framing.  I know holes, gaps, spaces can be patched and filled but it's not the same quality.  A new build should not be a big patching job to fix mistakes. 

Sorry if I'm being blunt and maybe rude but we want to voice our concerns before things get any worse.  
We are putting everything into this house and we want to make sure nothing major will go wrong in the future.

Thank you for understanding.
Signed and delivered

9 comments:

  1. Hope you receive the reaction you're expecting from your SR, PM, and RH.

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  2. That should get their attention. My wife and I were very vocal on our build (we closed a month ago) and it seems to get things done. You really shouldn't have to do this over every single thing but it seems that is the only way to get things corrected. If this letter does not work for you another route to go would be to threaten to walk away. You have just cause that the foundation in not structurally safe. From this point on they should bend over backwards for you.

    Some more advice is to be there every step of the way. I have seen/heard of drywall going up and covering a window. My in-laws are building as well, they had flooring placed over a vent and a very amateur-ish tile job in the master bathroom. He also has a blog here: http://pisatorre.blogspot.com/2013/05/rusmur-flooring-strikes-again.html

    Good luck with everything

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Justin,

      I'll checkout your in-laws blog.

      Delete
  3. Great letter Cloud! That letter should definitely get some attention. Let us know what they have to say this time....

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  4. Ella,

    I'm not sure your posts don't show up but I'll post it for you. :)
    Thank you for your comments.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    Ella May has left a new comment on your post "I'm getting angry now":

    First, Love the picture of the angry baby, that is just classic.
    As for the letter, it is much needed, and you were very civil and clear as well. It is good that you were not overly aggressive in attacking the lack of quality and the PM's supervision, which might have back fired. I think blaming RH in general is a good tactic. I believe for the sum of investment you are putting in, you should demand a very clear answer in-writing of how the issues will be fixed. Best of luck. I'm wondering how they'll fix it..

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for re-posting. I am not sure why this is happening with my posts. Another one was eaten up yesterday too.. Anyway. It is your house, and your very hard earned money. Ryan Homes may deal in millions and billions of dollars, but for every one of us, we are pushing ourselves to the limit and providing our life's savings to build these homes. I would not settle for anything other than what is just and built right. If one of the contractors screwed up, it is your PM's responsibility to make it right. Under no condition should you be the one paying for it. I am sorry if I am adding fuel to the fire, but I keep thinking about how those beams are set and think, "If this happens in my house..." best of luck.

      Delete
  5. Honestly, the thoughts you posted were taken from my head. This build process has been absolutely absurd. I have found that my PM has no interest in a quality product or doing things right to prevent more difficulties in the future. I try to work with him to point out things needing attention before the next step and I get snarky responses or "I'll look at it". I realize that Ryan has 18 houses in my neighborhood he is "supervising", but why should my house be compromised because of this? The subcontractors are just paid to slap together houses and I do not believe Ryan holds them accountable for any kind of quality, as long as they can pass "inspections" (which are another issue). I realize Ryan is a "value" builder, but I worked very hard for every cent I paid for my house and even value builders can deliver a quality product. My only advice is to keep on it, an go above PMs head if it comes to it. You don't want to have to do this (wouldn't it be great to sit back and enjoy the build without worrying about what is going to happen to your house 5 years down the line because something wasn't done right?).

    Know what you mean too about the interest rates. Between Ryan's initial delay in building and NVRM's dragging their feet at 60-day lock time (not giving the green light to lock), it looks like we'll be paying over 4% and not getting any discount point (just 3 weeks ago we were at 3.5 with a half percent discount point. UGHHHHH - that's like an $90 per month difference in the mortgage.

    Sorry for the rant (you can delete the comment if you want) :)

    As I read on a blog, there is a light at the end of the tunnel - and it's not a freight train :) I do believe in the end it will all turn out fine.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. Why would I want to delete it :).

      I will stop by the construction site every day and take pictures. If I didn't go there and discover the bad install of the beams, they probably just patch it up and cover the wood block and all and let me worry about it after the warranty ends.

      Delete
  6. I personally think the letter was very well written and just. Basically, they need to know if you are not satisfied and structure is number one priority. They should not only reimburse u where rates are concerned, but there is no way I would let this go as a patch job. It is your money and your commitment and therefore potentially your safety at risk if you allow them to keep moving forward that way. I truly hope and pray they get this taken care of for promptly and correctly. This is really bothering me and I don't even know you. Definitely get an inspector even before they go to drywall and call the county too.

    ReplyDelete