Our dream home is no longer a dream - Review Updated July 14, 2018
Review Update - July 14, 2018
It's been almost a year now since 14 Estates walked off our build and we continue to deal with the aftermath every single day. We have discovered SO MUCH since they removed themselves from the project. When they initially walked off the project, our main concerns were the major overages and charges on the invoicing but we've come to discover that the budget issues are literally nothing compared to what we've found.
There are SO MANY issues with our house with the absolute main issue being that 14 Estates ONLY HAD 3 BUILDING INSPECTIONS completed as they were building. We have obtained proof of this and are now working with our municipality in order to try to rectify all the major noted deficiencies that were found during the inspections as well as now literally tearing the house apart so inspections can be done that were supposed to be done as they were building. The 3 inspections that were completed were:
1. Footings inspection - major deficiencies noted and the city has informed us that they did not correct them for their approval therefore the city now wants us to jackhammer though to the foundation footings to prove if the deficiencies were corrected or not (our basement is fully finished with fully hydro heated flooring, concrete overlay and glued down hardwood flooring).
2. Foundation inspection - major deficiencies noted and the city has informed us that they need us to excavate areas of our foundation if we cannot prove to them that the noted deficiencies were corrected.
3. Partial framing and rough in plumbing - major deficiencies noted and this was the last inspection they had. The city has informed us (and inspected the site themselves) that they never received any follow up calls from 14 Estates requesting the re-inspections after the initial inspections.
That was it...3 inspections on our building permit. We now have a bunch of engineers ($$$$) doing inspections on the house and they have found serious issues with the house that do not follow the Ontario Building Code rules and regulations.
Here are some of the major deficiencies in the house that we need to repair in order to obtain an occupancy permit as well as other issues we've dealt and are still with:
* Code and plans call for a huge fire barrier in our attic...there are NONE
* Serious structural issues
* Approx. 14 current roof leaks (causing ongoing drywall damage)
* Roof system is not to code
* Ventilation (attic) system is hugely LACKING
* Many (over a dozen) broken roof trusses
* Incorrectly installed Tyvek (not wrapped over walls to cause a seal)
* No insulation in the corners of framing
* Outdoor fireplace collapsed
* Mould (had to have professional remediation done)
* NOT one room has acceptable drywall/mud finish
* Serious issues with many doors and seals (outside elements blow in)
* Exterior stone literally sagging and falling down
And the list can go on and on but unfortunately, I am limited on character allowance.
In this entire experience dealing with 14 Estates, we feel we have been bullied, threatened, disrespected, mislead, disgraced and defamed by 14 Estates. Thankfully I have complete proof and evidence to stand behind every single word I've written and we have decided that our story and experience needs to be shared in hopes of helping others. They have also brought a $15,000,000 defamation lawsuit against me because I wrote a review about our experience with them. Please take a look at all of the pictures that I have attached but please note that this is only approx. 5% total of the actual amount of pictures that we have.
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Original review:
WAY over budget, extremely bad quality, so many issues with the house (black mould, roof leaks in more than 5 locations, all flat roofs need to be fully replaced (we've been told they won't last a year), drywall ceiling cracks to more than 3500 sq. ft of drywall), a SERIOUS lack of project management and so so much more. We have had to hire our own trades to fix all of the issues and finish the house because 14 Estates walked from the project as soon as we questioned invoices. Instead of answering our many emails asking them to justify invoice amounts they have invoiced us for - they opted to put a lien on our house instead (3 days following the last set up bills the sent). We asked many times for clarification on invoices and stressed that we have absolutely no issue paying for invoices that are correct but we want them clarified before we pay (we even offered to let our lawyer hold the money 'in trust' to prove we wanted to pay.
Please feel free to join our Facebook support page "Fourteen Estates - Customer Support Group'
- Approximate cost of services:
- $3,000,000.00
- Company Response
July 23rd 2018
On behalf of Fourteen Estates, I would like to take the time to respond to the posts made by Ms. Jensen. We take great pride in our 35 years’ experience building quality, custom homes. Until we dealt with Ms. Jensen and the co-founder of her Facebook page, our feedback and customer reviews were some of the best in the business. Unfortunately, that has now changed due to a concerted social media campaign being driven by two disgruntled clients out of hundreds of happy clients. Ms. Jensen contracted with us on a costs-plus basis. Unlike the usual homebuilding agreement where the homeowner pays a fixed fee based on their selections, with a costs-plus contract the homeowner agrees to pay the full costs of all building-related expenses plus our fee for managing the project. While we do our best to provide an accurate budget and timetable for completion of all of our costs-plus projects, there are always variables that can change both the cost and the ultimate project delivery date. These include things like the weather, changes to the project initiated by the customer, and the customer’s decision to have parts of the project done by subcontractors of their choosing. In the Jensens’ case, all of these things were factors. Despite the fact that we told the Jensens up front and in writing that they would be responsible for the actual costs of their project, they decided to stop paying us when the project ran into problems that were largely caused by their own decisions. Our workers and subcontractors need to be paid in full and on time and so do we. While we would have loved to see the project through to the end, we could not continue to work on the project when we were not getting paid. As you read the posts made by Ms. Jensen, we hope that you will take the time to remember that there are two sides to every story. Thank you for taking the time to read our post and consider our side.
Please note that the Client is currently involved in litigation proceedings with Fourteen Estates Ltd and owes Fourteen Estates Ltd a substantial amount of money.