Hillcrest Builders

I am writing to you in the hopes that you will be able to help me resolve issues I am having with my builder Hillcrest Builders based in Sheboygan County and now actively building in most of southeast Wisconsin. I am also hoping that my story will be a warning to anyone who is planning to build with them.
After 40 plus years in my former home I had come to the conclusion that I was no longer capable of keeping my home and yard up and started looking for a house plan and builder to help me downsize. I selected Hillcrest Builders because I had heard good things about them and I liked the home plan I selected with them the best. During the planning and selection process a few issues arose but were resolved and I had great hopes for my future home.
In January of 2017 I moved in and almost immediately started to have problems. The first was seeing deep scratches in my brand new vinyl plank floor that the builders had made by dragging my new appliances across the floor. To be fair the builder did send the floor people and an attempt was made to rectify the situation.
After that I contacted the president and the warranty manager numerous times about problems I was having with my siding my fireplace my yard and my windows among other things because my contract stated that I had a warranty covering these types of things for the first year.
At first curt responses were sent promising these issues would be resolved but that I needed to be patient because they had a year to make things right. Then as more and more time passed most of my emails were completely ignored and I received no response at all. Because I was so frustrated I issued a complaint through the Revdex.com but the warranty manager’s response to the Revdex.com was complete fabrication.
I then sought out the president of the Metropolitan Builder’s Association to ask for a little guidance. Her response was to file for mediation or arbitration. Both acts cost money but the more costly alternative of arbitration was the only method I could use as stated in my building contract. I decided to wait.
When my first year of occupancy was almost up Hillcrest sent a new representative . He was pleasant and made me feel that someone from the company was finally listening and willing to help resolve these issues. At one point he even stated that ALL of my requests were reasonable and he made me believe that I would finally get some resolution. At the end of his “walkthrough” he promised to update me weekly to let me know what was happening and where things stood. Of course that did not and has not ever happened.
The following are issues I contacted Hillcrest about on numerous occasions.
1. I was given a fan in my attic for ventilation. The fan runs 10-12 hours a day in the summer months and 3-4 hours a day (at least) in the spring and fall. The fan is easily heard both inside and outside my house .The first time it went on after I moved in I thought a helicopter was landing outside.
2. The floor in the master bedroom is very loud and squeaky.
3. The exhaust fan in the master bath is falling out of the ceiling.
4. 3 doors in the house do not latch.
5. They installed a smoke alarm in the kitchen area! It is about 4 feet from the stove so every time I broil something or make my toast dark it goes off.
6. They put a furnace exhaust pipe out the back wall about 12 inches above the patio light fixture. In the winter months I get icicles hanging from there and on the light fixture. Also leads to ice on the ground right in front of the patio door.
7. My fireplace mantel and hearth has grey grit (appearance of poorly mixed cement) all over it. Every time I clean it off it just comes back. This has been an issue since the day I moved in. Faber Construction out of Lomira Wisconsin installed this. The mason showed up in September told me he had never done stonework inside and promised to come back to seal it. He never returned.
8. This same subcontractor (Faber Construction) installed my siding. They finally returned in late fall to put up the siding pieces that were falling down on one side of my house. Now however the siding is coming apart and bulging out in areas close to the ground. It also vibrates on windy days.
9. I have a drainage ditch running through my backyard. The excavator hired by Hillcrest Wollner Excavating ignored the subdivision plans and decided to make a drainage ditch go through most of my backyard well within my lot line so now the remaining lots around me can have their runoff go right through my backyard. When I raised concerns I was told I should have built uphill. The drainage was supposed to go on the borders of my lot down to a drainage easement in the back.
10. Finally I paid thousands of dollars extra to upgrade my *** windows to triple pane to help with energy savings. After a little more than a year I already have 4 of the windows where the seal is broken. Most of them also have poorly performing screens as the flies have no difficulty getting in. Evidence of this is all the fly bodies inside my windows. An *** representative did finally show up to look at the windows and has said the windows and screens will be fixed. However nothing has been done yet.
So here I sit with items that have yet to be addressed and no real belief that they will ever be fixed. I have run out of options as no one from that company seems to think honoring promises or standing behind their work should matter to anyone let alone an old woman on her own. This house was supposed to let me have some peace before I die. Instead I have gotten a house of horrors.
I am hoping that even if Hillcrest Builders refuses to honor their warranty with me the rest of southeast Wisconsin will think twice before trusting them with their hopes and dreams of a new home.

Several issues with insulation surrounding windows over the past year and a half. Notified builder prior to closing regarding concerns. After closing Nov 2016 had entire windows covered with 1/4in thick sheets of ice and heavy condensation that puddled on window sills and carpets, damaging sills. After numerous visits from window rep (nothing was resolved due to window rep reporting it was not defective windows), in Winter 2017 builder removed all trim around windows of home to discover no insulation. Builder did spend several days applying insulation and redoing trim to windows, but this winter 2 windows still have heavy condensation AND ICE. Builder has been notified several times with photos. Window rep has been sent 3 times to home with no resolution of issue.

3 Exterior Doors with large gaps since move in to the point where elements (wind, snow, rain) enter interior,

Kitchen Island rock/shakes and is not level

Plumbing fixture in bath tub inoperable

On September 27, 2016 my husband and I purchased a lot to to have a no step condo constructed by Hillcrest Builders. We were able to move in June 1, 2017 (90 days past the date promised) We have lived here almost four months and the sidewalk, driveway and landscaping have not been done according the contract promises. Since the construction started in January, 2017 we were assured of a finished product soon after residence. We cannot use our driveway because since moving in we have found that only in our driveway there are two water mains, a sanitary sewer and two tall cable pedestals. We were never told of these things in our driveway or we would never have purchased this site. *** no longer answers our complaints and the *** cannot do anything because *** is a private developer. In the future we will be responsible to repair and maintain these obstacles located in our driveway because we are ***s of the driveway. *** knew about these things when he sold us the property and withheld it from us. He has had months to remedy the situation and has chose not to do so.