ComplaintsforHarless Construction, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We broke ground July 2021 on a $500,000 home. It is still unfinished. We don't have electric or plumbing yet. Many big errors have been made and not fixed. Our contractor abandoned us in January to start working on another home and now is ready to start even another home. We're left with a mess, a huge monthly interest payment, home equity, and not able to reside in our home. I sold my home two years ago to start the endeavor and am sleeping on a futon at my business. The stress of this has affected mine and my fiancé's mental health and put a strain on our relationship. We've had to take care of many things we were not expecting. In the beginning of our construction relationship, Danny Harless assured us that everything would be finished, and it would be a great experience. It has been anything but a great experience. Some major errors we are dealing with: Not able to get vehicles in the garage because the roof is lower than the garage opening. When we pointed this out to the contractor (who should have been onsite so these sort of things would not happen) he blamed a subcontractor. The roof is against code. We have dealt with three leaks already. One because of an unsupported front porch that sunk. When pointed out it was jacked up and a small block placed under the 6x6. The lumber, trim and trusses were left outside throughout the winter, leaving them weathered, damaged, and grey. Due to this we had to pay for additional lumber and now are expected to pay for more lumber. It is a log home. It was left uncovered while being built, it molded and the floor warped and weakened. We had to bleach and sand all of the walls to remove sun spots, dirt, writings, and polyurethane. There is trash and lumber laying around everywhere still rotting away. The contractor failed to notice a screened in porch in the blueprints and won't fix it with out additional cost. This is just the beginning. No work has been done for weeks. Haven't see Danny for many months.

  Business response

  06/08/2022

  I just opened this complaint on this day due to being out of town.

  I will be emailing the complete information I have been sending **** ********* * ***** *********.  Hopefully this will help clarify the complaints they have made.

  As I have written & sent to Mark ********* we were informed that we were to start building their home in March of 2021 after meeting with Mark & Cathy I believe in October of 2020.  I had quoted another log home for **** ******* ** ****** ** and told him that I would be starting the project for Mark ********* in March of 2021 and would not be able to start his project until September of 2021 which he agreed with.

  Harless Construction Inc. have been building Log Homes since march of 1987 & have been fortunate not to have any complaints and in fact we have been on BBB recommendation list for a few years.

  We do labor only with specifications as to what we a quoting with the agreement going to the bank with signatures from both parties and this is the procedure we have used for many years.

  When March of 2021 came around Mark ********* had previously gotten quotes from ******** ***** for doing his concrete foundation walls and Mark mentioned that once the excavation work had been completed that ******** ***** would need a 2-week notice and ******** ***** would install the Concrete foundation walls and we could start.  He ask ******** ***** to install a 10’ high walls and the home was only 24’ wide which I told Mark at that time you will have a problem installing a stairway because of the height of the basement walls which proved to be correct and he tried to blame our company on his decision.

  Mark also had got with another local foundation man named ******* *** to give a quote on January 28, 2021 to pour the concrete footing & concrete floor for the basement & the breezeway and lay the amount of blocks that are shown on the prints is three courses for the garage foundation with the blue-prints provided from ******** ***** *** ***** in Jane Lew WV who also provided the package with their specifications and the garage shows on the plan. The breezeway was not originally a full basement under this but Mark had ******* to put a full basement under it which required more digging out and more block which he was already at this time $32,000.00 which I discussed with again with Bruce ***** **** *** **** in Buchannan. Bruce ***** has been aware of the budget and the amount of money that was spent that was not in the budget ($32,000.00).  As I mentioned I do labor only and will never be a general contractor for any project and have not been for several years which is the agreement that Mark signed and were Mark had chosen ******** ***** and specified what height he wanted on the Foundation walls for the basement of his home then he should have had ******* to at least go by the print that shows 3 courses of block for the garage foundation.

  As for the height of the opening for the garage entrance it is 6’-10 ½” and I believe that height of the overhang it around 6’-10” high.  If ******* would have at least laid one more course this would have helped.  I do not do foundation and excavation etc. work I deal with the erection of the log home from the top of the foundation walls.

  I told Mark I would introduce him to **** ********* which was in I believe July of 2021 to dig out his foundation for a full basement and he would be an independent contractor he could use if he chose.

  They came to an agreement on what he wanted him to do and we put the cost of $11,000.00 in budget for excavation work which also included digging lines and driveway.

  Mark had gotten his loan from ********* Bank and was dealing with loan officer Bruce ***** which I can give you his phone number if needed.  After his budget had been established I talked with Bruce about Mark going out of his budget on several things and one was his excavation.  He got *** ***** to do more work that was not in the budget & spent $20,000.00 out of the money allotted from the bank & I talked with Mark and also Bruce about this and Bruce informed me that Mark had of **** *** **** ****** and for me not let this concern me.

  I have a list of things he did that caused them to go over his budget and I became concerned and told Mark that because he had misused his budget that I would give him some things I normally would have done to help with his budget such as floor coverings & interior polyurethane which we agreed on this.

  Prior to this when the home was scheduled to start in March of 2021 the foundation from ******** ***** did not get done until late August of 2021 and I had to tell **** ******s that I could not start his home in September as I had told him because we stated Mark *********’s home on September 6, 2021 which cause us some financial losses.

  When we started the home Mark had tried un-successfully to get ******* to pour foundations for the breeze-way and garage and lay the blocks which I believe ******* got the foundations for the breezeway and the garage completed in the later part of December of 2021 and the record shows that we had a very bad weather in January of 2022 which is why the materials he shows has snow on it and no one was able to do any framing until the weather straightened out.  Mark also changed the breezeway to a full basement under this as well which became another cost that was not in the budget.  As you will see and if need be I can give you the numbers for ******** ***** *** ****s.  I requested ******** ***** *** ****s to send down more trim Materials to complete their home and I had three men that were working on this & when the trim materials came Mark ********* was present and he informed the truck driver to send this “garbage” (trim) back to Mountain ***** and he would not pay one more cent because he said this should have been figured in the original cost from ******** ***** *** ****s.  I talked with Vicky from ******** ***** *** ****s and she mentioned that they had provided materials for the exterior and interior as they do with all their customers and in some cases if the customer runs out for what ever reason then they simply purchase more which in this case they refused.  This has been going on for the past month or so.  We have corrected the sinking of the front porch which was due to the concrete fooint settling which again was poured by others and we jacked this part up and put temporary wood under this until I had it replaced with a 6x6 treated post.  This was done about three weeks ago & was done before she wrote her complaint.

  They also have had problems with ***** ******* * ******* and ******** ***** *** ****s due to what they agreed on and then changed in mid-stream.

  I will be calling you this Monday June 6, 2022 and will be also needing to file a complaint on Mark ********* and Cathy ********* refusing to get the materials I need to complete and now has cost me more financial losses.

   

  Thank You

  ***** ** ******* (President)

  Harless Construction Inc.

  Business response

  07/18/2022

  See attached.

  Customer response

  07/24/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Nothing has been resolved. Only receiving excuses, no action. I sold my house two years ago and am currently homeless because the new one we were having built has not been completed by Harless Construction because he went on to other projects. The reasons he gives don't even make sense. In addition to not being anywhere near complete, also of the 34 things that the inspector found to be incorrect, Harless Construction agrees to fix if we pay for the materials to fix their mistakes. We were mislead from the beginning and are very regretful that we trusted him.
  It is a very hard time for us. I am living out of suitcases and my truck, staying with my daughter and fiancé'.
  Regards,
  
  ********* ********

*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. ↩