K Hovnanian Homes

K Hovnanian Homes New Kent Virginia. I purchased a spec house from this builder in May 2017 (rainy season here in VA) and was told it had been purchased and then the buyer did not sell "her" home so she dropped out out of the purchase. The finishes were NOT to my liking but when asked if I could have them changed at my expense the answer was NO. NO is the only word this company knows! I did the inspection in the rain and never thought to go outside and up a hill to check on the siding and roof as I was verbally told by the construction supervisor (Alex) that he would have a roof inspection done since the house had been unoccupied for over a year and NO care taken. I am here 3 months and my neighbor in the back brought the gaping hole to my attention. I asked that it be fixed along with several other defects, but because we did not give the construction supervisors "10's" on their survey (which came with my kitchen floor being torn up due to imperfections and an oven that did not work and GE not having an opening in 10 days for service so I was with a hole in the floor and NO oven for the May 30 weekend.) Naturally, I was miffed and gave them NO 10's as they were not earned. When I contacted Mr. Huff, the warranty service manager, I was met with a nasty FOAD e mail. I copied and sent e mails to the Chief Attorney for K Hovnanian and received an overnight letter stating that I had NO warranty when it came to verbal contracts. Clearly he is not schooled in contract law. I was told to contact Mr. Huff, which my husband did, and was told we had no "tickets out." Clearly NOT the case as there are many tickets out for this house. It is clear to me that Mr. Huff (service manager for Chantilly VA office of K Hovnanian) pulled the tickets and voided the no warranty warranty. My husband called again and was told someone was scheduled for NEXT Monday between 8-1. We asked specifically for an afternoon appt. Suddenly the ticket appeared on the list again. Hm, curious! The operator was to call back within 2 hours to schedule a time for this coming Monday (it is Weds - 3 weeks after the ticket was placed) but NO CALL or e mail. This company is the worst! I have bought and sold many houses, both new and used and NEVER have I had such a lack of customer service or such a poor product. I was verbally promised sodding as they let the lawn go to seed and new landscaping (they replaced the dead with dying bushes.) Again I was told that NO verbal contracts are honored. I was also told a new clubhouse and Olympic size pool was to be built. NO again. They are finishing up the project and bolting. At this point I want the hole in the siding fixed but only after I see pictures that there are no animals living in there and there is no water damage (word around the complex is that there is an extreme amount of water damage where walls fall in and ceilings fall in and it has taken many homeowners years to have this rectified and then at their expense.) I don't think that is asking too much. I was sent this overnight letter by the Chief attorney for K Hovnanian and told to deal with Mr Huff. Now how does one deal with a person who clearly has taken down all tickets and does not respond to complaints but in a negative manner and only after many attempts to contact him. To make matters worse, over this holiday weekend, while I had a hole in the floor and NO oven I get a letter from K Hovnanian telling me that my 1 year warranty is up and no warranty work will be done. WHAT warranty work. Just know when you buy from these people you are buying AS IS unless, of course, you use the "construction team and their friends" to do work for you under the table and then you are assured of some type of service as I was told "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." I am not asking for anything unreasonable although Mr. Huff blatantly told me in writing I get along with no one so it would seem they are in no rush to do anything for me. I've heard nothing but complaints from most of the homeowners here and tales of fighting for what is rightfully theirs or kissing the proverbial behinds of these construction supervisors to get things done. This is not my style. I was a professional (I have MS and was forced to retire) and I do things by the book and I never ask for anything which was not promised or which is unjustified. I also do not participate in gossip which seems to be the currency of these "construction supervisors." I just want the hole fixed and I will replace the flooring and fix the crack in the front porch where it is coming away from the house. I will replace the appliances as have most here and as for the lawn, if the HOA is so upset about it they are free to do something about it as I frankly do not care how it looks. The hole, however, is non-negotiable. I offered to pay for a home inspector at my expense but that issue was never addressed as I am now thinking that a K. Hovnanian warranty is no warranty at all. If you read the above responses it would appear that any defects in construction are not the fault of K Hovnanian. How remarkable that they are that close to God in building the perfect structure!

My desire is that they FIX the hole in the siding after making careful review that there is no internal damage and if there is they can fix that as well. I also expect to be treated with courtesy and respect. Negativity breeds negativity. I was told there would be a 6 month inspection but apparently that too was an untruth as Mr. Huff stated in his e mail to me there are NO MORE inspections and they are not obligated in any way to fix any defects that are "not of their doing." Alex spoke of many surveys as did Shaun, but apparently I will receive no more surveys. I am guessing surveys only go to those who give "10's."

I can only hope that others do their due diligence and read carefully about this company before making an informed purchase. We were in a time crunch an had no reason to doubt the honestly of the sales person or the construction supervisors. Buyer beware!

Review: We purchased a new home in [redacted] , [redacted] from K hovnanian worth more than 1.1million dollars .The house came with standard level 1 tiles as a default (included in cost of house) but Miss [redacted] at the K.Hovnanian Design Center in [redacted] showed us a level6 porcelain tile(Arizona/Santa Fe/Eternal color :limestone beige 20x20 tile and explained to us that its much better and cannot be stained easily . We upgraded the tiles by paying extra 4000 dollars and got new tiles which we thought would look much better and would enhance the beauty of our newly constructed home. But, the tiles installed in our house have deep coffee ground stains which were not there in tiles shown to us at the design center and are looking very very ugly. We even went to [redacted] to look at the product and got sample from there but the tile sample we got from [redacted] and tile we got to look at the design center is a complete misrepresentation of the actual tile we got as an install. When we brought this to the attention of the sales team initially they promised us they will do something about it and kept on making us wait . Finally , they told us they won't do anything for us . We requested them to at least replace the defective and stained tiles instead of ripping and replacing all of them but they refused to do anything . We are very highly disappointed .Desired Settlement: We want these tiles replaced if possible or at the very least replace all the stained , ugly tiles which unfortunately are many.

Business
Response:
I tried to respond to the customer complaint on the website but I received an error message indicating the link for the complaint did not exist. I called the local office and they suggested I Email our response to you directly.

Complaint #[redacted]:
RE: Tile color variations

As the homeowner indicated in the complaint, they were shown a few samples of the floor tile prior to purchasing the home. After they purchased the home they complained about uneven grout joints on the floor tile during the new home orientation, but there was no mention of the color variations. Approximately a month and a half later they opened a warranty service request regarding the level of the grout joints, but again, they did not mention any color variation issues.
It wasn't until after the two initial complaints regarding the grout joints that they finally brought up the color variations.
In response to their complaint we did some research and confirmed the samples that were shown to them were the correct tile, and we also confirmed the tile installed in their home is what they selected.

The tile they purchased is a ceramic tile that is designed to look like limestone, and as such it has dark rings in the pattern that are meant to mimic the look of the natural stone. These darker rings can be mistaken for the “coffee ground stains” that the homeowner is referring to in their complaint. This particular tile has several patterns that are digitally printed on the tiles and then they are mixed throughout the box to help provide the natural look. This means a sampling of 4 tiles may not completely represent the full range of color variations in the entire selection. [redacted] has a warning to this effect on their website and in their product literature.   From the website: There will be noticeable variations in color and movement between pieces.

We have contacted [redacted] as well as the tile installer and there is nothing abnormal or defective with the tile that was installed in the [redacted]. The samples shown to the homeowner as well as those shown on the [redacted] website are consistent with the product that was installed in their home. This includes the occurrence of the dark circular rings on the pattern that the homeowner is complaining about. Since we confirmed the tile installed in the home is the correct pattern as were the samples that were shown to them prior to purchase, we have denied the claim to replace the tile.

Supporting documentation including the copies of the original  orientation report and the subsequent tile related service requests has been attached for reference.
 
If you need any additional information please let me know,

Consumer
Response:
I am hereby posting my reply back from builders message which I only got on 8/22 as it was not e mailed to me and I called miss [redacted] and he forwarded to my e mail .

Review: Dampness and moisture has caused damage to the wood frame at the bottom of the front door entrance.
I am the second homeowner of the property at [redacted] Ln., Sacramento, CA, XXXXX. The home was built in March, 2009. I moved in my home in March, 2012. On December 11, 2012, I called the Hovnanian office to make arrangements for someone to come out and look at water damage to the bottom frame of the front door entrance. I had to call three times before hearing from the Service Manager, [redacted]. On December 14, 2012 he came to my home. He stated that the first homeowners of the property did not have any problems with water damage. Then he continued and said he believed the water damage came about because of an act of God. He said the recent rainy weather and the wind blowing in a southern direction is what caused the moisture and damage to the wood of the door frame. He was not sure of how extensive the damage may be as far as mold or wood rotting. He took pictures of the damage and said he would show them to his supervisor to determine if they would take responsibility to fix the problem.
By December 18, 2012, I had not heard anything from [redacted] and decided to call the home office. I talked with Peter and explained my concern and issue with [redacted]. I said that I had not heard from [redacted] about the issue of repairing the water damaged bottom door frame or any other course of action.

I heard from [redacted] on December 26, 2012 and he said his supervisor too said the damage was an act of God therefore they would not take care of the problem because it was not covered under the warranty. I became upset about their conclusion and at some point during our conversation [redacted] abruptly hung-up his phone in my face. I called the corporate office once more and reported the incident to Debra Lubber. She too informed that my warranty will not be honored to fix the water damage at the bottom of the front door. She said that an email was sent to the Vice President of Hovnanian yet I have not received a phone call from anybody concerning this matter.

On December 26, 2012, I left a message for [redacted] to please put in writing his findings about the water damage at the bottom of the front door and mail it to my home. I asked that in the letter they include where in the warranty it states such damage is not covered. I do not agree with their findings and plan to look into what other recourse I may have as a homeowner of property that was built in 2009 and I purchased just nine months ago.

Desired Settlement: Simply fix the front door frame where the water damage is noticeable. My biggest fear is mold and rotting settling in especially with being able to clearly see water marks outlined on the bottom of the door frame.

Business
Response:
Business' Initial Response
We visually inspected the door after the homeowner turned in the service request and determined there is no defect in the construction or installation of the door, and therefore the item is not covered by our structural warranty.

The weatherstripping is intact and installed properly as is the door and the threshold. The recent rains and high winds associated with the large storms back in December forced rain water past the weatherstripping and caused a mild swelling and staining on the door jamb and the adjacent baseboard.

The winds associated with the December storms were in excess of 40mph which is within the definition of "gale Force" winds. Our 10 year structural warranty excludes damages from gale force winds and acts of nature.

The door performed as designed but the unusually high winds during the December storms exceeded the design limits of the weather stripping. This type of damage is not covered under our warranty because the damage is not the result of a construction defect. The homeowner may submit a claim to their insurance company or hire a contractor to complete the minor repairs associated with the leak.

We purchased in February of 2013 at Stone Mill , Roseville. We bought a Valley Oak and have been very satisfied with the builder and everyone of the employees . Our home was finished 8-7-2013 right on schedule . Any and all of the little problems and one big problem were taken care of with speed and professionalism . From the sales staff, superintendent , construction staff, warranty staff and subcontracts, all were excellent. I just paid for and had a home inspection completed by an independent home inspector just to make sure everything was in good shape to give me peace of mind. Our one year warranty , ( Bumper to Bumper) will be up 8-7-14. After the intensive inspection, the inspector told me ( this home was built very well and there was nothing he saw that needed to be brought to the attention of the builder). We love our home and are very satisfied with our purchase.