Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i have had frost on the inside of my home. the fix they said was backer rod to put on the siding Medard's- they wanted to know if they we putting me on! they also thought my house was an old house. i asked empire homes if they have heard of frost on the inside-said in this weather anything can happen. i had a phone conversation-very unprofessional. she said she wasn't in front of her computer, tried to talk again she said "are you talking to me"? she also said it was a slab home what do u expect. a few years ago the first month i moved in my drive way was cracking. i sent pictures as requested. i again tried to have a phone conversation-she said evidentially the masonry guy had a bad day! they tried some kind of caulk which lasted about a month. the brick keeps falling off the front of the garage. everything is very unprofessional and the fixes are very cheap and don't last. my husband and i have owned houses in Denver and Sioux falls, we have never experienced any thing like empire homes. i also know others that are not satisfied with empire. i truly hope that no one else had to go through the same thing.

  Business response

  05/21/2024

  Please see below regarding the complaint submitted by *** ***** at the address of **** * ********** **. The homeowner expressed concerns regarding a concrete crack, exterior stone and frost on the interior of the home. 

  Concrete Crack: 
  The homeowner first notified Empire Homes of a crack in the concrete 17 days after their 30 day warranty appointment which occurred March 8th, 2019. The crack was found to be a hairline fracture under 1/4 of an inch. According to the performance guidelines of the National Association of Home Builders a crack exceeding 3/16 of an inch width is to be repaired. Because the crack was under 1/4th of an inch, Empire Homes did not perform work at that time as our procedure is to keep an eye on those cracks and address them at the 12 month warranty appointment in case there is any additional movement. 
  At the scheduled 12 month warranty appointment that took place on May 21, of 2020,  the cracks appeared to be the same size. Because the width of the crack did not exceed 3/16th of an inch Empire Homes filled the cracks in the driveway with an approved sealant.

  Exterior Stone: 
  At the 12 month warranty appointment Empire Homes also addressed the stone that had been falling from the garage facia. We sent our stonemason back to **** to repair and check for additional loose stonework. 
  May 10, 2022 we received an email from the owner that the stone was still falling off and sent someone back to replace the missing stone. 
  We were unaware that the stone has continued to fall at this residence and agree to replace it. Our team will coordinate with the homeowner to get the work scheduled.

  Interior Frost: 
  March 5th, 2024 Empire Homes received an email with a photo of frost on the interior baseboard. 
  
  We responded and recommended other techniques that could be done if this were to occur in the future.  Building codes require that we use a product commonly referred to as Sill Seal which is installed between the foundation and the wall to minimize air leakage at the sill and to reduce heat gain/loss.  At times our climate causes a temperature difference of almost 100 degrees between the inside and outside.  And when combined with high winds, this issue can occur. 

  Our team is happy to re-inspect and will reach out to 2718 directly via email to discuss and resolve the frost and stone concerns.

  
  

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