Complaint Review: Mike Jackson Home Builders LLC

DECEPTIVE BUILDER!!

Getting Started

If you've gotten tired of trying to find a nice pre-owned house for your family and are thinking about buying a newly built house or contracting with a builder for a new house, cost is probably a factor in your decision. In the Huntsville and Madison, Alabama area new house prices tend to be markedly more expensive than in adjoining "bedroom" communities like Lacey's Spring, Decatur, or Athens. So maybe you're considering the potential savings of building your new home in one of those areas. If you are, consider the following tale and think very carefully about making cost your primary or only decision driver.

We decided to have a new house built in Limestone County, AL; about seven miles east of Athens. After asking a realtor and a local building materials retailer about reputable builders, we were assured that the general contractor-builder we had selected would build us a "good house."

Mistakes

First mistake: Don't ask local realtors and building materials retailers to direct you to or advise you about a builder that sells in their area or buys supplies from them. Realtors only want to sell a builder's product for a commission. Suppliers only sell builders raw materials and are concerned mainly that the builder's credit with them is good. Neither has much inkling as to the quality of the builder's finished product.

Second mistake: Believing the affability and friendliness of the builder is a measure of integrity, honesty, ability, or cooperation. Builders are in it for the money; the most money that can be acquired with the least expense in delivering what the builder considers the end product.

Third mistake: Anticipating that the builder is knowledgeable in and will use the proper, basic building techniques, have skills above apprentice grade and will consider the most efficient energy-saving applications or that any of his subcontractors similarly able and considerate; and, very importantly, that the builder will check the work of all his subcontractors.

This "mistake" in judgment list could go on and that's on us, but suffice it to say that the house we wound up with was and remains a great disappointment. We went into this project understanding that the price per square foot that we were quoted was for a house built to builder-specification standards; not a "custom house." We also understood that there were minimum build standards and that there were no building inspections required by the county. All during the build we monitored, almost daily, the progress of the build process. There were changes and alterations that were necessary and the builder provided some things within the total price that we had anticipated might be outside that cost bracket. However, on each of these we did offer to pay any additional costs the builder might deem appropriate, he charged us for none in the end.

VERY IMPORTANT!!

There are no building permits nor intermediate nor final inspection by Limestone County offices or agents. Even knowing this we did not employ a pre-closing inspector. That definitely proved to be a huge mistake. However, from what we have learned since, others who did employ an independent inspector for houses built by our builder still found many problems after they moved in post-inspection and post-closing. So either their inspectors were inept or dismissed so-called "minor" problems or were too closely aligned with the builder instead of being impartial inspectors for the buyer. In any case, we doubt any inspector would have found the number of problems in just a two to four hour inspection appointment that we uncovered during the first two months of daily living. Multiple inspections would have been necessary to have fully revealed our deficiencies; and by an inspector with knowledge and judgment as to quality in a broad range of expertise. In our case the added expense for such an inspection or multiple inspections might have proved worth it. It definitely would have postponed our closing and move-in by a one to three months.

Unsatisfactory Construction

In short, at the end of the build, immediately following closing and occupancy, we quickly learned we had been sold a house that was incomplete and ill-finished. Though the house is habitable, the list below identifies the host of problems, omissions, deficiencies, and poor and incompetent craftsmanship with which we had to contend and had to correct ourselves where we could. Several items on the list are not correctable without deconstruction and reconstruction; some are not correctable at all. The uncorrectable items will serve as permanent reminders of our builder's incompetence and our naivete. Yes, we had expected that a few minor problems would show up during the post-build period. But we believe that the large number and major character of some problems on this list clearly point to the builder's lack of care, skill, and honesty in presenting himself as a quality home builder.

No Help from Authorities

Compounding the agony of the problem list was the inaction by the builder on our problem reports we submitted during the one-year builder's warranty period. Along with several verbal reports, two registered letters were dispatched. Both letters went unanswered and the specific problems ignored. Eventually, after speaking with other owners of homes built in our subdivision, we learned that similar problems were occurring with their homes, also built by the same builder, and that his non-response action was commonplace. Even when he did respond the corrections implemented were either incomplete, ineffectual, or sloppily administered; most long delayed. Further, we also learned that the same builder had this reputation of "build and run" with other home owners in the county and over a lengthy period of time.

Seeking some local or government organization to act on our behalf to force the builder to respond or to recoup our monetary outlays for post-purchase costs, we learned that the local homebuilder's association, of which the builder is a member, has no such authority. Further, the Alabama Code of Law is so written that a general contractor, building single family residences, is exempt from investigation or penalty from selling bad products to or lack of communication with a buyer. Neither the State's Homebuilder's Licensure Board nor the Contractor's Licensure Board has any authority in correcting inequitable situations. Short of expensive, personal litigation, there is no avenue for redress of the builder's incompetence or lack of skill or refusal to assist in problems he has created. A complaint to the Better Business Bureau may bring you some mental relief, but the BBB is not empowered to force a complainant to comply with anything. They only maintain a record of the complaint if it is not satisfied. Our case has been registered with the North Alabama BBB and has been presented to the Alabama State Attorney General's Office of Consumer Affairs for consideration.

In Summary

You may be saying that some items on the problem list seem trivial or picky. And if the list was short, we would agree. But the volume and severity of some of the problems speaks to the issue that the builder was uncaring, sloppy, incompetent, or all three. In any case, he was misrepresenting himself as a skilled contractor. To fix as many of the problems as we could ourselves required over 500 hours of labor and out of pocket expenses of over $1000 to date. The improperly graded foundation soil resulted in water penetration into the crawlspace to such an extent that it caused a severe outbreak of mold on the subfloor joists and panels. Cleaning the mold off alone took 45 hours of very hard work. Permanent prevention of repeated water intrusion and mold outbreak will eventually cost much more.

We believed at the beginning of our build, and still do, that you should get, at a minimum, what you pay for; in this case, acceptable quality and no lingering expensive-to-remedy problems. Maybe some of you that read this tale will say we got what we deserved due to inexperience or naivete. Maybe, but we vehemently disagree. We think we were deceived by the builder as to his abilities and credentials and that we are now saddled with a post-construction "project" house that will take years of corrective tasks and added expense that should have been avoided if the builder had been competent and cared about his reputation. Apparently he is not concerned as to his competence and is content in the knowledge that he feels essentially immune to penalty for his deceptions. Our best recourse we feel, at least for the moment, is to try to advise as many potential buyers of the situation and, by doing so, help them avoid our sad story.

So if after considering our story you're still thinking of building in Limestone County or anywhere for that matter, maybe you would like to reconsider or at least mark one particular general contractor off your list of potential builders (see end of list below). Whether you buy pre-owned or decide to build somewhere, we hope your next home will bring you happiness. Just remember that in Alabama the term "Caveat Emptor" is still alive and thriving and it protects the seller (builder), not the buyer (YOU)!

The Problem "LIST"

Herewith is the "LIST" with the "builder" identification at the end:

NOTE: The items below marked with "(NC)" are those which, due to construction permanence or complexity are questionable as to correction or are or may not be correctable without significant deconstruction and reconstruction

Foundation:

The foundation wall between the master bedroom and garage storage was dimensionally displaced by 6 in. from the plan. (This has not proven, so far, to be of consequence, but foreshadowed later issues related to lack of attention to detail and proper construction and should have heightened our monitoring senses.)

The crawl space ground was not graded properly so as to promote water runoff to the perimeter drain depression and not filled in around the support pier bases.

The crawl space ground cover (6 mil polyethylene) was not installed correctly, provided incomplete cover, and was left in a damaged condition.

Lot Topography:

Grading around the foundation exterior perimeter was not performed/completed to the recommended practice of providing, as a minimum, > 3 degree (6"/10') slope to promote adequate exterior water runoff. For the type of soil (heavy clay) and lot contour, this should actually be > 5 degrees (6"/6'). Some areas adjacent to the perimeter actually had a negative grade which promoted water intrusion. This deficiency in grading was confirmed independently by a licensed civil and structural engineer, hired at considerable expense, and whose report confirmed that the improper lot topography was a strong, and possibly a majority, contributor to heavy mold outbreak on the crawlspace structure. (The builder indignantly chose to ignore this assessment!!)

Surface water drainage down the rear boundary of lot is inadequate and placed solely on our side of boundary. Moderate depression not shared by adjoining lot; only on our lot and inadequately sloped to promote drainage to common open drain ditch.

Only one gutter downspout outlet was tied to an emitter at least 10 ft. from the foundation base. Remaining downspouts all terminated within one foot of foundation base without even splash blocks to direct water away from foundation perimeter.

Framing:

The subfloor OSB and joists are not flat/parallel resulting in noticeable high points in the floor beneath the kitchen vinyl and master bedroom carpet. (NC)

At least two interior wall locations have bows (bulges) or depressions that prevent mounting or proper mounting of wall decor. (NC)

Exterior door frames are not plumb resulting in uneven gaps and incomplete coverage by exterior door weather gaskets. (NC)

Open-ended walls are not square resulting in misaligned quarter round runs and turns.

Interior door frames not plumb; three so far off square as to require planing of doors to permit free opening and/or closing.

Window casements trim not square; several windows

The pocket door in the master bedroom closet is improperly installed. (NC)

One floor joist beam was severed and unsupported. (This is now reinforced with a support jack. A second beam, severed to clear the HVAC return duct for free flow, also now has a support jack.)

Plumbing:

All lavatory sink drains leaked, five in total.

Commodes not firmly secured to floor fixtures

Master shower control handle escutcheon improperly mounted

Two supply lines leaked in the crawl space.

Main waste line has marginal or inadequate slope.

The washer drain pipe connection was not sealed; had no adhesive.

The dryer vent line was initially not connected in the crawl space, i.e., dryer was venting into the crawl space; not outdoors.

The dryer vent line junctions were not sealed.

The interior water tap supply valves were not 100%, turn off type as specified.

The outside spigot mounting plates are not secured to the wall. (NC)

Septic tank had no ground level or easy-access ports for servicing filter (once per year) or pumping tank (once every 3-5 years).

HVAC:

Heat pump was not configured by installer to operate in preferred energy efficient mode

Heat pump defrost control was not functioning following installation; not checked by installer

Heat pump supply and return line exterior weather cover/transition was not secured to exterior wall or joints sealed or caulked

Heat Pump condensate drain line had no positive drain slope.

Cold air return plenum was blocked by floor beam (> 50%)

Electrical:

One light switch was faulty (Replaced one day after we reported it to the electrician; the only good subcontractor we got.)
Fluorescent fixture in master bathroom had no ceiling gap gasket

Garage door motors 1/3 HP installed initially instead of requested 1/2 HP

Drywall:

Porous drywall "mud" left unfinished, several locations

Wall sheetrock over Master shower not setback from shower module (NC)

Excess mud not removed or smoothed or feathered in many places

Damage spots, e.g., gouges, not repaired - Well over fifty locations

Non-90 degree wall corners in several places; amplified by the presence of base or quarter round molding also not at 90 degrees (NC)

Paint - Preparation, Application, Touch-up:

Roller application uneven and spotty, some areas missing paint, sags and drips and debris on walls and millwork and door panels. Master bath window sill not painted

Brush used for "touch-ups" instead of roller or sponge. Correction required extensive sanding to remove brush strokes.

Paint and debris not scraped from floor of garage storage room

Pencil/Pen marking on walls for mounting bathroom fixtures not removed/painted

Paint on all entry doors hinges, handles, deadbolt locks, and weather gaskets

Paint on all interior door hinges

No paint on interior door top and bottom edges - allowing swelling and making door planing necessary

Paint on door glass - entry and garage

Heavy, non-uniform/incomplete brush strokes on exterior doors and jambs - required sanding and repainting. Door hardware not removed when three exterior doors painted.

Garage door paint incomplete on upper panels and on window surrounds

Rear window lintels painted, front lintels not. No metal primer applied rust
showing through after six months

Ceiling texture spray on brickwork on back porch

HVAC return plenum in guest bathroom linen closet not finish painted

Trim - Interior:

Most molding - quarter round, crown, baseboard - not mitered correctly and remaining gaps filled in with caulk poorly applied/blended. Many mismatched joints and some millwork damaged and should not have been used at all. Many joints had to be reshaped or repaired and contoured.

Nail heads, nail shanks and points protruding from window casement surrounds or trim - at least 9 incidents.

Negative reveal on archway uprights on both passageways - laundry to kitchen and foyer to great room (NC)

Top trim piece on foyer to great room passage arch not attached at one end

Damaged trim piece on master closet pocket door overhead hardware track

Poor miter matches on most doorway surround trim

Interior doors (2) not closing due to interference

Interior and exterior door frames not plumb; doors not mounted with uniform gaps (NC)

Missing gap closeouts for bifold doors in three bedrooms, pantry, and rear utility closet.

Missing closure piece in lower half of door jamb on interior of central bath linen closet. No trim on HVAC return duct plenum in closet.

Missing quarter round finish pieces by dishwasher and refrigerator cubby

Several door jambs damaged by poor installation of door hardware and required resetting of receivers and remolding of adjacent trim to allow for proper close and locking of door.

One reinforced dead bolt receiver mounted backward

Door hinge screws on three exterior doors with multiple stripped/broken heads and doors are not fast or plumb in the jamb. Screws in upper hinge of back porch door required total replacement with longer screws.

All door hardware attach screws have damaged (burred) slots. Some door handles have scratches from contact with power screwdriver during installation. (NC)

Door knob mounted upside down on garage pedestrian entry door

Exterior door sill plates not cleaned and sealed or trimmed inside with quarter round; sill metal tread not cleaned

Some door latch plates required re- or further mortising to make flush with door edge surface. Two dead bolt receivers repositioned to allow full travel of lock bolt

Where excess caulk was applied to blend irregularities or gaps the finish or clean up of excess was incomplete or ignored.

Floors:

Seam sealing in vinyl floor in kitchen and laundry area (4 locations) not done correctly. (NC)

Tile-to-carpet line between master bedroom and master bath not parallel to door closure line (NC)

Vinyl flooring over OSB subfloor shows irregular surface pattern; irregularities amplified by non-flat surface caused by raised floor joists. (NC)

Wood floor in great room had three securing nails protruding and unset and unfilled

Numerous scars and scratches and unfilled nail holes in wood flooring.

Transition piece from great room wood floor to kitchen vinyl floor damaged and improperly cut to length

Tile pieces, one each in central and master bathroom, cracked. (NC)

Hardware:

Towel holder in central bathroom inadequately installed

Towel holders in half bath and master bath damaged drywall

Exterior:

Four windows scratched - required replacement; Masons responsible for damage

Window frame top-to-wall frame gaps of 1/4 in. to 7/16 in. - caulk separated within 6 months - required gap filler and recaulking

One exterior window shutter mounted out of line

No keystones in brickwork over windows in front as requested and agreed to

Brick archway on front porch entry is Ogive; not semi-circle as per submitted plan.

Hole (missing partial brick) at upper corner of front entry archway

Mortar in vent closure slide tray on most foundation vents

Foundation vent edges not sealed to foundation

Clay stains on lower courses of brick due to rain splash during construction (NC)

Front gutter (entry-to-garage legs) overflowing because of improper installation and missing downspout; missing downspout installed by owner

Other gutters have little or no positive slope

Four of seven downspouts incorrect size - should be 3x4 in., not 2x3 in.

Driveway and walkway concrete cracks

*********************************************************************************************************

BEWARE: The shortage of skilled craftsmen in all trades is resulting in many builders trying to just "get by" on presenting finished houses; many not even meeting "builder's spec" standards. Thoroughly investigate any builder, but, in particular, if you are building in Limestone County, Alabama it is our strong opinion that you can find a builder far better and more cooperative than:

"Mike Jackson Home Builders" (Limestone County, AL)

For more information and comments logged on the above you can visit "grypes.blogspot.com" or contact the owner of this posting.

Isaac42
Athens, Alabama
U.S.A.