Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/05/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We purchased our home in the Honey Oaks subdivision in May 2024, expecting a quality-built property inside and out. Instead, our yard was covered with mesh netting and seeded, leading to nothing but weeds and mud. My husband and I cared for our lawn daily, pulling weeds and watering, but when we removed the netting two months later, we found no grass—only an overgrown mess. When we asked Smithbilt to redo our lawn, they flatly refused, stating that grass isn’t a warrantable item. Despite spending thousands of dollars trying to fix it, we’ve had no success. We’ve spoken with many of our neighbors who are dealing with the same issue, and we’re all outraged. To make matters worse, the new homes being built in the subdivision are getting sod installed from the start, while we weren’t even given the basic courtesy of regrading and reseeding. To add insult to injury, many of us have found construction debris buried beneath the netting, and not a single homeowner along Honey Oaks Road has had success growing grass. Instead, we’re left with muddy, unsightly yards that are a stark contrast to the brand-new homes just down the street, which are receiving sod as the standard. We, the homeowners of Honey Oaks Road, demand that Smithbilt take responsibility by regrading our lawns and installing sod. This situation is unacceptable and reflects poorly on both Smithbilt and the quality of our subdivision. We all paid a significant amount for our homes, yet we’ve been ignored while newer buyers receive better treatment. It’s time to fix this mistake.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/21/2025

  Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns. At Smithbilt Homes, we take pride in building quality homes and ensuring that our offerings align with market conditions and community expectations. We understand that having a well-established lawn is important to homeowners, and we empathize with your frustration regarding the challenges you’ve faced with your yard.

  At the time of your home’s purchase, the lot was provided with seed and straw in accordance with our standard practice at that time. The price of your home reflected this offering, just as the pricing of homes in later phases reflects any adjustments to materials or amenities we provide. As with all aspects of our home construction, we reserve the right to modify our included features based on a variety of factors, including material availability, cost fluctuations, and evolving community standards.

  While we recognize your disappointment, we want to clarify that landscaping, including grass establishment, is not covered under our warranty. The responsibility for maintaining and cultivating grass falls to the homeowner after closing. We regret that your lawn has not grown as expected, but we will not be revisiting closed homes to install sod or regrade yards.

  We appreciate your feedback and understand that changes in offerings can sometimes lead to comparisons between different phases of a community. However, our decisions regarding included features are made thoughtfully and are reflected in the overall home pricing at the time of purchase.

  If you have any additional questions, we would be happy to discuss them further. Thank you again for reaching out.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Before closing on a house from Smithbilt homes, the home inspector had asked Smithbilt Home to please fix the issue of standing water. I also have put in several tickets to please come and fix the issue of the standing water in the middle of my backyard and Mr. *** ********* from Smithbilt Homes kept making excuses and have not come fix the issue. I have put several tickets about the standing water, it's been several months and they still have not come and fix the issue.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/18/2023

  All Smithbilt homeowners sign and agree to our limited 1-year workmanship home warranty when they go under contract to purchase a new home.  The referenced property was comple*** in mid-February of 2023, at this time a 3rd Party Home Inspection was performed on 2/16/23.  The homeowner also performed their pre-closing walk through on February 17, 2023.  The home inspection & customer pre-closing walk through did show a small area in the rear of the house that had some standing water, within the drainage swale.  The picture that was submit*** for the BBB complaint was taken during an extreme weather event which experienced a large amount of rainfall onto an already satura*** soil.  As referenced in Smithbilt’s limi*** 1-year workmanship warranty ::
    :: Section 1, B 1. Site Drainage – Standing or ponding water shall not remain for extended periods in the immediate area after a rain (generally no more than 24 hours), except that in swales that drain other areas, or in areas where sump pumps discharge, a longer period can be anticipa*** (generally no more than 48 hours).  The possibility of standing water after an unusually heavy rainfall should be anticipated.
  

  The winter months in East Tennessee are usually impac*** by heavier rainfall than other times of the year, and this past winter was no different.  This past spring and current summer months have also seen higher than average rainfall. Smithbilt is obliga*** to fix the area holding water as per the stipulations of our sales contract, however, the homeowner has installed a fence, prior to Smithbilt being able to perform the grading repair.  The installation of the fence has exacerba*** the grading issue by damming up the water flow through the prescribed drainage swale.  Smithbilt has informed the homeowner, on more than one occasion, that the bottom of the fence needs to be raised to a minimum of 2 inches off of the grass in order for us to proceed with the warrantied repair.  Once the fence situation has been remedied, Smithbilt and our contractors are ready and able to complete the grading which will prevent the water from standing in the drainage swale.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought my newly built home in December of 2019. I am the first owner of the home. This month I noticed my wall seams upstairs are cracking and pulling apart. Contacted the builder and they said it was from settling. I contacted a lawyer and he said to hire an inspector. The inspector said that no this issue is not from settling but from poor building of the house. They did not tape and mud correctly. They also did not meet code standards for drainage and sloping which has caused a crack in the foundation of my back left corner of my house which corresponds with the corner that has the worst wall separation in the house. The builder has refused to do anything regarding the issues since they only offer a year warranty. The inspector did say it was strange this issue did not arise in the first year given how poorly they taped the walls. There are multiple areas this is happening.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/01/2023

  All Smithbilt homeowners sign and agree to our limited 1-year home warranty when they go under contract to purchase a new home.  During this warranty period they are given 2 chances to request repairs for any items they feel need to be addressed; 90 days post-closing and the year end.  During the construction process most new homebuyers elect to have home inspections done on their new homes and we agree that this is good practice.  This is most commonly done before closing on the home and/or prior to the expiration of the limited 1 Year Warranty.
  
  The Complainant’s home located at closed December 16, 2019.  During the construction process, pre-closing inspections, 90-Day Warranty & 1-Year warranty process, there was never any mention of the slope issue of the grading or the cracked brick.  Smithbilt has been building homes for 50+ years in Oak Ridge and the surrounding counties and we strive to meet and sometimes exceed the local building code.  The home was built according to current building codes adopted and enforced by the City of Oak Ridge. We met our obligations to satisfy this by passing all inspections performed by the building codes enforcement office.
  
  Since receiving the complaint, a Smithbilt representative has gone to inspect the brick work ourselves and we believe that the damage detailed in the home inspection report has occurred as a result of a non-construction related incidence post-closing of the home.  That being said, Smithbilt is willing to repair the cosmetic cracks in the mortar of the brick foundation.
  
  In reference to the drywall tape seam issues, this is the first reported notice that Smithbilt has been given.  We have gone back through the pre-closing walk-through, 90-Day warranty list, 1-year warranty list, and the immediate attention issues reported for this home and are unable to find anything mentioned about this issue.  Now that Smithbilt has been made aware of the issue, we contacted the homeowner and inspected the drywall taping issue listed above.  Smithbilt is willing to go back into the home and repair this drywall taping item.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/03/2023

  All Smithbilt homeowners sign and agree to our limited 1-year home warranty when they go under contract to purchase a new home.  During this warranty period they are given 2 chances to request repairs for any items they feel need to be addressed: 90 days post-closing and the year end.  During the construction process most, new homebuyers elect to have home inspections done on their new homes and we agree that this is good practice.  This is commonly done before closing on the home and/or prior to the expiration of the limited 1 Year Warranty.
  
  The Complainant’s home located a closed December 16, 2019.  During the construction process, pre-closing inspections, 90-Day Warranty & 1-Year warranty process, there was never any mention of the slope issue of the grading or the cracked brick.  Smithbilt has been building homes for 50+ years in Oak Ridge and the surrounding counties and we strive to meet and sometimes exceed the local building code.  The home was built according to current building codes adopted and enforced by the City of Oak Ridge. We met our obligations to satisfy this by passing all inspections performed by the building codes enforcement office.
  
  Since receiving the complaint, a Smithbilt representative has gone to inspect the brick work and we believe that the damage detailed in the home inspection report has occurred because of a non-construction related incidence post-closing of the home.  That being said, Smithbilt is willing to repair the cosmetic cracks in the mortar of the brick foundation.
  
  In reference to the drywall tape seam issues, this is the first reported notice that Smithbilt has been given.  We have gone back through the pre-closing walk-through, 90-Day warranty list, 1-year warranty list, and the immediate attention issues reported for this home and are unable to find anything mentioned about this issue.  Now that Smithbilt has been made aware of the issue, we contacted the homeowner and inspected the drywall taping issue listed above.  Smithbilt is willing to go back into the home and repair this drywall taping item.