Landmark Builders, Inc.

Review: I bought my house, which was a new construction, from Landmark builders on early July 2012. A couple of weeks after moving me, on July 19 2012,I found the standing water issues and submit a service request. Here was what I submitted about the issue:

"Water in the front of the garage: each time it rains, there are water in the front the garage (please refer to the attached photos). When the rain was heavy, the water was pretty high. Please suggest that how landmark can help me to address this issue"

The landmark has since then been investigating the problem both through their internal team and external subcontractor "[redacted]". "[redacted]" did not want to modify anything on the pavement or elevation of the slope, and they closed the case. The standing water issue continues which time it rains.

I keep communicating with landmark for more than ten times through the email. They agrees that "standing water on the drive way" is a issue according to warranty however they did not take any actions.

I also wrote a formal complain to landmark, and here is an exempt:"

Regarding to the standing water issue, it is well documented the standing water on the pavement driveway will degrade the usable life of pavement driveway significantly. You can find abandon of documentations out there states the consequence of stand water on asphalt driveway pavement ([redacted]) . Overtime, it will damage the structural stability of the pavement and cause swelling and movement of the asphalt.

On the contract, it mentions that “ All labor has been performed in a good and workmanlike manner …”. The standing water issue has firstly been reported to you on 7/19/2012, only two weeks after the settlement. Right now is a year later, no improvement of situation (as referred from the picture I sent in the previous email comparing the pictures I sent a year ago). I would like to suggest that Landmark or [redacted] reevaluate the issue."

Until right now, no actions from landmark are taken. Also after talking with neighbors, they had similar issues and landmark fixed for themDesired Settlement: we would like to insist Landmark builders to amend the warranty to cover any standing water (on the lower area of the pavement )induced damage to the pavement and the structure of the house for another 2 years.

Business

Response:

November 12, 2013

Dear [redacted],

I have carefully reviewed your letter of October 29, 2013 along with the attached complaint submitted by [redacted] of [redacted] Pa. [redacted]. We did in fact receive numerous inquiries about the “standing water” on the driveway, and did respond accordingly to each. On June 27, 2013, Landmark Homes Project Manager [redacted] and [redacted] Paving and Excavating met on site to assess the condition of the driveway as well as the adjacent lawn area where the water discharges from the driveway to the front lawn. We found the slope of the driveway to exceed minimum requirements to ensure proper drainage during and after rain events. **. [redacted]’s claims that there is “standing water” does not reflect the actual condition that occurs during and after a rain event. During heavy rain events, water will naturally increase in volume, at any point of collection and discharge, but quickly dissipates when the rain event is diminished or has ended. We attempted to explain this to **. [redacted] several times but it is apparent that he is not willing to accept the facts. Additionally, we explained that the sod / thatch that is located at the point of discharge for the storm water from the driveway, needs to be maintained, to the extent that as the sod continues to mature and thicken, it will need to be trimmed / reduced to promote proper drainage. This is a normal condition for many situations where it is only possible to achieve minimal slopes. In closing, it is important to understand that “standing water” does not exist on the driveway, as it collects in the designated portion of the driveway, and is disbursed into the lawn area as designed.

If you need further information, or our Warranty / Service records on this matter, please let me know.

Best regards,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: this answer is typical answer I got during the past communication with the builder. They admit that there are water on the drive way during raining however they do not admit those as standing water. As winter is coming, the water can accumulate on the driveway and if the temperate drops below zero, the frozen water in the pavement can damage the pavement structure even it is not noticeable on the pavement surface. I still insist the builder stand behind their product and extend the warranty of driveway to cover any water induced damages.

Regards,