Mutual Builders, Inc.

Poor quality in the construction of my home. Poor response time when issues re the home. Issues still yet to be resolved.The builder finished our home in Aug 2011; the home is my first and there were issues from the start. Their are issues with the heat distribution where some bedrooms were colder than others by at least 15 degrees, the laminate flooring is still not adhering to the floor, the molding around the stairwell and living room area is not level leaving gaps, the soil that was used for the front & backyard had so many small rocks in it that the lawn never truly took, the house was built on shelf rock which should have been blasted out and removed so that the soil could be leveled, now we have shelf rock jutting out from our front lawn and have to pay for at least 10-12 inches of new loam to establish a decent lawn, the roof had a leak that came through our living room ceiling fan and we suspect there is mold building in the attic (which requires a specialist to inspect, costing hundreds of dollars and possibly thousands to remove), the bathroom exhaust fans were so cheap and loud that the downstairs fan could be heard in throughout the house, the furnace that was installed has had electrical problems that cannot yet be identified by the boiler tech.Desired SettlementI would like the cost for another home inspection, and any subsequent repairs and/or mold removal paid for by the contractor as these are a result of his company's poor workmanship.Business' Initial Response [redacted] had her home built under the Rural Development Direct Program which is a subsidy program to assist people of lower income in obtaining a home. The home was not only built with the inspections by the Town of Southbridge, but it was also periodically inspected by a representative of the United States Department of Agriculture who inspects the construction for quality as well, and to make sure that we construct the home to the building specifications approved by them. The quality is above and beyond the local and state regulations. The quality of the home is very high as well as very energy efficient. The USDA also has a regional inspector that deals with complaints of the buyer if they are not satisfied with the local representative. [redacted] has already had the regional inspector at her house and she was not satisfied with his findings. The home had a warranty that was in place until August of 2012. She is now out of warranty. When [redacted] moved into the home, she did not have the funds to take care of her lawn, and the result was that all of the screened fresh loam and seed that we put down, started to wash away, as well as the seed never had the opportunity to germinate. Lawns are solely the resonsibity of the homeowner after we install the loam and the seed. The regional building specialist has told her that.We have gone back and done some touchup painting to the home. Periodic re-caulking and touching up over the years, when the home is out of warranty is the homeowners responsibility.Her laminate flooring is a floating floor. We installed it according to manufacturer specifications and it was also deemed acceptable to the USDA specialist.The bathroom fan that was installed was one that we have put in hundreds of homes. We replaced it anyway because [redacted] complained about the noise of it. The new one is working fine, and the noise of the fan falls within the specifications of that model.There was a small leak in the roof, which was addressed months ago, and there has not been any additional leaking. We had never heard of an electrical problem with the boiler while the home was under warranty.As far as the heat distribution. The heating system and radiator length and positions were designed by a heating specialist. We have installed the heat in this style of home at least 25 times without a problem. The home has two zones of heat. The bedrooms are on their own zone. When all the bedrooms doors are closed, the temperature in each room is the same. We had been out with thermometers for each room to check the heat. [redacted] likes to keep the master bedroom door open, so that the thermostat was reading heat from the living room, and the other two bedrooms were cooler. The USDA specialist suggested that we move the thermostat to one of the smaller bedrooms to help her situation. We have done that, as well as we patched the hole in her master bedroom where the old thermostat was.The Home was custom built to a very high quality. It was re-affirmed by the USDA regional housing specialist. This mortgage program helps the homeowner by allowing them to have an advocate for them if there are any problems. The specialist was more than satisfied with the quality of the home and the home is more than 6 months out of warranty.

The quality of the house built just 3.5 yrs ago is poor. My house was built Aug 2010. There are numeroud cracks and walls crumbling. The roof leaks, some of the outlets do not work and the front lawn never grew due to numerous rocks and stone left. The ceiling cracked and someone was sent to fix it and it cracked again. The corners are all crumbling. The back deck was built poorly as it has already started to fall apart. The building of this house was done poorly. The quality of products used tell me it corners were cut. The front steps came detached and it was "fixed" and they are detached again. The driveway was given one coat and thats cracked and pot holes in it. I have referred people to Mutual builders, but I will not refer anymore. I am not happy. I read the other complaints on here and its like a broken record. Everyone has the same issues.Desired SettlementI would like to have Mutual builders pay for a home inspection, but I would like to pick the home inspector to ensure its fair. I would like to persue further settlement was the inspection is complete such as all repairs.Business Response [redacted] moved into her house around september of 2010.The last email I have in my records was from July of 2011. During the warranty period, she had a few issues that we addressed as she noticed them.We have not heard anything from Debra in the last couple of years and assumed she was quite satisfied with her house.The home came with a 1 year warranty and additional manufacturers warranties as well.To address the items that [redacted] had mentioned.Roof LeakingWe would be happy to take a look at the issue and see if we can work together to resolve it if we discover there is a leak.Plugs not workingI am surprised that plugs have stop working after 3.5 years. We can certainly take a look at them, and if there are no visible signs of tampering or abuse of them, we would be happy to fix them.Cracks in the plasterAlthough as the house settles and goes through seasons the plaster can show signs of hairline cracks in places, We can patch the cracks and touch up as closely as we can to match existing paint. This is something as the years go by that the customer typically handles themselvesCrack in ceiling plasterAt certain points of a cathedral ceiling, where roofs come together, it is not uncommon for hairline cracking to occur. We would address that one time to make right.Front steps We addressed the front steps settling after they had moved in. We would install poured cement sona tubes to ensure that the issue does not return.Back DeckWe would need to take a look at it and determine what has been built poorly. The deck was constructed with Pressure treated lumber and sits on concrete footings. Pressure treated lumber if not treated over time, can warp and split. Basic Maintenance of a deck is very important to extend the life of it.The specification for the driveway was 1 coat of basecoat. It was never speced out for a second coat. to keep the cost of the house within budget, this is what we agreed upon. A second coat of asphalt (a top coat) would certainly preserve the integrity of the driveway. Regular seal coating of the driveway is highly recommended as well.Mutual Builders is proud of the quality of its work. We also stand behind our work and we have never ignored or denied a request of Mrs. [redacted]. We do not cut corners or use inferior materials in the construction of the homes we built. The home at 40 Cranberry Meadow was inspected by the building inspector a minimum of 3 times during construction. The elctrical inspector and the plumbing inspector a minimum of 2 times. The home was also inspected by a federal inspector 3 times during construction. Each time the house was signed off during the construction. There was never a point where we could have cut corners or tried to sneak something by. That is also not how we do businessWe have a one year warranty which is typical of new home construction in the industry. After the year, the homeowner is expected to handle issues and maintenance of the home as they arise over the years. The houses are constructed to last. Issues that can happen from extreme conditions or wear and tear is part of homeownership.Mutual Builders has often addressed issues that are out of warranty as issues arise over the next year or two to keep good relations with our customers. It is not something that we have to do, it is just good business.I was very surprised that Mrs. [redacted] chose to contact the Revdex.com after 3.5 years instead of first contacting us to discuss issues that have arisen after the 1 year warranty was up.Thank You,[redacted]Mutual BuildersFinal Business Response Mutual Builders has been in contact with [redacted] regarding her concerns with the home that we custom built for her in 2010. Mutual Builders offers a 1 year warranty on the homes that we build, and all of our homes come with manufacturers warranties that cover specific parts of our homes up to 40 years.Mutual Builders has always had a positive relationship with [redacted], and I acknowledged and apologized about the delay in responding to her concerns. Sometimes life gets the best of you, and she completely understood.We walked through all of her concerns, and have set up a schedule for most of the items, and will be in touch with her regarding following up on all of the issues that she had pointed out.Although she received a 1 year builders warranty from Mutual Builders, we pride ourselves on producing a home that can stand up to the test of time. In most cases, we will stand behind issues that may arise that are beyond the legal warranty period. [redacted], also acknowledged that the driveway did not have a finish coat, because at the time, only a base coat was installed for budgetary reasons. We offered to split the cost of the finish coat of the driveway so that she would not have issues in the future with her driveway. She gladly accepted the offer.[redacted]Mutual Builders