J&J Custom Homes, LLC

from *** *** the *** home took longer to build mostly due to at my last count , separate change orders, totaling over 60,every time something is changed on a home it adds to the time it takes to buildWe as builders cannot keep a time line if things are constantly changing I
never deceived the ***s or failed to return a phone call or text or e mail in a reasonable amount time at the next day and had many meetings and conversations on the phone with them after hours and on weekends If they feel I was out of line in my communications with them it is a two way street Phrases used to me my subcontractors and others like don't make me go afghan on you, don't make me show you my p t s d I find very concerning These and others were used and at least of my subcontractors chose not to return to the job one in particular was berated at a public family event and was insulted in front of his wife , family and onlookers.there were not receipts provided because it was a fixed price contract and the change orders were also priced The only time receipts are provided on a job is a cost plus or time and materials job I asked mr *** if he wanted to go to one of these and he declined, I gave them the receipt on the roofing showing a short fall that we had to obbsorb and explained that if we were going to provide documentation then if there were overages on the budget then he would receive a credit but on shortfalls he would be responsible for the payment difference , you can't have it just one way , he declined yet continue to demand receipts At the completion of the home all suppliers, and subcontractors had been paid in full and no liens were filed on the homeIt is not up to the homeowner as to when subcontractors are paid but it is the builders responsibility to hold payment until the job is done correctly , this is the only tool a builder has to make sure the subcontractor returns and finishes the jobAs for payment to j and j custom homes on at least bank draws the ***s held payment from us For example the bank would come and inspect progress and would deem it nessacery to release 40,how ever the ***s would tell the bank they thought only should be released so we were constantly waiting for payment , due to this some bills were paid later than but we can't pay if we don't get paidEven today the ***s blame us cause they have some sand in there well water yet they paid for and had a sand filter and water softener installed themselves that was not a part of our contract ,all wells at least in south Texas have sand in them at some time or another the problem lies in the filter , something we had nothing to do with yet the want us to be responsible for itThis week it was his dishwasher stopped working properly and we were supposed to do something about that however they took the money directly from the loan and purchased their own appliances again we had nothing to due with itThe few warranty items to complete at the *** home require a calm day with no rain and anybody in south Texas knows that has been hard to predict lately So if we have it set up for a certain day and the conditions are bad that day we have to set another time as it would be unfair to push off another customers set time the following day Though the ***s would like it they are not our only customerWe fully intend when available dates and weather conditions allow to complete the few warranty items remaining and fully intend to honor our year warranty but within reason we will not be held responsible for items or conditions we had nothing to do with and no control overI had many conversations with the ***s trying to explain the process but to no avail At thanksgiving, I was out of state for the Holliday and mr *** went to the bank to try to draw payment for one sub , who told him he was finished , the folks at the bank called me and asked me if the task was complete and did I want an inspection , I told them no it was not complete and I would confirm it the Monday after thanksgiving and on that date I showed mr *** that the job was not complete and the subcontractor needed to return and complete the work and after the inspection he would be paid That is exactly what happened All in all the ***s have a wonderful home that they designed and though it took longer than any of us would have liked they bare a large amount of the blame for the delay, constant and major changes, to include tearing out and moving walls , Windows , changes in cabinet layout, moving a fireplace, changing to a colored metal roof , paint color changes in the house , foam insulation to include the garage All of these add up to days each to the build time, this coupled with other factors beyond our control such as weather delays, to include major flooding and storms shutting down trucking several major distribution centers in the state floodinmaterial not arriving on time, some unreliable subcontractors were also factors in the delayWe cannot be held finically responsible for delays and cost incurred that were beyond our controlMy hope is that the ***s will realize they got a wonderful ,high quality , well built home at a very good price that they should be proud of I know I am proud of it and we built it

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: We have copies of all our change orders/*** upgrades as they are labelled on each of the sheets and they do not add up to separate changes in which *** *** is claiming Themajority of the things we did were due to the recommendation of him The only actual change orders we had were that we moved a door entry way/closets making it a hall, in turn this made it a day delay in our home This delay was in the framing process in July of and we are well aware of the time it took to change this because we watched them do it At this time we decided not to put a fireplace inside the home we placed it outside of the home, delaying nothing, the fireplace had not been started The builder actually told us it would be less time and money because he did not need to put a chimney through the entire metal roof We did change to a metal roof, prior to the foundation of the home ever being put in we decided on a metal roof and a colored roof therefore it was an upgrade not a change order and was not a delay We were told the delay was because the color we ordered did not come in the grade for our home so we needed to change colors, then he told us the factory locally here in Texas was shut down and they had to order from out of stateTherefore we were delayed approximately weeks To no fault of ours, he stated he never ordered a colored roof before he had always ordered galvanized We did a change order on our bedroom windows, but with that being said the wrong windows were delivered so I'm not sure if that was a delay or not The paint selections were made almost a year in advance *** was well aware of there being so many colors within the home, he had the paint samples, this was NEVER an upgrade or a change just and additional charge for different colors in each room The cabinet layout was changed James came to us and stated that he was having an issue with where he was currently ordering his cabinets He came to us with brochure from a new cabinet company and told us that he would like to try this company out and we would be the first customers to order from them We liked the cabinets, therefore decided to order from them This caused us to add additional cabinets and upgrade This was our only option because we were told if we went with his current company it was taking or more weeks to get cabinets in from them We did upgrade to foam insulation upon the recommendation of *** We did this prior to any insulation being put in the house and early in the building process, therefore we are at a loss on how this is a delay We did add a water and gas stub out in the back of our home, which caused a day delay and I have emails from *** stating how long of a delay this caused The delay was because the plumber showed up and due to lack of communication they were ready for an inspection instead of having the equipment to install the stub out In addition we have documentation of every payment the date the bank sent this to us, along with the date it was authorized We took day from the time the bank sent the draw to the time we signed the authorization and sent it back There are bank draws on this account and I can provide the documentation on of them with the dates, the first bank draw I was moving to Texas and did not have access to a scanner therefore it was authorized over the phone We did hold back some of the monies requested on two bank draws We held back $2,on February 23, due to the shower tile not being completed and paid that out on March 10, when it was completed We also held out approximately $7,on April 20, of profit, which was a recommendation of the bank and I have attached the email below from the bank Both amounts *** *** knew in advance why they were being withheld As far as the monies being withheld from us i.egranite, tile, and survey credit I addressed in the initial complaint that has still not been addressed We also still have simple warranty work that has to be completed and we have addressed since closing in May We have been told several times that a pull out and a shelf for our kitchen were ordered sometime between the month of May and now, but now they are stating it was lost and they have to reorder it We have a screen that needs to be replaced and for whatever reason someone lost the size and it was just reordered September 14, We have a column that needs to be stoned and was scheduled for September but was cancelled due to the stone layer was hurt on another job but we would be notified once they can re-schedule I would like to close and address the issue with the subcontractors We are at a loss for the statement that he has written The following contractors have spoke to us and have completed work already or have stated they are willing to complete additional work for us when we do things that we intend on doing in the future: Concrete, Stone, Tile, and HVAC In which two possibly three of the aforementioned contractors no longer work for J and J Custom Homes All other subcontractors i.eelectrician, painter, and plumber we are uncertain if they continue to work for this company or not The electrician completed or home however electrical warranty work was completed by another electrician The joke from this Company is the electrician will show up when he wants paid on Friday Upon completion of our home we where on our third painter therefore we are not sure who is working for him at this time or who is going to finish painting the outside of our home which is another outstanding warranty issue and concern The plumber we went through two plumbers so again not sure who is working for him at this time So to contradict his statement that we have issues with subcontractors we can provide their names and numbers and prove they are continuing to provide us with work here in our home Through all this the company fails to realize we are the customers This is not a personal relationship, it is professional and should remain as such We were told I don't work for you in fact *** *** or J and J Custom Homes did work for us because they would not be building if we as the customers didn't want a home built
Final Draw*** ***>Apr 20tome***, I spent some time this morning with *** on the phone going over the final draw. He informed me the plumbing situation was resolved yesterday regarding the leaking toilet and the garbage disposal. He also informed me that mirrors are going in today and paint should be wrapped up no later than tomorrow or Friday. Because of this I am recommending we pay the final draw, however hold back the money for gutters and for the final paint which totals $3,580. Total available to draw is $57,663, however you have paid $3,to the builder out of pocket so the available becomes $54,of which I am stating we should transfer $51,to the builder with the difference being held by you for the rest of the paint and the gutters. It is my understanding that the paint will be done in the next few days and the cleaning crew is coming Saturday to clean the house so pending any last minute items you should be able to close your permanent soon. A breakdown of the final draw is detailed below: Remaining Plumbing $ 1,260Remaining Electrical $ 1,348Remaining HVAC $ 2,275Countertops $ 6,500Plumbing Fixtures $ 6,500Light Fixtures $ 3,000Mirrors $ 1,600Tile Labor/Materials $ 9,100Finish Work Labor $ 5,000Profit $14,500Total $51,083 Please let me know if you have any questions as I would like to get this wrapped up today if possible, thanks.
Regards,
*** ***