Complaint Review: SONA HOMES aka George SONA

Good research!  You're one more step to your goal.  Now, the interpretation of the code will be subject to the court that you bring your case to.  Being prepared and ahead of the game is the best thing you can do.  Always think worst case scenario and be prepared (hope for the best, plan for the worst).  The building code states that the material shall "require the use of an approved species and grade of lumber, pressure treated in accordance with AWPA U1 for the species, product, preservative and end use or of the decay-resistant heartwood or redwood, black locust or cedars." 
This section for the building code in itself sounds like it is in your favor.  However if the court looks further into AWPA U-1 it may not be in your favor:

The AWPA U-1-12 states the following:

"UC3 ABOVE GROUND (Exterior)
UC3A ABOVE GROUND Protected -- Wood and woodbased materials used in exterior construction that are coated and not in contact with the ground. Such products may be exposed to the full effects of weather, such as vertical exterior walls or other types of construction that allows water to quickly drain from the surface. Examples are coated millwork, siding and trim.

UC3B ABOVE GROUND Exposed -- Wood and woodbased materials used in exterior construction and not in contact with the ground. Materials do not require an exterior coating, but may be finished to achieve a desired aesthetic appearance. Materials are used for a variety of applications in either horizontal and vertical positions such as decking, sills, walkways, railings and fence pickets."

WHY IS MY HOME ROTTING????

Well I think I got my answer from the following website:

http://www.dhcd.virginia.gov/StateBuildingCodesandRegulations/PDFs/Virginia_Construction_Code_USBCPart_I.pdf


The section is refered to as R319.1 which says, "R319.1 Location required. In areas subject to decay damage as established by
Table R301.2(1), the following locations shall require the use of an approved species and grade of lumber, pressure treated in
accordance with AWPA U1 for the species, product, preservative and end use or of the decay-resistant heartwood or redwood,
black locust or cedars. Preservatives shall conform to AWPA P1/13, P2, P3 or P5."

1. If the proper material (wood) was used then why do my pictures suggest otherwise. In short, why is the wood rotting after only 5 years? Especially if this particular section of the Virginia building code was adhered to.


2. Why is Sona homes now no longer using this same material in there new construction home projects? Because they have learned that the wood they were using rots very quickly when not pressure treated against the elements. How do I know this, because George the Project Manager via a telephone call on May 16, 2012 has acknowledged that the wood is no longer used. Instead stating that they now use vinyl and plastic for exposed areas such as the bay windows in question. Atleast they learned from their mistakes. The problem is that they do not want to fix the houses that they incorrectly built.

I would love to hear now the explanation as to why my home is rotting???

Maybe it is as SONA Homes advocate suggests, due to "lack of maintenance". - random poster


Please tell me that I am wrong in interpreting the building code in this manner, and assuming that you did not do something possibly illegal in cutting corners when building these properties. Lets all hope that I am seriously wrong in this insinuation. Because if I am not, then I will make sure that all the people involved will be held liable and not just financially.


P.S. This is my last post on this website as I have better things to do than to waste another moment on you crooks. I will see you in court!

Also dont intimidate me with threats of a counter defamation suit, since I read up on what a anti-SLAPP suit is on WIKIPEDIA. I will provide the link to reassure that I have a right voice my opinion on this website and others.

Please read the definition since you should all be aware of what they are threatening me with and what a SLAPP suit is.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_lawsuit_against_public_participation

The advice I gave to you above was not a threat. It was a caution that I've seen this backfire. Once again, I work as a consultant to manufacturers, homeowners AND builders within the residential construction industry. I have been on BOTH sides of this before. The reason why I became a consultant is because I worked for a company that scammed people and LEFT the company after I realized this was happening. I started out working for people like yourself that felt "wronged". I only started working for other Builders once I found out that their are SOME consumers (not all) that want something for nothing. I REFUSE to work for anyone that are trying to wrong the other party after I receive all the facts.

The information I gave you would have cost you a couple hundred dollars if you went to a lawyer. If I didn't make it clear I WANT you to do everything possible to hold SONA Homes accountable, IF they are truly neglecting their legal responsibilities. Being on both sides of things I only wanted to give a third-party, non-biased view.

You never answered my questions in my first post. If you're the first homeowner you have certain rights legally that will make your class-action lawsuit legitimate if you acted according to the contract of the builders warranty program. If the Builder used materials that does not satisfy your local building codes your lawsuit is legitimate. If the Builder misrepresented the materials they were going to use in the construction of the home your lawsuit is legitimate. If you have all this documented your case is as good as won. IF none of this is true and you simply feel that they are responsible for the damage because they built the house you're going to spend a lot of money and lose. My overall advice was to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING, DO YOUR RESEARCH, take CAUTION ONLY IF YOU ARE WRONG b/c I've seen this backfire.

If you are right about your circumstance I would advise AND personally tell others to continue to do what you are doing (an all out campaign), the caution I mean, is that if you go beyond just telling others of your experience the Builder may have grounds for a counter-suit. DON'T GIVE THEM THE SATISFACTION OF SCREWING YOU AGAIN.

In my personal opinion (without knowing all the facts), I don't know if you have a case against them. St this point all you can do is put pressure on them and try to get a hold of their general liability insurance to see if you're covered. Good luck.

To the "random" and mysterious poster who just happened to respond to my previous posts about SONA Homes, the builder of the Redwood Lakes Subdivision in Culpeper, Virginia.

1. I can only assume based on the fact that coherent sentences and proper diction was used this is not George the Project Manager of SONA Homes responding. In fact, I can actually assume based on your eloquent and well thought out response that your a person that was paid good money to respond on  behalf of SONA Homes. And rightfully so, If I was SONA Homes I would be really worried about the pending class action lawsuit that will be coming down the pipeline from me and the other members of the Redwood Lakes Community.

2. You said "First, let me clarify that I am NOT an employee, a former employee, or
someone who has ever worked for (or plans to work for) SONA homes." In my limited experience (since I just fell off the turnip truck) When someone goes out of their way to tacitly point out something like this, it immediately  raises a red flag. It is kind of like when people say "It's not about the money", you find out very quickly that it is about the money. So with that being said, since as you pointed out that you have no involvement or affinity to SONA Homes, why defend them so voraciously if your just another "Concerned American" as you claim to be? I would be very interested to hear your eloquent and well thought out answer to this question.

3. Which leads me to my next point which is that this site is for consumers such as myself and others who have been screwed over by corporate squeeziods like SONA Homes. Which begs the question; what are you doing on a Wednesday at 3:11pm trolling around this website for. I would be interested to learn more about your line of work since you coincidentally seem to echo their exact arguments. Also you really must have been well paid by them since I can tell that It probably took you a lot of time and effort to respond to my previous posts. Actually rather sad since it only took me about 30 minutes to put this together, but I would not expect anything different from an employee of SONA. Oh sorry I forgot you do not work for them.

4. I would like to address how you try to threaten me and the other homeowners involved by ending your narrative "Also, I'd be careful how far you go with the campaign against them unless you are SURE beyond a doubt they ripped you off.  They could use any of this in a counter-suit for defamation of character or something -who knows?"

What are you inferring that my pictures are lies too? Are they doctored in some way to make them look worse or to suggest something other than what I am stating. To be clear, I will not be silenced by these malicious and intimidating attempts to quiet me down. After all, my home is rotting and so are the homes of others in this community ( 5 year old homes people). All the while SONA does not even seem concerned about these very serious allegations on my behalf or others have suggested via the internet as early as 2008. Well except to hire guys like you to try and scare honest Americans such as myself into excepting getting took on the biggest investment we have ever made.

This is a link to a site in reference to a similiar complaint in 2008: (Please check it out)

http://www.peopleclaim.com/Claim-Details/%27Sona;PR;80Homes;PR;80675-a;PR;80nelms;PR;80circle;PR;80;PR;80Fredericksburg;PR;80Va;PR;8022406%27/Sona_Homes_675-a_nelms_circle__Fredericksburg_Va_22406-Dispute-;HS;8475672/8475672

5. I have contacted the other homeowners in the Redwood Lakes subdivision and will continue to reach out to the countless others who have been harmed by SONA Homes and are not aware of their legal rights against SONA's mediocre workmanship. In fact, if your reading this post and have been affected by the same builder contact me through my Facebook Page: SONA HOMES SUCKS. I have provided a link to this website for your convenience. Along with more pictures of their work, also thank you to those who have provided me new pictures, I will post them shortly on the website.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SONA-Homes-Sucks/406714076027039

6. Lastly, I am giving SONA Homes 30 days to fix the front areas of my home and the other homes involved, or we will be filing a lawsuit against your company. It is truly sad that I have to provide an ultimatum to get my rotting house fixed. But apparently, this is what it has come to. In closing, your company has until 6/24 to reach out to me and do  the right thing. Otherwise, you will see me and the other victims in court. Have a nice day mysterious and random poster, please don't forget to pass on the message to SONA Homes!

First, let me clarify that I am NOT an employee, a former employee, or someone who has ever worked for (or plans to work for) SONA homes.  I came across your report as I was researching a client that has asked me to do work for them.  For context purposes I'll let you know that I am hired by builders, homeowners, and third parties alike as a consultant on building homes in efficient and affordable manners without sacrificing quality.  If all is true, I would feel ripped-off and do the exact same thing you have done.

As a professional within the Residential Construction Industry I don't feel like I have all the correct information in this report to take the full report as truth and give you the proper advice:
1) Are you the first owner of this house (was it built for you)?
2) (From the facts provided) It sounds like your house was built 5 years ago but was purchased in 2010?
3) Was any of the rotted areas that are in question asked to be covered within the warranty period of the home being built/purchased?
4) Why do all the pictures that you have provided look like there has been no maintenance on them?

Here are the reasons why I ask those questions:
1) If you're not the first owner of the house/it wasn't built for you, then some home builders have a clause in their contracts that state the warranty issues do not transfer to the next homeowner.  This is a common practice within the industry as a way for builders to limit their liability.  This also applies to the warranty coverage of (1) year...next point...
2) Whether the house was built 5 years ago or 2 years ago, if you purchased the house DIRECTLY from the builder, the warranty starts from the date of purchase (unless specifically listed within the contract as otherwise).  Standard & accepted warranty coverages for builders are one (1) year from the Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.) issued by the local building code enforcement agency.
3) If you asked the builder to service the rotted wood within the warranty period and he did NOT then you have EVERY right to feel ripped-off and should start documenting everything in order to take further action.  IF, you did NOT ask them to service the rotted wood within the warranty period then you're subject to only feeling the remorse of not seeing the wood rotting away earlier or maintaining it yourself....next point...
4) Every picture that I've seen looks as if the houses have never been re-painted or maintained in any way?  If these houses are still within the warranty period then I would have the builder come back immediately.  If the majority of these houses were built 5 years ago and not under warranty then it's the homeowners responsibility to maintain the homes themselves and there is NO CASE to this report.

Once again, I don't feel as if I have all the facts to discern who is in the wrong.  Here is my advice:
- If the Builder WAS contacted within the warranty period and you are a benefactor to the warranty service promised within the contract, and the Builder has not acted to correct the issues in question I would A) Immediately start documenting all contact that you've had with them (print out e-mails, notate dates and times of phone calls/texts/conversations in person),  B) Do exactly what you're doing and REPORT to everywhere you can that they have dismissed their responsibility, C) Contact the local news agencies, papers, and your Attorney General to inform them of the issues that you are having, D) Take them to court.

-IF the builder was NOT contacted within the warranty period then by default you have NO case and NO means of getting them to act legally.  All you can do is try to pressure them to fix the wood rot for free.  As I stated above, the standard building practice warranty period that is accepted nationally is one (1) year from the contract/C.O. date.  Unfortunately after the warranty period has passed there is NO liability on the part of the builder.  Please understand, if the house was permitted, built to local building codes, AND passed all the inspections then the Builder did their part.  Sometimes builders use less than desirable materials for certain components on a house, but if it passes inspections then they've essentially "covered themselves".  If local building codes let that pass, then you have a bigger issue with them.

In my opinion I would have used vinyl, composite, or fiber-cement materials to construct those parts of the homes.  The Builder "cheaped out" on that.  But your local building codes would have had to specify using those types of materials in order to hold the builder accountable for that area of construction.  After the warranty YOU are responsible for seeing & maintaining your home to withstand weather and wear.  Your overall issue is either legitimately with the Builder and you have a court case against him, or with your local building codes for not requiring better materials to be used in your region.  The latter is, you did not contact the builder on time and you did not maintain your home.  In that case you have to hold yourself responsible for taking care of your own property.

I wish you luck on whatever it is you decide to do in your case.  As an American that sees the citizens of our nation not taking responsibility for our own actions I hope we can all "man-up" and do what is right.  I have no doubt you have been "wronged" in what materials they decided to use to build the house, but at some point we need to do our own research and make sure we're not just trying to get something for nothing.  Also, I'd be careful how far you go with the campaign against them unless you are SURE beyond a doubt they ripped you off.  They could use any of this in a counter-suit for defamation of character or something -who knows?  Good luck again!

I am posting additional pics of other homes that are rotting in the Redwood Lakes Subdivision in Culpeper, VA. Please keep in mind this is only in reference to the rotting trim and wood that is in the front of the houses pictured. These house are were built at the earliest 2005. But apparently according to George's post this does not seem to concern him, since this seems normal to him.

Dear George,

I owe you an apology, you truly are not the owner of this company as you portrayed yourself to be. Apparently now your just the project manager. Which according the Articles of Incorporation of SONA HOMES proves that your absolutely right the company is owned by Amit Parbadia who is the VICE President and Mr. Kirit Parbadia  who is the President. In fact your not even a part owner as you claimed to be, I find it odd that you said to me on the phone you did not know these two gentlemen though. But I do take offense to you calling me a liar and a person who is making these allegations up.

So I have decided to  go around the neighborhood in Culpeper, VA and post these pictures of other homeowners with the same exact issues within the REDWOOD LAKES Subdivision in Culpeper. I got the permission of these homeowners to take these pictures along with their narratives which will be shared with the Virginia Building Inspector who is now looking into my complaint along with theirs.

These pictures beg the question are we all liars too, did we invent these rotting pictures of the wood and trim that you installed? Or is their a pattern of bad workmanship and laziness, I think so, and so do my neighbors.

 I am anxious to hear your response to why these house are all falling apart. Also please tell me why an independant contractor said that  the reason that this is happening is because;

1. In an effort to save money SONA Homes built the front of these homes out of wood instead of vynil or plastic as any competent person would have. I say competent because even I know that and I am not a builder.
2. This rotting has happened because the wood that was used was never treated with anything to protect it against the elements. rain,snow, sunlight etc. Instead you covered your work with paint in some cases not even priming the wood which is why the discoloration is now evident on the outside of the homes.

Well I am awaiting you explanation as to why now their are pictures of over 15 properties with the same issue. Also, in an effort to make others aware of these issues since you are building homes now in Fredricksburg and Warrenton I have started a Facebook Page title SONA HOMES SUCKS. Makes sure to like us on Facebook!!! Also you can find more of your quality work on that sight since I have notified other homeowners of your shoddy workmanship.

I am providing a link to the Facebook page for your convenience:

SONA HOMES SUCKS on Facebook (Please like us on facebook)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SONA-Homes-Sucks/406714076027039

To clear up some statements, The person who wrote this never purchased a home from Sona. The photo is of trim boards on a bay window of a home built by Sona in 2004/2005.
The person who wrote this is the third owner of the house and purchased it as a foreclosure from the bank of NY Melon.
I have never heard of a builder who gives a lifetime warranty on properties they have sold no matter how old or how many times the property has changed hands and regardless of whether it was properly maintained or not.   I would imagine such a builder would not stay in business very long.
I am not the owner of Sona homes, I am the project manager and the writer has mis-quoted our conversation and made many false statements. Sona homes nor anyone affiliated with Sona Homes has approached or solicited any homeowners to do any repairs outside of items covered under the warranty and during the warranty period. 
I have been employed by Sona Homes since before this home was built and have dealt directly with many people who did actually purchase their home from Sona and an overwhelming majority of them are very pleased with the quality of construction.  
George

I wanted to provide an update to protect other victims of SONA HOMES while the company is supposedly owned by "George" the articles of incorporation list the following information as the actual owners of this company who does business from Richmond, VA to Fredricksburg VA

Mr. Amit Parbadia VICE President
Mr. Kirit Parbadia President