I guess this is all over for you now, but I have a question. It seems like your problems all start from a crappy foundation. There now exist portable drill units, that could be placed inside your house and dig 20' holes. That's probably into rock. Did you ever look into this? If you could have fixed the foundation, everything else could be solved.
@mineralt - yes it STARTED from a crappy foundation. There is a 50 foot drop from corner to corner and the house is built mostly on fill. There is so much erosion when it rains, there is much more that needs to be done to fix the foundation. See my slideshow in part 3. Also, the back retaining wall is blowing out, so that needs to be fixed too, so the house doesn't slide down the hill!!
March 2011 update: this house is now in foreclosure. It now will be the mortgage company's problem. Unfortunately, there are no laws to protect the new buyer again, and the mortgage company will not have to inform the new buyer of all the problems. I'm sure they'll just cover them up.
I HOPE THE BUILDER AND THE LAWYERS DIE A HORRIBLE EARLY DEATH. I hope the inspecters involved get deathly sick and remain that way for the rest of their lives. - (Sorry if that sounds insensitive) not
@specialks1953 - I've had those thoughts in the past, and have heard similar comments from other people. This state needs to protect it's homeowners(but never will)!!!! Thanks for your imput.
@2007omi - I do wish your family the very best. You deserve it after what you are dealing with in this screwed up mess. There is so much injustice and not enough defence. The courts should look more at JUSTICE.
Oh, by the way this attorney had the insurance policy for a year before informing me of the resulting damage clause. He finally informed me when we were getting ready to settle with builder. In the meantime, he missed a statute of limitations to sue the builder personally, didn't show up for a deposition with my old mortgage rep and had a conflict of interest against me with my husband. He pretty much screwed up my case, but still wanted his money!!!!
Update 9/2/10: I settled with the builder about a year ago for around $67,000. My old attorney who was representing me in 2008 did not inform me of the builder's insurance policy limits, exclusions or a resulting damage clause, which pretty much stated that I did not have a claim. He either didn't read the policy or was an idiot and negligent, I am still trying to figure that one out. He charged me over $90,000 over a year period and put an attorney's lien on my settlement and sued me.
I did not have money to pursue this lawsuit (he buried my current attorneys in paperwork and I was charged over $20,000) and was forced to settle. He took all of the $67,000. During 2008, this attorney had me do additional testing on my house, which cost me thousands in his attorney fees and expert fees for additional reports, phone calls, travel time, meetings and depositions. The case was in Cherokee County State Court if you're interested in the attorney's name. He is out of Atlanta.
@32353 The home inspector would have missed the missing grade beam in the foundation, all the retaining wall problems and probably the supports and mitered LVL's (they were tight together when we purchased and it's 15 feet high up to view to LVL) and the connection from the deck to the house (our structural engineer missed it the first time). They wouldn't have known about the water run-off. Pretty much a home inspector would not have helped in the first place.
Just to let everyone know I am a builder in ND/ MN and you will all be amazed to know that inspectors can NOT be held liable for missing any code violations, true if you can beleive it and if you don't beleive me look it up in the IRC 2006. Second it sounds like you have an attorney but why have they not brought in a state building inspector? maybe they have. I have other questions but maybe you have settled and it was to your satisfaction. Sad to see
State building inspector? I don't think this state has any for the homeowner - each side brought in their own structural engineer. Of, course the builder's structural engineer downplayed all the major issues (that was what he was paid to do).
Note: my grinder pump system has backed up a few times, even as recently as over the weekend. Our builder (sub) didn't wire the warning system, so our alarm doesn't go off and we do not notice it right away.
WoW. this is just awful how did the building inspector approve any of this ??? i would say the City and Builder are the guilty one here. Has anything been done about it yet ??
I have been thinking/planning to build my own house. I was worried about my lack of experience, but after I watched your video I am sure I can do better. For one I am planning a steel frame house so I won't have the problems that wood causes.
Another plus is that I can build and pay for the house as I am building. I don't need the debt. After the house is finished I could repair anything that goes wrong. Sorry for your trouble Thanks for your video.
sorry about your building troubles. my sister has a 'money pit' in the uptown area of Atlanta. the parking garage, which comprises the bottom 2 floors, routinely floods with up to 6feet of raw sewage. the condo owners association has spent years sueing everybody from the contractor to the City.
Looks like your contractor didn't use kiln dried lumber. That won't really have any serious effect on the structural integrity of the supports, but it does look like someone took you for a ride and didn't care too much about putting it together well.
I lived in a house like that once; you have my sympathy, for what it's worth.
I wonder if you can go after the city inspectors who signed off in this house?
Wow - Bless your heart that's horrible! I feel your pain we went through two contractors when we rehabed our Lake House. The first one left us on a friday after pulling up the floor down to the ground...and never came back but we did just give him a check for $4k - hum /duh - Good Luck & Kick Butt!!! smiles
We found out the hard way that the upstairs guest bathroom overflow was not connected. My step-daughter was visiting and took a bath, which turned into a shower on the first floor - talk about money pit!!!!
We agreed to buy the house if the builder put in a back yard. After construction started, we noticed it was not being built to the size we wanted and agreed to, so my husband ended up paying him more money to get it to the size we wanted. We did not know at the time that a wood retaining wall was not supposed to be more than 4 feet. The builder took the extra money and closed knowing this (he's been in the construction business in Georgia for about 20 years).
The house did not have a back yard when we first looked at it, and found out from neighbors who looked at the house before us that they would not buy the house, because of no back yard. The house was open for almost a year before we bought it.
My structural engineer report was done about 6 months after I closed. The builder will state that it is all maintenance issues. Grade beams under foundations, plugged downspouts, back deck/porch not connected to house correctly and a back retaining wall built incorrectly - was I supposed to know about these and maintain them? A home inspector wouldn't even picked up on these problems (especially in Georgia)!!
Framing: Billy "Bo" Bridges, Construction Supervisor for Mark Siver (builder) who's current business name is Northridge Residential, Inc. (will be disolved soon)
Don't forget the builder needs help to construct this mess!! The subcontractors! Here is a partial list from the builder's docs/interrogatories: Concrete Pump -Custom Concrete Pumping; Electrical - David Johnson Electric; Engineering - Building Consultants, Inc & Consulting Enterprises, Corp.; erosion monitoring - Georgia Erosion Control; Footing Concrete - FCC, Inc.; Footing Forms - Jasper Lumber; Footing Labor - Ranger Foundations; Grading - Ronnie Limbaugh
The state should refer fraud/gross negligent cases to the state's attorney general, where they could force the builder to comply with the warranty or face large fines and jail terms until they paid for all the damages they created!!!!
I guess this is all over for you now, but I have a question. It seems like your problems all start from a crappy foundation. There now exist portable drill units, that could be placed inside your house and dig 20' holes. That's probably into rock. Did you ever look into this? If you could have fixed the foundation, everything else could be solved.
mineralt 7 months ago
@mineralt - yes it STARTED from a crappy foundation. There is a 50 foot drop from corner to corner and the house is built mostly on fill. There is so much erosion when it rains, there is much more that needs to be done to fix the foundation. See my slideshow in part 3. Also, the back retaining wall is blowing out, so that needs to be fixed too, so the house doesn't slide down the hill!!
2007omi 7 months ago
March 2011 update: this house is now in foreclosure. It now will be the mortgage company's problem. Unfortunately, there are no laws to protect the new buyer again, and the mortgage company will not have to inform the new buyer of all the problems. I'm sure they'll just cover them up.
2007omi 11 months ago
I HOPE THE BUILDER AND THE LAWYERS DIE A HORRIBLE EARLY DEATH. I hope the inspecters involved get deathly sick and remain that way for the rest of their lives. - (Sorry if that sounds insensitive) not
specialks1953 1 year ago
@specialks1953 - I've had those thoughts in the past, and have heard similar comments from other people. This state needs to protect it's homeowners(but never will)!!!! Thanks for your imput.
2007omi 1 year ago
@2007omi - I do wish your family the very best. You deserve it after what you are dealing with in this screwed up mess. There is so much injustice and not enough defence. The courts should look more at JUSTICE.
specialks1953 1 year ago
Oh, by the way this attorney had the insurance policy for a year before informing me of the resulting damage clause. He finally informed me when we were getting ready to settle with builder. In the meantime, he missed a statute of limitations to sue the builder personally, didn't show up for a deposition with my old mortgage rep and had a conflict of interest against me with my husband. He pretty much screwed up my case, but still wanted his money!!!!
2007omi 1 year ago
His name is Michael Solis and he's out of Buckhead (Atlanta).
2007omi 1 year ago
@2007omi - above comment also posted 9-2-10
2007omi 1 year ago
Update 9/2/10: I settled with the builder about a year ago for around $67,000. My old attorney who was representing me in 2008 did not inform me of the builder's insurance policy limits, exclusions or a resulting damage clause, which pretty much stated that I did not have a claim. He either didn't read the policy or was an idiot and negligent, I am still trying to figure that one out. He charged me over $90,000 over a year period and put an attorney's lien on my settlement and sued me.
2007omi 1 year ago
I did not have money to pursue this lawsuit (he buried my current attorneys in paperwork and I was charged over $20,000) and was forced to settle. He took all of the $67,000. During 2008, this attorney had me do additional testing on my house, which cost me thousands in his attorney fees and expert fees for additional reports, phone calls, travel time, meetings and depositions. The case was in Cherokee County State Court if you're interested in the attorney's name. He is out of Atlanta.
2007omi 1 year ago
Attic and retaining walls shown in My Money Pit #2
2007omi 1 year ago
Its rediculous that even here in canada you dont have to be certified to do carpentry and framing.
bluehorse888 1 year ago
Thats too bad, I wonder if a home inspector would have tipped you off that you best walk away...I would have missed
the retaining wall problems also..I hope you get some help with this
32353 1 year ago
@32353 The home inspector would have missed the missing grade beam in the foundation, all the retaining wall problems and probably the supports and mitered LVL's (they were tight together when we purchased and it's 15 feet high up to view to LVL) and the connection from the deck to the house (our structural engineer missed it the first time). They wouldn't have known about the water run-off. Pretty much a home inspector would not have helped in the first place.
2007omi 1 year ago
Did you have the home inspected before
buying?..Were any of these problems detected by the inspection?..I lost 20k on
a bad builder, an addition years ago.The laws need to change....
32353 1 year ago
No I did not, since this was a new construction. Silly me, I assumed it was up to code! If it was a resale, I would have hired a home inspector.
2007omi 1 year ago
Wow amazing but not suprised!
Just to let everyone know I am a builder in ND/ MN and you will all be amazed to know that inspectors can NOT be held liable for missing any code violations, true if you can beleive it and if you don't beleive me look it up in the IRC 2006. Second it sounds like you have an attorney but why have they not brought in a state building inspector? maybe they have. I have other questions but maybe you have settled and it was to your satisfaction. Sad to see
paragonrenovations 1 year ago
State building inspector? I don't think this state has any for the homeowner - each side brought in their own structural engineer. Of, course the builder's structural engineer downplayed all the major issues (that was what he was paid to do).
2007omi 1 year ago
Update: the cracks are bigger and I hear loud cracking noises in my house! I believe my house is shifting and sinking.
2007omi 1 year ago
I guess I'm lucky that my shower and grinder pump system are a full floor/story away from each other, otherwise I would be having that problem.
2007omi 1 year ago
Note: my grinder pump system has backed up a few times, even as recently as over the weekend. Our builder (sub) didn't wire the warning system, so our alarm doesn't go off and we do not notice it right away.
2007omi 1 year ago
WoW. this is just awful how did the building inspector approve any of this ??? i would say the City and Builder are the guilty one here. Has anything been done about it yet ??
diggerdave51 2 years ago
you need mike holmes and his crew.
i feel for you. i also, have serious "out of code" problems with my house that were overlooked.
tinram745 2 years ago
I have been thinking/planning to build my own house. I was worried about my lack of experience, but after I watched your video I am sure I can do better. For one I am planning a steel frame house so I won't have the problems that wood causes.
Another plus is that I can build and pay for the house as I am building. I don't need the debt. After the house is finished I could repair anything that goes wrong. Sorry for your trouble Thanks for your video.
kingmike40 2 years ago
sorry about your building troubles. my sister has a 'money pit' in the uptown area of Atlanta. the parking garage, which comprises the bottom 2 floors, routinely floods with up to 6feet of raw sewage. the condo owners association has spent years sueing everybody from the contractor to the City.
rokkyrakkoon 2 years ago
I wish I only had dried lumber problems - mitered LVL beams play a major role in the integrity of the structure, along with that missing grade beam.
2007omi 2 years ago
Looks like your contractor didn't use kiln dried lumber. That won't really have any serious effect on the structural integrity of the supports, but it does look like someone took you for a ride and didn't care too much about putting it together well.
I lived in a house like that once; you have my sympathy, for what it's worth.
I wonder if you can go after the city inspectors who signed off in this house?
kimchiman1000 2 years ago
Wow - Bless your heart that's horrible! I feel your pain we went through two contractors when we rehabed our Lake House. The first one left us on a friday after pulling up the floor down to the ground...and never came back but we did just give him a check for $4k - hum /duh - Good Luck & Kick Butt!!! smiles
georgialakeview 2 years ago
We found out the hard way that the upstairs guest bathroom overflow was not connected. My step-daughter was visiting and took a bath, which turned into a shower on the first floor - talk about money pit!!!!
2007omi 2 years ago
We agreed to buy the house if the builder put in a back yard. After construction started, we noticed it was not being built to the size we wanted and agreed to, so my husband ended up paying him more money to get it to the size we wanted. We did not know at the time that a wood retaining wall was not supposed to be more than 4 feet. The builder took the extra money and closed knowing this (he's been in the construction business in Georgia for about 20 years).
2007omi 2 years ago
The house did not have a back yard when we first looked at it, and found out from neighbors who looked at the house before us that they would not buy the house, because of no back yard. The house was open for almost a year before we bought it.
2007omi 2 years ago
My structural engineer report was done about 6 months after I closed. The builder will state that it is all maintenance issues. Grade beams under foundations, plugged downspouts, back deck/porch not connected to house correctly and a back retaining wall built incorrectly - was I supposed to know about these and maintain them? A home inspector wouldn't even picked up on these problems (especially in Georgia)!!
2007omi 2 years ago
For all you builders - this is how NOT to build a house!!
Listed below are all the sub contractors involved in building my house.
2007omi 2 years ago
Consulting Enterprises Inspection Report, dated May 3, 2004 (days before my closing) approved the rear deck supports - Engineer: Tej Krishan Kaul
City of Canton Inspector: Debra Sellers
2007omi 2 years ago
Engineer who provided drawings for the deck: Consulting Enterprises, Corp (Ramesh C. Dua)
2007omi 2 years ago
Builder's Back Retaining Wall Sub: Blanton Landscaping, Inc.
2007omi 2 years ago
Framing: Billy "Bo" Bridges, Construction Supervisor for Mark Siver (builder) who's current business name is Northridge Residential, Inc. (will be disolved soon)
2007omi 2 years ago
more sub list: Deck Materials and Garage Doors - Robert Bowden, Inc.
2007omi 2 years ago
More Sub list: Grading Haul - Westmoreland & Sons, Ronnie Limbaugh; Irrigation - Gary Nelson; Landscaping - Blanton Landscaping
(see rest of list on part 2)
2007omi 2 years ago
Don't forget the builder needs help to construct this mess!! The subcontractors! Here is a partial list from the builder's docs/interrogatories: Concrete Pump -Custom Concrete Pumping; Electrical - David Johnson Electric; Engineering - Building Consultants, Inc & Consulting Enterprises, Corp.; erosion monitoring - Georgia Erosion Control; Footing Concrete - FCC, Inc.; Footing Forms - Jasper Lumber; Footing Labor - Ranger Foundations; Grading - Ronnie Limbaugh
2007omi 2 years ago
The state should refer fraud/gross negligent cases to the state's attorney general, where they could force the builder to comply with the warranty or face large fines and jail terms until they paid for all the damages they created!!!!
2007omi 2 years ago
@2007omi
I totally I agree with you. How can they do this! How evil these people are!!
I feel so bad for you and your husband! I pray and hope that you will win with this horrible nightmare!
alexdelrio45 1 year ago