Brian Letarski Construction

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below I am mystified and befuddled about Mr [redacted] ’s rebuttal to my complaint against him and his companyAs stated in my previous statements he was required to design a home that was ICF compliant he did notFrom the very first, I emailed or texted him about how important that all the exterior walls were to be ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) building material.On March 01, 2016, Mr [redacted] sent Mr [redacted] what was required “all exterior walls need to be inches thick to accommodate the ICF product” (email).On March 01, 2016, Mr [redacted] responded about the ICF product and asked about the spec(s) for the inch walls and an alternative to the inch walls (email).On March 15, 2016, Mr [redacted] inquired about the name of the ICF Company that Mr [redacted] would be using (email).On March 17, 2016, Mr [redacted] responded to the question about which ICF company he would be usingMr [redacted] said “BuildBlock” (email).On May 28, 2016, Mr [redacted] emailed Mr [redacted] about getting “BuildBlock” to look over the plans (email).On July 28, 2016, Mr [redacted] emailed Mr [redacted] about being able to downsize the HVAC units because of the ICF building material that we are using (email).If indeed Mr [redacted] relayed any information from “BuildBlock” to me by a phone call concerning the house plans or Mr [redacted] being resistant with using this type of ICF building material why would Mr [redacted] keep referencing the ICF product in his emails? As you can see there are six examples here (over the course months) of Mr [redacted] communicating with Mr [redacted] concerning the use of the ICF building materialIf Mr [redacted] was so oppose to the ICF style of build there would/should be a paper trail instead of one non-existent phone callAny Business owner or person that has a client that is so sold on one major component/ requirement especially on a set of house plans, that business owner would make percent sure that this client understood that requirement could/would not be fulfilled That Business owner would indeed have some type of paperwork to protect his business either by certified mail, Email, or Text messages, which did not happenI categorical deny any conversations between Mr [redacted] and myself (Mr [redacted] ) concerning the building material called ICF and his hesitant or refusal to design a house around this productI also categorical deny any conversation with Mr [redacted] concerning “BuildBlock” and what the “gentleman said” by any and all means of communication about any home plans being able to use ICF By using the word any one could extrude anything is possible with ICF this is not the caseYou need a very strong foundation and exterior walls to support the concrete weightYou again cannot have an exterior ICF wall (which could weigh several pounds) without an adequate base to support such weightThis is why the Master suite and surrounding areas needed to be redrawn on Mr [redacted] s’s plans to make it ICF compliantThe three page list of what the [redacted] ’s wanted was sent (March 01, 2016) to Mr [redacted] before the check (check was sent out on March 15, 2016) and contract was signedMr [redacted] was fully aware of the scope of work he was required to do, and that scope of work did not changeSince Mr [redacted] accepted the requirements (the exterior and interior scope of work) and readily cashed the check that Mr [redacted] sent one could surmise that, that is also an agreement between two parties That scope of work was again eight exterior items;To save an oak tree.To look at the site plan.Easement line concerns.Smooth stucco finish.To make sure the house is placed for a solar passive home.Front door placement.All exterior walls need to be inches thick to accommodate the ICF product.House needs to set back as far as possible from the street.There was interior items that was on the listThe only modifications on the original interior list was to move the laundry room to where the storage room was and the storage room to where the laundry room was no extra square footage just swapping roomsI also told Mr [redacted] that he could bill me for those changes for which he did, and there was no issue with thatGoing over the interior list that I sent list Mr [redacted] it looks like he did out of The other items are similar in nature as the exterior itemsBut none of them were as important as the exterior walls being ICFAlso please take note, that the interior (the interior is beautiful) is not the issue with Mr [redacted] , just the ICF and the structural issues are.Also please take note on the second item that Mr [redacted] has issue with; No stem walls on the North side of the home and no the tension or compression capacity for anchoring walls of drag loads on the inside corners in the same area of the house that had minimal design changesYou Mr [redacted] who owns a custom residential construction business should know better about how critical these areas are (strong stem walls are a requirement on all homes and also the roofing issues)Mr [redacted] took no responsibility in trying to fix them; Mr [redacted] just asked for other people to fix them for him, he took absolutely no ownership of the concerns on his design mistakesThe people Mr [redacted] started to communicate with about fixing his mistakes I had no idea who they were, where they were located, or even the cost of fixing Mr [redacted] ’s mistakesOn Feb 04, and again on Feb 05, I resent an email to Mr [redacted] letting him know about the issues concerning his designMr [redacted] final responded to me (by text) early on Feb 06, 2017, and said “I received them” which was at 5:31AMThen at 3:59PM Mr [redacted] finally responded with additional comments to Mr [redacted] (by text) but nothing about making it right or even calling Mr [redacted] The only help Mr [redacted] gave me was at 4:04PM (by text) on the same day was, “My engineer here in Wisconsin referred to me to on (sic) his friends/colleagues in California”Mr [redacted] responded by text at 4:PM with a Thank you and asked “will your Engineer Colleague Friend be working with you or me? Thank you again.Mr [redacted] responded by text at 4:55PM and said “When he calls back, I’ll let u (sic) know”.Mr [redacted] responded by text at 4:56PM and texted I’ll be waiting for that call.No response at all from any communication source came from Mr [redacted] on February 7,8,9, concerning the design issues that was brought up by Mr [redacted] last .I sent him a lengthy text on February 10, 9:23.Mr [redacted] finally sent me a lengthy texted February 10, 2017, 12:44PM he was trying to find an engineer who could helpAt this point I started to realize that I needed some local talent and someone and/or a company that I could count on in my city of ModestoIf this was my businesses’ project and there were serious issues with it, I would be calling that person right away and do everything in my power to make it right sadly this did not happenMr [redacted] tried but by this time it was way too late for thatI needed Mr [redacted] to pick up the phone, assure me that he would make it rightI didn’t dream on having the structural engineering costing me more that the complete set of house plans that I received from him because of his work ethicI also believe that most people would agree with that statement This business/complaint issue is between only between Mr [redacted] and Mr [redacted] and by mentioning my previous home designer MrK, you sir, Mr [redacted] are trying to deflect the only two issues here, plus trying to question my integrityMr K was completely paid in full (and in a very timely manner) for his completed work for which that is stated in the signed contactThree payments were made on time to MrK and there has never been any talk of any legal action as of April 25, MrK is also a specialist in designing ICF home and the only issue the [redacted] ’s had with him was the timelineMrK does great work designing homes.Throughout Mr [redacted] and Mr [redacted] ’s business dealings I have complimented on his hard work and thank numerous times, plus during his family gatherings such as a wedding I told him to “Have a wonderful time at the wedding remember weddings are for dancing enjoy the celebration” (October 15, 2016, text)I am not a mean person and I am also not the person that Mr [redacted] portrays me asSince day one Mr [redacted] has told me I was a man of my word for which I amThat is how I was raised I am only as good as my word and my hand shake is better than any written contact Yes I know that’s old school but those values I given to my three older sons and am giving them to my year son and my year old daughter even in today’s world.After paying Mr [redacted] more than 11,dollars for his work and again it’s a beautiful home that he designed, “The [redacted] ’s” dream home started to become a nightmare when the structural engineering quotes came in for 16,dollars to fix Mr [redacted] ’s obvious errors in his design workI still am asking for the 2,dollars back so my new Designer Architect can fix Mr [redacted] ’s obvious errors and oversights on the [redacted] project.Thank you, [redacted]

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below I, [redacted] , received the final set of his (Mr [redacted] ) drawings on December 14, Once Mr [redacted] and I came to a final agreement/resolution on the invoice/cost a certified check was sent outWhen Mr [redacted] received the check is when he mailed out the completed plans to the [redacted] ’s and was the very first time that we got to see the complete plans (this of course had the sectional views, plus a lot more detail throughout the complete house, and wood framed exterior walls with standard insulation?) While we did see the floor plans and elevation drawings earlier in the process, the complete set was not shared until after the check was received This was in alignment with what Mr [redacted] texted me on May 28, 2016, 10:46AM where he said “I don’t give the drawings until they are fully complete”When [redacted] and Mr [redacted] (***) started this project I sent [redacted] a detailed list of what was expected of him (email dated March 01, 2016, 12:45AM)The list for the exterior items was a total of eight itemsMost of the items had to do with the placement of the home on the propertyThree out of the eight of exterior items were about; 1- Placement of the front door so our front door would not look into the neighbors backyard2- Exterior finishes, like stucco and rock (to minimize fire danger), 3- “All exterior walls need to be inches thick to accommodate the ICF product”The email from [redacted] dated March 01, 2016, 6:13PM to [redacted] states “that you (***) needed specs for the inch ICF walls and he wanted to know in there was an alternative to the inch thick walls”On March 15, at 6:53PM [redacted] sent a text messaged to [redacted] , in that texted message [redacted] asked [redacted] for the name of the ICF Company he will be using so [redacted] could see the specs on their web site [redacted] responded by email on March 17, 2016, 1:49PM and he wrote “The ICF company should be BuildBlock”These communications clearly indicate that Mr [redacted] understood from the very beginning that the ICF material a requirement for this project IN addition, from the beginning we discussed the [redacted] ’s need for the use of ICF material was important to ensure we were using green building materials that have a very high “R” rating on insulation and would be fireproof (the home site is in a river canyon) [redacted] bought a set of already drawn plans from [redacted] that he liked and recommendedAt that point he started to modify these plans to suit the [redacted] ’s needs based on communications with himWhile some of these modifications were substantial, the area that has the concern from the structural engineer, the Family/Great/Living room area had limited changes, changes, flipping the one side of his original design to the other side (basically a mirror image)This is where my Structural Engineer has concern because of “There is no possibility of shear walls on the north side so that would need a steel frame, the way the roof trusses are drawn there is no tension or compression capacity for anchoring walls of drag loads at inside corners” The price for this Profession Structural Engineer Company (Design Everest) was 16,dollars which is more than the price that I paid [redacted] for his total jobThis structural engineer group said the reason why the price is so high is “it can’t be built as it is shown and usually what happens is we have to find a way to fix it”Since [redacted] also owns a construction company that does custom homes he should be fully versed in “shear walls” and roof trusses, and anchoring walls of drag loads at inside cornersAfter more structural engineering estimates there were the same issues on my plans that Mr [redacted] had drawnPlus the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) companies (Foxblock and Buildblock) I contacted to give me estimates were puzzled by these plans this is not a set of an ICF compliant home plansOne of their main concerns was the location of the second floor Master SuiteIn order to make this master retreat ICF compliant you have to make sure that the first floor would support all the weight of the ICF wall(s) on the second floorSince the center of the ICF wall material is all concrete and rebar steel so then you need to make sure (basically by stacking the walls up together) that means the first flooring /walls and the second flooring/walls can/will withstand these forces and weight (and just a wooden sub-floor will not do)I talked to a published ICF builder and designer Mr [redacted] and he came up with a fix, I relayed the idea to Mr [redacted] and he did not care for this I texted that to Mr [redacted] on February 11, 2017, 9:50PM As Mr [redacted] was finishing working on the [redacted] project I asked him if there was any problems or concerns would he be there to rectified them on November 13, 2016, 11:49AM I asked “but what happens if the city/building people have some issues with the plans” and [redacted] replied at 11:the same day “That’s never happened to me I’ve been in business for years” Yes, Mr [redacted] wanted a conference call between my wife and I but I said no, because I was the point person and the main driving person on this segment of the [redacted] projectMy wife’s responsibility will come with all the interior stuff and that is what my wife and I agreed upon As of September 28, 2016, 6:34PM [redacted] text me “it is not effective to have weekly phone conversation” when I read that text I had a bad feeling about our business relationship Mr [redacted] never relayed any information concerning what BuildBlock told him, if he did relay that type of very important information to me he needs to produce itAlso he never once expressed to me his concern about using the ICF material for a Frank Lloyd Wright style home; again if he did, he needs to produce that correspondence With that said there are of course Frank Lloyd Wright built homes with concrete block which is similar but of course not exact match such as “The Storer Home” the “Hollyhock Home” both in Southern California, and the “Robert Walton House” in Central California Since his specialty is Frank Lloyd Wright styled/imagined homes I hired him because of this specialty [redacted] did not deliver a design for a home that could be built he just drew a home that could only be built by his imaginationIt is a truly beautiful home that is why I only requested dollars back from him, so I could hire somebody that could make “his imagination” a reality for the [redacted] ’sIt just seems like Mr [redacted] had a vision in his mind for this house and even if it could not be built that was okay for him that’s someone else’s problem I have since hired another architect to correct Mr [redacted] faulty design plus make it an ICF compliant homeThe new architect liked the approach/idea that Mr [redacted] and I came up with by moving (redrawing the complete master suite, staircase, and fireplace) the master suite four feet backSo now one of the ICF interior walls will support the Master suite exterior wall and by redrawing the fireplace this will anchor another ICF wall so that the ICF will be used It came out perfectThe next step is to make sure that on the north side of the home has “shear walls” and the other issues the Structure Engineer pointed out I hope [redacted] has the integrity to do the right thing and do itThank you, [redacted]

I will give a rundown of the timeline in an orderly fashion so that this is much easier to comprehend. Mr*** contacted me in January of 2016. He asked if I had any story home plans that he could review, as he and his 2nd wife wanted to start building as soon as possible. He then told me of the "issues" he had with his previous architect, stating that he architect had taken over months to complete the drawings, and that in the end, they were incomplete and unsatisfactory. He and his wife, ***, were looking to move forward quickly. I said that I had one story home that he could look at. I sent him pictures of the home via cell phone. He asked if he could get those in an email to view them better. Against my better judgement, I sent him the floor plan an elevations via email at no charge. He asked how much the plans would be to purchase. I told him that the cost is $1.50/sqftfor floor plans and elevations. I then stated that to produce working drawings for that plan, it would be done by the hour, in addition to that cost. The ***s and I then signed a contract for the work previously stated. It was also noted that *** would have to get the plans engineered to meet local codes at this cost. I had told *** that I had a limited time to draw every week, as I was working out of town, but that I would get as much done as time would allow. While working with the ***s, *** had sent a page letter with change requests to the original plan. Though it was not my intention with the original cost per sqftto have that many changes, I proceeded with ***'s requests in good spirit. During the entire design process, *** was very adamant that the home reflected a Frank Lloyd Wright look, as the last architect's drawings did not. I reassured him that hits was my specialty, and that it will have that "look". In an email I received from ***, he had mentioned the ICF building product. I had asked for information about that product, as I have never worked with that material before. He gave me the company Build Block's information, as that was the company he wanted to use. I called that company to get more information, as I was unfamiliar with the building product. The gentleman that I spoke with told me that they could take any plan and convert it to the ICF plan. I then called *** to let him know of this conversation. Meanwhile, I continued on the design. When I had the first floor plan sketched, I called Mr*** again to let him know the concerns I had using this product, as it is very difficult to incorporate it into a FLW styled home. There are many windows that don't allow room for the ICF product. I also let him know that Build Block could make my plans work in order to use ICF. The floor plans were completed, along with the elevations. I sent the drawings to the ***s and they were accepted. I was hired to move forward to complete the working drawings. During the process of completing the working drawings, *** requested a weekly phone conversation. This worked for some time. As my building projects moved into the summer months, I had even less time during the week to draw. I had contacted *** to politely let him know that weekly conversations would not be productive, as there were weeks that I was not able to draw, and therefore, there was no new information to share. I finished the working drawings on the timeline that *** requested, which was November 12, 2016. I had sent picture of some of the drawings on the drafting table to *** at that point. *** had asked at this this point, what happens if the plans needed revisions. My response was that it would done by the hour, as this was our contract from the beginning. I received payment for the working drawings on December 11, 2016. This was only after a highly contested phone conversation with ***, as he did not want to pay for the drawings in full. He had given a self-imposed cost that was not in the contract. ***'s wife, *** had interceded in the phone conversation, as *** had removed himself from it. At this time, *** had asked if there was any "wiggle " room in the cost. I conceded $to keep the relationship positive. I sent the full plans to the ***s. They received them December 14, 2016. At that point, I was told that they love the plans and couldn't wait to start building. On January 9, 2017, I texted ***, asking if everything was moving along smoothly, and did not receive a response. I then emailed *** the same question on January 13, 2017. She replied 'things are moving along well- the plans looked great and we are very happy with how they turned out. Thanks for touching base and keeping in touch". The next contact I received from the ***s was a text on February 4, (9:pm Saturday, night, nearly months after the plans were completed). On Monday morning, February 6th, at 7:am, I let *** know that I received his email. It was an email from the engineer with concerns about the plans. I had told *** that there was nothing on that plan that I had not built in some way, shape, or form in Wisconsin. I also noted that we have major snow loads here, that do not need to be contended with in California. I proceeded to tell him that engineers do not engineer trusses. The truss manufacturer does that as part of their package. I had spoken to my engineer in Wisconsin, and he referred me to a colleague in the area of California that the said house is to be built. I also contacted a very good friend of mine, *** Rust, Architect, who is a Taliesin trained architectHe was taught organic architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright's son, *** ***. I had asked him if he could put me in contact with an engineer in the California area who could to the engineering on the *** residence. He contacted engineers. They both said they would be able to do the engineering on this project. At this time, *** had made the comment "isn't it a little late to engineer this at this point?" This left me baffled, as I was trying to help by using my resources of the top people in the field in this style of architecture. *** continued to speak with multiple people of his choice; not the ones I had suggested. At this point, he had told me that he had "lost all confidence with me and my abilities to see my project completed". I asked him for a phone conference with him and his wife to again rectify this. He said "no". My concern was that if his wife was not in the conversation, it would go awry as it did earlier. I asked *** a second time for a phone conference, and was rejected again. At this point, *** cut our business ties completely. In closing, I have been in business for years, building very unique and custom homes. Every home I have designed has been built an with customers extremely satisfied. I have never experienced such a lack of respect, insulting comments, and total disregard of my abilities as I have with this project. In light of this situation, I contacted the previous architect for the ***s to get a take on his experience. He told me that *** had requested numerous revisions on a continual basis, making it difficult to give him a completion date. When he did finish the plans, *** did not pay for them in full. It was a substantial amount, as he had hours of labor into the project. The architect told me he was considering legal recourse for payment. I have given every effort to create a wonderful home for the ***s, and I am very proud of the work I have completed. I have made numerous good faith efforts to work with the ***s. At this point, it seems that Mr*** is the only one standing in the way of getting it completed. Regards,*** ***

[redacted] & [redacted] hired me to design a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home, as that is my specialty. He had seen pictures of my work on the internet/my website. His request for the design was to be heavily influenced in the Frank Lloyd Wright style. At that time, we also discussed that the...

[redacted]s would need structural engineering to meet California building codes, as I am a home designer in Wisconsin. Also at that time, Mr. [redacted] expressed interest in using ICF for the exterior walls. Since I have never worked with that material, I inquired for additional information from Build Block ICF, since that was Mr. [redacted]s supplier of choice. They stated that they can take any plan and convert it to ICF construction, and I relayed that information to Mr. [redacted]. I also expressed my concern about using that material with a Frank Lloyd Wright styled home, as there is not any abundant wall space for the ICF due to the vast amount of windows in this style of architecture. Floor plans and elevation concepts were approved by the [redacted]s, and I continued to develop the plans into working drawings at an hourly rate as noted by the design contract. The [redacted]s let me know that they "Loved the plans". Three months after completion(11-12-16) of the plans, I was notified by [redacted] that the structural engineers had questions. I spoke with and emailed numerous engineers chosen by Mr. [redacted]. I also contacted architects/engineers versed in the organic architecture of Mr. Wright to work with the [redacted]s. Mr. [redacted] refused my suggestions. I also requested a phone conference with [redacted] and [redacted], and Mr. [redacted] refused that as well. I was further contacted by Mr. [redacted], indicating that he no longer wanted to continue our business relationship as of February 13, 2017.I have completed my work by the hour, as stated per contract. Through my conversations and emails with the various engineers, it is my understanding that they will need to convert my drawings into CAD in accordance with the final completed, stamped engineered drawings, as my drawings are completed by hand on a drafting board. Mr. [redacted] was informed from the beginning that I am a designer, and that any engineering will be above and beyond my scope.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I am
mystified and befuddled about Mr. [redacted]’s rebuttal to my complaint against
him and his company. As stated in my previous statements he was required to design
a home that was ICF compliant…he did not. From the very
first, I emailed or texted him about how important that all the exterior walls
were to be ICF (Insulated Concrete Form) building material.On March 01, 2016, Mr. [redacted] sent Mr. [redacted] what was required “all exterior walls need to be 12 inches thick to accommodate the ICF product” (email).On March 01, 2016, Mr. [redacted] responded about the ICF product and asked about the spec(s) for the 6 inch walls and an alternative to the 12 inch walls (email).On March 15, 2016, Mr. [redacted] inquired about the name of the ICF Company that Mr. [redacted] would be using (email).On March 17, 2016, Mr. [redacted] responded to the question about which ICF company he would be using. Mr. [redacted] said “BuildBlock” (email).On May 28, 2016, Mr. [redacted] emailed Mr. [redacted] about getting “BuildBlock” to look over the plans (email).On July 28, 2016, Mr. [redacted] emailed Mr. [redacted] about being able to downsize the HVAC units because of the ICF building material that we are using (email).If indeed
Mr. [redacted] relayed any information from “BuildBlock” to me by a phone call concerning
the house plans or Mr. [redacted] being resistant with using this type of ICF
building material why would Mr. [redacted] keep referencing the ICF product in his
emails? As you can see there are six examples here (over the course 5 months)
of Mr. [redacted] communicating with Mr. [redacted] concerning the use of the ICF
building material. If Mr. [redacted] was so oppose to the ICF style of build
there would/should be a paper trail instead of one non-existent phone call. Any
Business owner or person that has a client that is so sold on one major component/
requirement especially on a set of house plans, that business owner would make
100 percent sure that this client understood that requirement could/would not
be fulfilled.  That Business owner would
indeed have some type of paperwork to protect his business either by certified
mail, Email, or Text messages, which did not happen. I categorical deny any conversations between Mr. [redacted] and myself (Mr. [redacted]) concerning the
building material called ICF and his hesitant or refusal to design a house
around this product. I also categorical deny any conversation with Mr.
[redacted] concerning “BuildBlock” and what the “gentleman said” by any and all
means of communication…about any home plans being able to use ICF.  By using the word any one could
extrude anything is possible with ICF this is not the case. You need a very strong
foundation and exterior walls to support the concrete weight. You again cannot
have an exterior ICF wall (which could weigh several 1000 pounds) without an
adequate base to support such weight. This is why the Master suite and
surrounding areas needed to be redrawn on Mr. [redacted]s’s plans to make it ICF
compliant. The three
page list of what the [redacted]’s wanted was sent (March 01, 2016) to Mr.
[redacted] before the check (check was sent out on March 15, 2016) and contract
was signed. Mr. [redacted] was fully aware of the scope of work he was required
to do, and that scope of work did not change. Since Mr. [redacted] accepted the requirements
(the exterior and interior scope of work) and readily cashed the check that Mr.
[redacted] sent one could surmise that, that is also an agreement between two parties.
 That scope of work was again eight
exterior items;To save an oak tree.To look at the site plan.Easement line concerns.Smooth stucco finish.To make sure the house is placed for a solar passive home.Front door placement.All exterior walls need to be 12 inches thick to accommodate the ICF product.House needs to set back as far as possible from the street.There was 29 interior items that was on the list. The only
modifications on the original interior list was to move the laundry room to
where the storage room was and the storage room to where the laundry room was…no
extra square footage just swapping rooms. I also told Mr. [redacted] that he
could bill me for those changes…for which he did, and there was no issue with
that. Going over the interior list that I sent list Mr. [redacted] it looks like
he did 15 out of 29. The other 14 items are similar in nature as the exterior
items. But none of them were as important as the exterior walls being ICF. Also
please take note, that the interior (the interior is beautiful) is not the
issue with Mr. [redacted], just the ICF and the structural issues are.Also please
take note on the second item that Mr. [redacted] has issue with; No stem walls on
the North side of the home and no the tension or compression capacity for
anchoring walls of drag loads on the inside corners in the same area of the
house that had minimal design changes. You Mr. [redacted] who owns a custom
residential construction business should know better about how critical these
areas are (strong stem walls are a requirement on all homes and also the
roofing issues). Mr. [redacted] took no responsibility in trying to fix them; Mr.
[redacted] just asked for other people to fix them for him, he took absolutely no
ownership of the concerns on his design mistakes. The people Mr. [redacted]
started to communicate with about fixing his mistakes I had no idea who they
were, where they were located, or even the cost of fixing Mr. [redacted]’s
mistakes. On Feb 04, 2017 and again on Feb 05, 2017 I resent an email to Mr. [redacted] letting him know about the issues concerning his design. Mr. [redacted] final responded to me (by text) early on Feb 06, 2017, and said “I received them” which was at 5:31AM. Then at 3:59PM Mr. [redacted] finally responded with additional comments to Mr. [redacted] (by text) but nothing about making it right or even calling Mr. [redacted]. The only help Mr. [redacted] gave me was at 4:04PM (by text) on the same day was, “My engineer here in Wisconsin referred to me to on (sic) his friends/colleagues in California”. Mr. [redacted] responded by text at 4:53 PM with a Thank you and asked “will your Engineer…Colleague…Friend be working with you or me? Thank you again.Mr. [redacted] responded by text at 4:55PM and said “When he calls back, I’ll let u (sic) know”.Mr. [redacted] responded by text at 4:56PM and texted I’ll be waiting for that call.No response at all from any communication source came from Mr. [redacted] on February 7,8,9, 2017 concerning the design issues that was brought up by Mr. [redacted] last .I sent him a lengthy text on February 10, 2017 9:23.Mr. [redacted] finally sent me a lengthy texted February 10, 2017, 12:44PM he was trying to find an engineer who could help. At this
point I started to realize that I needed some local talent and someone and/or a
company that I could count on in my city of Modesto. If this was my businesses’
project and there were serious issues with it, I would be calling that person
right away and do everything in my power to make it right…sadly this did not
happen. Mr. [redacted] tried but by this time it was way too late for that. I
needed Mr. [redacted] to pick up the phone, assure me that he would make it
right. I didn’t dream on having the structural engineering costing me more that
the complete set of house plans that I received from him because of his work
ethic. I also believe that most people would agree with that statement.  This
business/complaint issue is between only between Mr. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted] and
by mentioning my previous home designer Mr. K, you sir, Mr. [redacted] are trying
to deflect the only two issues here, plus trying to question my integrity. Mr.
K was completely paid in full (and in a very timely manner) for his completed
work for which that is stated in the signed contact. Three payments were made
on time to Mr. K and there has never been any talk of any legal action as of
April 25, 2017. Mr. K is also a specialist in designing ICF home and the only
issue the [redacted]’s had with him was the timeline. Mr. K does great work
designing homes.Throughout
Mr. [redacted] and Mr. [redacted]’s business dealings I have complimented on his
hard work and thank numerous times, plus during his family gatherings  such as a wedding I told him to “Have a
wonderful time at the wedding…remember weddings are for dancing…enjoy the
celebration” (October 15, 2016, text). I am not a mean person and I am also not
the person that Mr. [redacted] portrays me as. Since day one Mr. [redacted] has
told me I was a man of my word for which I am. That is how I was raised…I am
only as good as my word…and my hand shake is better than any written contact.
Yes I know that’s old school but those values I given to my three older sons
and am giving them to my 7 year son and my 4 year old daughter even in today’s
world.After paying
Mr. [redacted] more than 11,500.00 dollars for his work and again it’s a
beautiful home that he designed, “The [redacted]’s” dream home started to become a
nightmare when the structural engineering quotes came in for 16,000.00 dollars
to fix Mr. [redacted]’s obvious errors in his design work. I still am
asking for the 2,000.00 dollars back so my new Designer Architect can fix Mr.
[redacted]’s obvious errors and oversights on the [redacted] project.Thank you,** [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
 I, [redacted], received the final set of his (Mr. [redacted]) drawings on December 14, 2016.  Once Mr. [redacted] and I came to a final agreement/resolution on the invoice/cost a certified check was sent out. When Mr. [redacted] received the check is when he mailed out the completed plans to the [redacted]’s and was the very first time that we got to see the complete plans (this of course had the sectional views, plus a lot more detail throughout the complete house, and wood framed exterior walls with standard insulation?).  While we did see the floor plans and elevation drawings earlier in the process, the complete set was not shared until after the check was received.  This was in alignment with what Mr. [redacted] texted me on May 28, 2016, 10:46AM where he said “I don’t give the drawings until they are fully complete”. When [redacted] and Mr. [redacted]) started this project I sent [redacted] a detailed list of what was expected of him (email dated March 01, 2016, 12:45AM). The list for the exterior items was a total of eight items. Most of the items had to do with the placement of the home on the property. Three out of the eight of exterior items were about; 1-    Placement of the front door…so our front door would not look into the neighbors backyard. 2-    Exterior finishes, like stucco and rock (to minimize fire danger), 3-    “All exterior walls need to be 12 inches thick to accommodate the ICF product”. The email from [redacted] dated March 01, 2016, 6:13PM to [redacted] states “that you ([redacted]) needed specs for the 6 inch ICF walls and he wanted to know in there was an alternative to the 12 inch thick walls”. On March 15, 2016 at 6:53PM [redacted] sent a text messaged to [redacted], in that texted message [redacted] asked [redacted] for the name of the ICF Company he will be using so [redacted] could see the specs on their web site. [redacted] responded by email on March 17, 2016, 1:49PM and he wrote “The ICF company should be BuildBlock”. These communications clearly indicate that Mr. [redacted] understood from the very beginning that the ICF material a requirement for this project.  IN addition, from the beginning we discussed the [redacted]’s need for the use of ICF material was important to ensure we were using green building materials that have a very high “R” rating on insulation and would be fireproof (the home site is in a river canyon). [redacted] bought a set of already drawn plans from [redacted] that he liked and recommended. At that point he started to modify these plans to suit the [redacted]’s needs based on communications with him. While some of these modifications were substantial, the area that has the concern from the structural engineer, the Family/Great/Living room area had limited changes, changes, flipping the one side of his original design to the other side (basically a mirror image). This is where my Structural Engineer has concern because of “There is no possibility of shear walls on the north side so that would need a steel frame, the way the roof trusses are drawn there is no tension or compression capacity for anchoring walls of drag loads at inside corners”.  The price for this Profession Structural Engineer Company (Design Everest) was 16,000 dollars which is more than the price that I paid [redacted] for his total job. This structural engineer group said the reason why the price is so high is “it can’t be built as it is shown and usually what happens is we have to find a way to fix it”. Since [redacted] also owns a construction company that does custom homes he should be fully versed in “shear walls” and roof trusses, and anchoring walls of drag loads at inside corners. After more structural engineering estimates there were the same issues on my plans that Mr. [redacted] had drawn. Plus the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) companies (Foxblock and Buildblock) I contacted to give me estimates were puzzled by these plans…this is not a set of an ICF compliant home plans. One of their main concerns was the location of the second floor Master Suite. In order to make this master retreat ICF compliant you have to make sure that the first floor would support all the weight of the ICF wall(s) on the second floor. Since the center of the ICF wall material is all concrete and rebar steel so then you need to make sure (basically by stacking the walls up together) that means the first flooring /walls and the second flooring/walls can/will withstand these forces and weight (and just a wooden sub-floor will not do). I talked to a published ICF builder and designer Mr. [redacted] and he came up with a fix, I relayed the idea to Mr. [redacted] and he did not care for this…I texted that to Mr. [redacted] on February 11, 2017, 9:50PM.  As Mr. [redacted] was finishing working on the [redacted] project I asked him if there was any problems or concerns would he be there to rectified them on November 13, 2016, 11:49AM I asked “but what happens if the city/building people have some issues with the plans”…and [redacted] replied at 11:52 the same day “That’s never happened to me…I’ve been in business for 27 years”.  Yes, Mr. [redacted] wanted a conference call between my wife and I but I said no, because I was the point person and the main driving person on this segment of the [redacted] project. My wife’s responsibility will come with all the interior stuff and that is what my wife and I agreed upon. ….. As of September 28, 2016, 6:34PM [redacted] text me “it is not effective to have weekly phone conversation” when I read that text I had a bad feeling about our business relationship.   Mr. [redacted] never relayed any information concerning what BuildBlock told him, if he did relay that type of very important information to me he needs to produce it. Also he never once expressed to me his concern about using the ICF material for a Frank Lloyd Wright style home; again if he did, he needs to produce that correspondence.  With that said there are of course Frank Lloyd Wright built homes with concrete block…which is similar but of course not exact match such as “The Storer Home” the “Hollyhock Home” both in Southern California, and the “Robert Walton House” in Central California.  Since his specialty is Frank Lloyd Wright styled/imagined homes I hired him because of this specialty. [redacted] did not deliver a design for a home that could be built he just drew a home that could only be built by his imagination. It is a truly beautiful home that is why I only requested 2000 dollars back from him, so I could hire somebody that could make “his imagination” a reality for the [redacted]’s. It just seems like Mr. [redacted] had a vision in his mind for this house and even if it could not be built that was okay for him…that’s someone else’s problem.   I have since hired another architect to correct Mr. [redacted] faulty design plus make it an ICF compliant home. The new architect liked the approach/idea that Mr. [redacted] and I came up with…by moving (redrawing the complete master suite, staircase, and fireplace) the master suite four feet back. So now one of the ICF interior walls will support the Master suite exterior wall and by redrawing the fireplace this will anchor another ICF wall so that the ICF will be used.  It came out perfect. The next step is to make sure that on the north side of the home has “shear walls” and the other issues the Structure Engineer pointed out.  I hope [redacted] has the integrity to do the right thing and do it. Thank you,[redacted]