ComplaintsforAugusta Custom Homes

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Augusta Custom Homes built our home. The installation of the floors throughout the entire house was done incorrectly as they did not float the floors adequately prior to installation. As a result, there are significant humps and valleys in our floor. A 6-foot level will waddle like a see saw and several boards have already popped up as a result of the bounce when stepped on. We had the floor manufacturer view it and said there was nothing wrong with the material. The floors were deemed level by their paid inspector, however the level they used to was never fully on the floor. You car run your hand under the level that they deemed sufficient. Please also refer to the laser level testing we had completed which clearly documents dips and valleys out of tolerance. The entire house is floating floor LVP and the entire house was done poorly. They know this because they already had to replace my second floor hallway. That one was so egregious it could be seen by the naked eye. As a result of the flow not being floated, my top stair slopes down and my bottom stair riser is almost an inch shorter than all the others. They strung me along until the one year mark and then just removed my access to my building account on their app. The job they did and efforts to avoid providing us what we paid for is borderline criminal. Please assist if possible.

  Business response

  05/19/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2022/03/25) */ (BBB note- please see attached for referenced items) To whom it may concern: Augusta Custom Home takes this Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint from the homeowner very seriously as there have been numerous steps taken to solve this situation amicably. Augusta Custom Homes completed this home on 01/15/2021. The goal of all custom home build projects is to complete all punch items before customer move in so there is a clean transition into the oneyear workmanship warranty period. All StrucSure Home Warranty documentation was completed and submitted within days of closing and the homeowner signed the StrucSure Home Warranty Home Enrollment Application on 01/19/2021. See Item #1. We have had projects that have had less than 2 warranty requests within the first year and regardless of the number of requests and degree of the requested warranty items, Augusta tackles all warranty items as soon as they come in, sometimes within hours of the request. All warranty requests are documented using CoConstruct, a builder software application. We started receiving warranty requests for this project on 02/05/2021. A full list of all warranty items submitted by the homeowner, whether they were found to be a legitimate warranty or not have been provided. See Item #2. The documentation includes the original request, all dialogue between the homeowner, Augusta employees and trades, and when the warranty item was closed out. It should be noted that the homeowner has stated on multiple occasions that they brought up concerns about the LVP flooring during construction prior to the final walk through. It clearly states in the StrucSure Warranty Booklet, See Item #3, on Page 5 under Section 7: Exclusions "Any condition, Defect/Deficiency You were aware of prior to the Effective Date of Warranty, whether appearing on a "walk through" or "punch" list or not" is excluded. With that said, Augusta makes every effort to ensure customer satisfaction. However, Augusta will assert its contractual rights when a customer attempts to take advantage of our good faith generosity as seems to be the case here. The first request regarding the LVP flooring came in on 02/09/2021. There is extensive dialogue regarding this request provided in CoConstruct, See Item #2. The homeowner stated that they had already reached out to the flooring manufacturer with their concerns about the flooring install and wanted a full review of the LVP floors; stating the possible issue was due to the installation or the foundation was not level. It was determined later that neither of these accusations prove to be true. They requested an Augusta representative, the installer, the distributor, and the manufacturer representative be present for an on site meeting. This was the first of many times where it was evident the homeowner already had their mind made up about the outcome of the situation regardless of what factual evidence that was presented. Nevertheless, in good faith, Augusta agreed to schedule an onsite meeting with all parties requested. In advance of the meeting, the flooring installer came to do some minor tile punch and replace two LVP boards around the floor outlet in the family room. Due to the extremely cold weather at the time, the floorboards that were replaced around the floor outlet on 02/11/2021 did not properly adhere. The flooring installer came back a week later when the weather was better to complete the fix around the floor outlet. In that same timeframe, the installer took measurements of all LVP flooring to check against the manufacturer installation guidelines that the "subfloor have humps or dips less than 3/16" in 10'R or 1/8" in 6'R." The StrucSure Home Warranty performance standards for vinyl flooring state that it "shall not have a depression that equals or exceeds 1/2 of an inch in any six (6) foot run." There was one spot on the secondfloor breezeway that was noted to be 1/4" dip by the flooring installer. Augusta noted this location in advance of the onsite meeting with the manufacturer's representative. The onsite meeting was scheduled for 02/23/2021. In advance of the meeting the homeowner requested they have opportunity to walk the house with the distributor and manufacturer only prior to the group walk through to ask questions that specifically pertain to them. Augusta obliged and waited outside while this took place. After the meeting, the distributor provided the manufacturers assessment directly to the homeowner via email on 03/02/2021, See Item #3. The homeowner was displeased with the assessment and there was extensive email traffic back and forth between the homeowner, the distributor and manufacturer, See Item #3. This is another time where the homeowner would not accept factual evidence directly from the manufacturer, which is who they specifically requested to meet with, and Augusta organized it. Augusta agreed to again replace the few pieces of flooring around the floor outlet and address the hump on the secondfloor breezeway once the material was in as it was backordered. In the time it took to procure the material, due to the original flooring installer's small window of availability, Augusta made the decision to bring in a flooring installer that has extensive experience, over 40 years, of installing all types of flooring and addressing detailed replacements to ensure the homeowner received the best possible outcome. This work was meticulously done in the presence of the homeowner and Augusta Project Manager and was completed on 05/19/2021. The homeowner followed up that they were still not satisfied with the work completed and there were some very small imperfections in the seams where the existing LVP met the replacement LVP. Augusta viewed this in person and put together a gameplan with the installer to wood fill these 1/16" gaps. This work was completed on 06/08/2021 and the request was closed out. At this time, Augusta felt that the homeowner was satisfied with all the efforts made to address their flooring concerns and Augusta resumed business as usual addressing any warranty items that were submitted. On 08/30/2021, a warranty request was submitted stating that "one spot was missed when they came back to fill in cracks. Would also like the board into master bedroom replaced." After confirmation that enough material remained to complete this work, the flooring installer completed the work on 09/29/2021 and the request was again closed out. On 10/02/2021, another warranty request for the LVP flooring was submitted. This was a turning point as up until this time, all communication from the homeowner to Augusta was cordial and we were both working under the mutual understanding that we wanted the homeowner to be satisfied with the LVP flooring. It became crystal clear based on the grievances stated that no matter the number of site visits, meetings with the installers, distributors and manufacturers, and the factual evidence provided by the experts, the homeowner had their mind made up and were not going to be satisfied no matter what we did. The tone from the homeowner changed quickly, they became accusatory and aggressive. The homeowner stated that it was time to discuss refloating the entire home. They had started to do their own research, including taking measurements with a 3' straightedge and the purchase of a laser level. They were convinced all other parties were wrong and provided numerous pictures including the straightedge on top of coins to depict uneven floors. After we informed them of their erroneous techniques, they switched to using a 6' straight edge in their athome measurements. None of these techniques are suitable for measuring humps or dips in a subfloor as they are homemade and do not accurately measure the tolerances stated in the StrucSure Home Warranty Performance Guidelines and the Manufacturers Installation Standards. There is extensive back and forth between the homeowner and Augusta in CoConstruct regarding this request, See Item #2. At some point in this same timeframe, the homeowner hired a thirdparty home inspector to come and do a full home inspection. As a result of this inspection, they submitted eight additional warranty tickets. Augusta wanted to ensure the homeowner was heard no matter the cost and therefore decided to hire an independent thirdparty inspector to do an extensive assessment of the LVP flooring and the other eight items that were noted in their inspection report. Due to the tone of the homeowner as well diminishing relationship and Augusta's goal to have full transparency, Augusta asked that no Augusta employee or homeowner be present for the thirdparty inspection. Augusta would have their attorney on site and the homeowner was encouraged to have a representative there too. Bud Rozell, a licensed ASHI Certified home inspector (ACI) and past President of the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Home Inspectors, was hired to complete the inspection. The thirdparty inspection was completed on 10/29/2021 and the report was sent to both Augusta's attorney and the homeowners attorney on 11/01/2021. The report can be viewed in full, Item #4. There inspection report states "It's my professional opinion that the floor covering currently meets or exceeds industry standards for levelness." After review of the report, Augusta's attorney sent a Final Resolution email to the homeowner's attorney. This email can be viewed in full, Item #5. Augusta agreed to address five items that corresponded with the homeowner's inspection report. All these items were completed on or before 12/10/2021. Augusta asked that all future communication by the client go through their attorney to ensure that Augusta employees could resume their daytoday responsibilities without tying up hundreds of man hours communicating with the homeowner. In the month to follow, the homeowner continued to send repetitive emails to their attorney regarding the LVP flooring, regurgitating the same items that had already been proven to be not factual. The homeowner went against the requests in the Final Resolution email to not contact Augusta by continuing to post information to CoConstruct. Augusta continued to address any valid warranty requests that were sent by the homeowner. The homeowner reached out to StrucSure Home Warranty asking that they step in and assist. StrucSure stated that this was between homeowner and builder as defined in the StrucSure Home Warranty Booklet. The final warranty item accepted, a garage to house door handle, was replaced on 01/14/2022. The oneyear workmanship warranty expired on 01/15/2022. As with all projects, CoConstruct automatically archives the project at the end of the oneyear workmanship warranty period. This is an automatic function by the builder software, not something that Augusta initiates. Since there were several unresolved items in CoConstruct that were deemed not warranty, Augusta wanted to make sure these items were given a response so a Final Response email was sent to the homeowner on 01/17/2022. This email can be viewed in full, Item #6. Augusta's attorney never received any response back from the homeowner. Augusta Custom Homes acted in good faith time and time again and explored every avenue to resolve reasonably and responsibly every issue the homeowner submitted. After hundreds of emails/Co Construct messages, onsite visits back and forth with thirdparty inspectors, manufacturers, attorneys, and the homeowner, the homeowner was proven to be wrong and was even dropped by their own attorney. With no other options, they simply took to the keyboard to spread misinformation online on multiple review platforms including BBB. Although it's only one review and our reputation speaks for itself, it hurts us personally as we still care for this family. We wish nothing but the best for the ******* family in the future and appreciate the time we were able to spend with them as a valued client. Consumer Response /* (3000, 11, 2022/03/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) We were not dropped by our Attorney. We retained him for assistance with the inspection by their "third party inspector" as we were not allowed to be present. We did not feel like we needed additional representation after that fact as the inspection completed by Mr. Rozell was so blatently insufficient that even a novice could identify either bias or incompetence. We'll come back to that. The issues with our floor have been since Feb 2021. While we had some questions about some hollow sounds prior to move in, we did not formally raise nor were we aware of any actual insufficiency. Upon moving in and trying to get furniture to balance on the floor, it was quite apparent that there were issues. August knows this because of the documented fixes to the floor that were done at that time. Why would they have replaced the entire second floor breezeway if the floor was floated properly?? They replaced it because it was so insufficient even untrained civilians could see. It simply could not be ignored. The floor manufacturer and installer did a walkthrough in February to RULE OUT deficiencies with the product and the installation regarding leaving sufficient expansion space. THEY STATED THEMSELVES THAT THEY COULD NOT SPEAK ON THE CONDITION OF THE SUBFLOOR WITHOUT PULLING UP THE FLOOR. Essentially we simply ruled out an issue with the PRODUCTZ. We conducted self tests with a 2 foot, 4 foot, 6 foot, and 8 foot level. The levels bounced like see-saws throughout the house in over 30 spots. Where it didnt bounce, there were (and still are) enormous gaps underneath one end of the level and the other. In several areas, one end of the level will be flush to the ground while the other floats over an inch in the air (as documented in the infamous "stack of quarters" photos. I ask you, how could this be in any world be considered a properly installed floor. At this point, we suspected an issue with improper floating (dips and humps) or an unlevel subfloor. Therefore, we purchased a FLOOR laser level. A floor laser level is absolutely the correct tool to measure deficiencies in dips and humps in a floor from point A to point B. Please see the attach video link. The results of the laser testing were mind-blowing. Areas of the floor with over 1 inch dips and humps within a 6 foot run. At this point, we figure, here it is, this simply cannot be ignored. Surely our trusted home builder will see these and immediately come out to fix this work. Nope. Mind you, the floor installed was also the bathroom tile installer. By this point, he had been out to tear down and replace an entire bathroom tiling due to poor craftsmanship and 2 soap boxes due to poor craftsmanship. He also had to replace several areas of floor that the board had already popped up. Per Augusta themselves, HE WAS FIRED. No longer available to fix or even provide comment or response to our concerns. If all those fixes being needed doesn't raise red flags as to the skill and competence of this contractor, I don't know what would. Shortly thereafter, our project manager unsurprisingly QUIT. Prior to him quitting, we had an agreement for additional areas of the second floor to be remedied by re-floating them. We remained patient and raised this concern at our "welcome home" presentation on June 1st (5+ months after we moved in). We were told it was not the time or place to have that discussion and neither the project mgr or the installer were employed with Augusta anymore. At this point, everyone involved in the initial install of our floors were no longer available to reconcile concerns or comment on facts of the install. The new floor installation team that replaced the second floor landing would advise us to other issues with bouncing and humpy floors. They said it was simply CHEAP WORK and an error during the preparation phase. It was quite apparent, the only way to fix the floors was going to be a complete ripup and re-install (a $30,000+ job). It became pretty apparent, Augusta would not commit to that. They were satisfied with the floors in the state that they were. Photos where were could slide a blanket under a level without either end moving. In Oct 2021 we obtained a full home inspection, which is common practice when a homeowner is approaching their one year warranty expiration. In section F of the inspection, the inspector clearly noted in the first sentence FLOOR SLOPES ARE APPARENT. THE INSTALLATION OF THE TILE FLOOR IS LESS THAN IDEAL (attached). We simply re-submitted warranty requests for the deficiencies noted on this TRUE impartial inspector, as any homeowner would do. As you can see, this is not us simply stomping our feet and not accepting a finding. A true professional noted it, and thus we deemed that evidence worthy of review. In response, Augusta arranged for what they will refer to as a "third part inspection" from Mr. Bud Rozell. This was presented to us as an impartial inspector when in fact, Augusta had retained Mr Rozell on a review of a prior warranty complaint on another house in our neighborhood just months prior. The results of that inspection: NO DEFICIENCIES WHATSOEVER. Surprise, surprise. That homeowner now currently has an active lawsuit pending against Augusta Custom Homes. One of the main issues claimed: insufficient floors. We made several attempts to have a meeting/consult with Mr. Rozell prior to the inspection. We wanted to know if furniture needed to be moved, what testing would be conducted, etc. We were told no furniture needed to be moved and we could mark areas on the floor if we wanted. Seemed odd to not move the furniture if the scope of our floors were being assessed, but ok. We assume Mr Rozell would move it. Nope. Those areas were simply not examined. Of the 30+ areas marked, probably less than 10 were in the report. All were tested with a 6 foot level only. He refuted the use of lasers and wouldnt even consider our report of laser testing to possibly even use as evidence to conduct his technique of testing. In the report, he notes the floor is sufficiently level. Within seconds of seeing his photos and videos I knew that was impossible. I re-tested the same areas with a 6 foor level and although the level would show as level, the entire level was not on the ground. Only one point at each end were. I could slide my entire hand under it in some areas. This is what was represented in our initial photo submission to the BBB. Clearly, Mr. Rozell is either incompetent OR he is intentionally being deceitful. Our photos do not lie and we welcome someone to come out and re-test at any point. At this point, we feel we have sufficient evidence to refute Mr Rozell's report. This is the point that we felt it was so obvious that the floor was insufficient, we no longer needed to retain our legal representation. This is an easy fix we thought. Augusta and Mr. Rozell would see our photos and either re-test OR at least respond to our request for additional photos Mr Rozell may have. We got no response. Augusta saw these photos of floating levels, stacks of coins and decks of cards sliding underneath THEIR OWN TESTING METHOD (6 foot level) and just said, yea that floor looks done correctly. Even if we accepted Mr Rozell's findings as legit, he was simply ruling out that the floor was not unlevel. WE NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS. OUR ISSUE IS WITH THE FLOATING AND PREP OF THE INSTALLATION. What makes Mr. Rozell's report outweigh our Oct 2021 report? Due to the humps and valleys of the floor, the bottom riser of our staircase is almost a full inch shorter than all the other steps. This is not to code and was just repeatedly ignored when raised by us. Mr. Rozell for reasons unknown stated the bottom stair is not part of a staircase?? The bottom riser most definitely is part of a staircase and arguably is the most important riser to avoid falling. (see attachment) Our stairs were not framed incorrectly. We continued correspondence with their attorney as we awaiting a response to our very basic questions (like are there more photos?). We got no response. Their atty requested a call with us on 12/21/21 to gather info on our official concerns. The call was very amicable and for the first time we felt like a favorable response was imminent. Nope. He told us we would have a response after the holidays. We followed up in January, he angerly told me there was no update and Augusta's stance had been provided to us several times. Again, he left the phone call with guidance that HE WOULD CALL US. It was like he had no recollection. A disorganized mess. If there is nothing wrong with the floor product and the floors are deemed level, then clearly the floors were not sufficiently floated. We welcome Augusta to come with their representation to our home for a presentation. Let us present. No conversation. Just see in person. It will be undisputable. Without that, we must adamantly request that our BBB complaint be published f Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2022/03/30) */ Good afternoon - We're delighted to inform you that at the time of this message 3/28/2022 Augusta is not involved in any litigation (not as a plaintiff nor defendant). Again, these are fabrications added to a long list of false derogatory statements made about Augusta and its agents. Due to this and other various slanderous accusations, Augusta's attorney will be contacting you through email and certified mail directly. Have a great week! Consumer Response /* (4200, 16, 2022/03/31) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I don't see any proposed resolution. In regards to any pending litigation against Augusta, we are also pleased to hear that they do not have any "active" suits against them. Throughout the course of our continuously pursued warranty claim for our floors, it was brought to our attention that legal action had indeed been filed against Augusta Custom homes for similar worksmanship complaints as ours. If that has been resolved or withdrawn, wonderful. We are willing to redact that from our complaint stream. At this point, we simply wish for our complaint to be published on the BBB site. We know the builder will never conduct additional corrections. We simply want our photos published and we can keep the description short and sweet: "We are unhappy with our floors. We attempted to have the significant floating deficiencies resolved with the builder who made a determination that no additional work was needed and the craftsmanship shown in these photos is acceptable to them. As a potential new customer, please view these photos and make make your own if this level of quality is what you are looking for in a home builder."

*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. ↩