Complaint Review: Shelter Design & Construction - Westlake, Austin Texas

To repeat:  Shelter Design encourages clients and potential customers to contact our references, to disprove the demonstrably false statements contained in the above screeds, including the suggestion that Shelter Design has only built three new
houses.  The best source for Shelter Designs demonstrated ability to complete high-quality custom home projects remains our references, which Shelter Design is committed to providing to all potential and existing clients.

In a career spanning more than 25 years, Shelter Design has always worked in good faith with clients to resolve the issues that inevitably arise on construction projects.  Here, despite Shelter Designs agreement to attend mediation with these homeowners, and though we have attempted to maintain a constructive dialogue about this home construction project, the owners have adopted a scorched-earth campaign that seeks to destroy our reputation of quality workmanship and solid customer care.    These bullying threats of public shaming are supported by untrue statements.  Shelter Design vehemently denies these allegations,
and we will remain willing to discuss them in detail with potential clients.

 

We requested early on for a reference from the AustinModHouse of Paul Schuster but this was declined as the owner was a 'bit of a DYI-er'. Well he had to be to get the house finished! Zirkell walked 5 years ago, now he s back offering to finish the roof and waterproof the PolyGal that he said was not needed.

He is also holding our correctly sized glass/aluminum door to ransom at his home,
Leaving us with only the over-sized door that doesn't fit which he said he would sell on Craigsalist but hasn't take away.

We have a video of the inspector pointing out all the inspections failures in our house that he ignored. If the owner is dissatisfied with our report we are happy to post the video to YouTube for the whole world to see. It also shows he does not like being videod with the inspector showing his failures.

The video has been edited down to less than 10 minutes to meet YouTube requirements. Please advise us whether you would like us to put it onto YouTube Mr Zirkell? Are you OK with the world seeing your failure? Or do you prefer to hide behind your expensive lawyers?

The problem with this contractor is he doesn't coordinate the subs or check that they have completed their work, and that their work has been inspected as meeting building code before billing the owners. We don't think we should have to pay for sub-standard work partially done and not meeting basic code compliance on a high end home. This contractor thinks otherwise and just wants to get his cut as quickly as possible and leave you with a house that doesn't meet code and therefore can't get a CO certificate of occupancy, without meeting code and local ordinances including city requirements. He also doesn't competively bid subs but gets the first one he knows unless you choose your own sub. He as done this to another new build owner not just us. He appears to have only built new 3 houses, one was his own which he finished, and the two other new build he never finished and walked out leavin the owners to fix his issues and finish the house.

It seems the happy customers must all be for remodeling and additions where he is not out of his depth. So for a remodel he may be fine, so long as your tastes are more traditional and not contemporary but for a whole home he is either out of his depth, or lacks the patience to finish. When he gets to a bit he is not sure about, he leaves it and moves onto the next step in the house build process, leaving code issues on the way, not calling in inspection when needed, and not fixing inspection failures if he did bother to get an inspection when needed.

We have had pay a project recovery specialist to fix the code issues and finish the job. It is more costly to fix the failures later in he house build process. If you think you can get any compensation or cooperation from him on this then think again. He prefers to spend his money on his expensive lawyers.

Shelter Design and Construction has completed more than 100 remodels, additions, and custom home projects in and around Austin since 1999.  Our mission is and always has been to provide quality construction for a reasonable cost.
 
However, if a client refuses to reimburse either the contractor or sub-contractors for legitimate costs incurred, Shelter Design and Construction will nonetheless respond in good faith to attempt to get the project back on track, but also must protect the interests and legal rights of its sub-contractors.

Although we disagree wholeheartedly with the allegations in the anonymous complaint, there is one true statement in it: that Shelter Design and Construction clients should contact our references.  We enthusiastically encourage requests for references because we know that former clients will gladly attest to our reputation for integrity, honesty, and their happiness with our work.