Living Tree

Review: [redacted], of Living Tree, was hired to build my children a treehouse. I told him I wanted a simple treehouse for my boys with a swing and zip line. The original proposal dated 4/8/13 #[redacted] estimated that the work would take 2 to 3 days with 3 men at $1860 total per 3 eight hour days. mounting brackets @$650., plus $1952.10 worth of lumber and supplies per **. [redacted]'s list which I purchased from [redacted]., [redacted].

**. [redacted] arrived and would not provided me with a drawing of the treehouse unless I paid him an addition design fee. He place a 16 x 12 platform roughly 20 to 30 feet up in a mid-sized Japanese Maple tree. When I said the the platform was too high, his response was that the, "tree chooses the height" The following day I said it had to be lowered for safety reasons he was upset and his worker "[redacted]" began screaming at me. I asked then the lower the platform to the height of the 2nd level of our swing set which was 7 feet high. He agreed to lower the platform. When lowering the platform, **. [redacted] and his workers cut off a main branch of the tree, thus leaving the tree unbalanced.

The platform was lowered to 10 feet. I repeatedly ask **. [redacted] and his workers to decrease the size of the treehouse and was ignored. The treehouse was completed at night. Despite my suggestion that they return in the am, so I could inspect the treehouse and see it, and I was told that if I didn't pay them in full that I would have to pay for them to stay another night in a hotel. The price was $13,438. (that includes a $1500. deposit I paid **. [redacted] and an additional fee for $2857. for material from [redacted]. When I asked for a recite I did not get one.)

The treehouse was too high and the town asked us to lower it. **. [redacted] had not asked the town for height requirements for secondary structures (which happened to be 15 feet). He agreed to return and lower the treehouse for an additional $1525. and said he had done that before. While lowering the treehouse he and his workers dropped it and destroyed it.

He and his workers left, leaving a dangerous mess in our backyard, and did not return for several days. At that point he said he would just "jack up" the treehouse. I told him that was too dangerous (fearing it might be dropped on someone) and said that they would have to re-bulid it. I provided him with a drawing and told him to please simplify it, no doors or windows . He agreed,but the work was very poor. Once again he left the treehouse unfinished (no railing etc...) and said he would return to finish it for another $6000.

We refused to pay him another $6000. and brought other contractors in to look at the structure for estimates to finish it. I was told the structure was unsafe and should be removed. We hired a structural engineer ( [redacted] to inspect the incomplete treehouse and he found it to be unsafe and poorly planned. The cost for the structural engineer was $782.

I had to hire another company to remove the incomplete treehouse at the cost of $1000.

'Desired Settlement: I would like **. [redacted], owner of Living Tree, LLC, to refund us all the money we paid him and to reimburse us for the cost of the lumber and supplies, structural engineer, and removal of the treehouse.

Consumer

Response:

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Sun, Sep 29, 2013 at 12:30 PM

Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania in regards to your complaint #[redacted].

To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

Regarding complaint: [redacted]

First, I ask that this complaint not be closed. I apologize for responding late, but I would like to note that my original complaint was filed on 8/15/13 and I did not get a response from **. [redacted] until 9/17/13.

In response to **. [redacted] reply:

1. The tree of choice was not as issue. It was the damage done to the tree that was upsetting.

2. The treehouse was destroyed when **. [redacted] dropped it.

3. I did check with my town regarding permits and none were needed. The problem was that **. [redacted] did not comply with town height requirements.

4. I did hire a structural engineer, at the cost of $782., and he found the treehouse to be "structurally deficient" and "poor at best."

I will mail or fax you hard copies of pictures and the engineers reports. Please let me know the address and to whom I should address this information to.

Thank you,

Business

Response:

Please see attached handwritten response.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

We rec'd **. [redacted] letter requesting more time to respond to the the Engineers report that we sent him and the Revdex.com. I am NOT satisfied by his response and am patiently waiting for him to compensate us. I would like to know what you concluded from all the pictures and report that I sent you. Please let me know

Regards,