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Stepp & Nichols Realty Co

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Stepp & Nichols Realty Co Reviews (2)

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below First, although I am not surprised, MrC***’s personal attacks on my integrity are totally unjustified and unwarranted The majority of his attacking comments are illogical or without merit and demonstrate the type of businessman and person he is That said, I will try to not steep to his level in my rebuttal Regarding the table slamming incident: Let’s start with his unprofessional behavior were he slammed his fist on the table For him to try to rationalize his behavior by arguing he slammed his hand versus his fist explains MrC***’s mindset At the end of the day he threw a tantrum that was uncalled for, unnecessary, startled my wife and was extremely unprofessional It should be noted that this was not the only time he lost controlAnother incident when MrC [redacted] lost control was when he encountered a house inspector I hired from Home Experts Ohio to review the roof that had leaked twice after MrC***’s alleged fixes, the dampness in the basement that MrC [redacted] denies and the pitting and cracking of the concrete in my garage floor and basement During the encounter, the house inspector was asking MrC [redacted] very simple questions on how the roof was fixed and despite his “years of experience” MrC [redacted] obviously could not answer At which point he became frustrated and exploded at the house inspector challenging the inspector on his building experience and how it could not compare to MrC***’s instead of answering the questions being asked The reality was that the inspector had much more experience building homes than MrC [redacted] and more importantly understood the process The outcome of the inspection was that the roof was not fixed correctly after MrC***’s second attempt and that it needed to be done in a specific manner that involved not cutting corners In addition, the inspector identified that the damp block walls in the basement above grade were due to inadequate sealing of the masonry on the outside of the house and the cracked and pitted concrete was due to improper installation temperature and thermal control(See attached report and pictures) Regarding my experience building homes: I am not sure why the source of my building understanding is relevant The driving force behind much of my internet research was the result of not getting a clear understanding from MrC [redacted] on how something was done or going to be done either because he didn’t know or chose not to share it with me Building homes is not my profession thus the reason I hired MrC*** So again, I am not sure why he is criticizing my knowledge base Although I am certain his knowledge, regardless of his experience is not far beyond mine, if at all Regardless, with the amount of money I was investing in the building of the house and with MrC***’s lack of insight, any way I could acquire information to make sure I understood the best approach to protect my investment would be reasonable approach to most The fact is I have built a home previously, a drastically better experience, and also tapped into resources beyond the internet, including: consulting with professionals and hiring a house building expert, which MrC [redacted] fails to mention, due to the issues with the roof, basement wall dampness and cracked and pitted concrete that MrC [redacted] failed to get corrected See attached report and pictures Also, the fact that MrC [redacted] was consistently without answers on building questions, the fact he approved to have the concrete installed in the face of sub-freezing temperatures,( the true reason why it cracked and pitted prior to me moving in and not the natural occurrence that he would have you to believe) and the fact that he approved the installation of a wood floor on top of OSB sub-flooring with high moisture content, (confirmed by a flooring professional that I engaged as the cause) should be all you need to know about the value of his so called many years of building experience Regarding MrC***’s comments of my “multiple minor complaints” on my punch list: First, my punch list was not full of minor complaints If they were minor, he would have fixed them The threshold by the breakfast nook is curved and connected to the floor being warped and cracking A fix that MrC [redacted] promised to take care of in writing at closing Also, the walls in my basement were damp above grade as I previously mentioned Again, this has nothing to do with the waterproofing system below grade as he mentions For some reason, MrC [redacted] cannot understand or chooses not to acknowledge this fact although the building inspector called it out as an issue in his report (See attached) and I have shown him on multiple occasions the increased dampness after a hard rain.(See picture attached) Also, I never met the “concrete expert” that he alleges came into my basement unless MrC [redacted] is alleging to be that person Also, MrC [redacted] did suggests some fixes to my basement walls and floor but never mentioned that he expected me to complete them Being as they were on my punch list as a result of his poor workmanship, I am not sure how he could reasonably think that I would be burdened with the cost of the fix Another illogical rationalization by MrC*** Regarding my wood floor: The floor in my house did not self-correct as the inspector that MrC [redacted] hired contends The cracks that magically disappeared according to the inspection are as visible as when they showed up within weeks of moving in Sample Pictures Attached Available- minimal attachment allowed by Revdex.com Both the flooring distributor and MrC [redacted] had agreed to replace the cracked boards as well as sand down the cupping and crowing areas and re-stain the floor This was contrary to my desire to have the floor replaced but I agreed just to move this forwardSince, I have had a flooring expert review the floors and the inspection reports provided by MrC [redacted] and his suppliers and the expert identified the condition of the floor as being due to the moisture trapped between the sub flooring and the wood floor which was the result of the dampness of the sub floor prior to install This is the result of major delays in MrC [redacted] putting the roof on the house, not protecting the sub floor during the period without the roof and the numerous major leaks in the roof after it was put on The floor should not have been installed with the condition of the sub-floor Regarding the rake wall review: After two heavy leaks I had a clear agreement for MrC [redacted] to allow me to review the fix I was at the house two to three times a week during the vast majority of the building process and without notice he allegedly fixed and covered up the issue with the finished masonry not allowing me to review The house inspector I hired emphasized a need to get a clear understanding of how the rake wall was fixed in writing as MrC [redacted] not only couldn’t explain himself when asked how it was fixed but proved his inability to get it right the first two timesSee aboveRegarding the Windows in my house: First the drafts in my house are real MrC***’s [redacted] sub came through my house and scanned the walls and floor with a temperature scanner around the perimeter of the house where the drafts are coming in during the winter The reading showed up to a degree difference vsthe primary room temperature When I called him on an issue I explained the problem and relied on MrC***, as the professional, to diagnose it and get it fixed Unfortunately, MrC [redacted] is not able to do this in the vast majority of cases and relies on bringing in his sub-contractors that may or may not be related to the issue The first step he chose was to review the windows It was not the only potential cause of the drafts, as MrC [redacted] attempts to represent in his attack on my claims The drafts could also have been caused by inadequate insulation but for some reason MrC***’s extensive experience did not draw him to that possibility Regarding the window inspection The [redacted] rep did not review all the windows as MrC [redacted] contends He reviewed the majority of the windows on the first floor and only two on the second floor Of the group he did review, one was not framed correctly which was confirmed to be a source of air flow, a draft, and the [redacted] rep prescribed that the window frame be corrected, which is still not complete The other cause of the drafts is inadequate insulation under the bump out in the front of the house and around the perimeter of the house The bump out insulation was not installed by the insulation sub, as MrC [redacted] refers, but if installed was reported to be installed by the framer The same guy that did my siding Apparently, a Jack of all trades The insulation under the perimeter of the first floor floors needs to be corrected Something MrC [redacted] has ignored after many requests via my punch lists to correct Regarding the insulation: As I mentioned in my prior response, the insulation contractor agreed to correct the amount of insulation in the attic, called me to come out and fix with minutes notice (which I could not get out of work to accommodate) and has not been heard from since The foundation perimeter and bump out insulation was supposed to have been discussed between MrC [redacted] and the insulation sub Another open issue MrC [redacted] walked away from Regarding the Well Pump: Let me explain how payment to MrC***’s sub contractor’s works I pay MrC [redacted] and he pays the sub-contractors The total lack of logic and common sense for him to call out this specific item that I was alleged to agree to pay directly is absurd especially when all the other items and services involved in building the house that were selected by MrC***, were paid by MrC*** As I told the Well sub-contractor when he approached me with an invoice for the well pump during a punch list call on my well, well after we moved in and months after he installed the pump by the way, all debts for work are between MrC [redacted] and himself As a side note, MrC [redacted] agreed my final payment was in full less the $for punch list items, (Available upon request -no more attachments allowed by Revdex.com), well before the invoice for the pump was presented Also the contract specifically states, “In the event Buyers make selections over their allowances or request changes or extras not described in this agreement, Buyers shall make payment to Builder prior to completion and installation of any such itemThis statement protects me from MrC [redacted] running up charges that I didn’t authorize, which he attempted to do, and protects him from what he is alleging, me not paying for extras Instead MrC [redacted] insisted to not provide estimates when we discussed items before being built and then attempted to charge above the allowance price without allowing me to determine if the item was an extra These areas included many components in the house including the ones that he calls out in his rebuttal (including the trim/finished carpentry) This practice ultimately led to the meeting where I challenged MrC [redacted] on this practice and he lost his temper and to use his words, “slapped his hand on the table” A good example of this overcharge practice is the fireplace he specifically identified as the one they always use The only one his assistant directed me to in the fireplace show room In this case, MrC [redacted] provided an allowance on the fireplace of $and with no notification that it was going to be an alleged upgrade, he shared a price of $after it was installed This was a common theme throughout the building process and as mentioned, contrary to the contract Regarding the alleged short pay of actual costs: I cannot begin to respond to MrC***’s allegations that he provided me a discount to appease me as I have no direct knowledge of his charges from his sub-contractors nor is it relevant per our contract MrC [redacted] is also incorrect on the claim that the entire house was a cost plus agreement The contract specifically calls out a cost for the house as specified and only agreed to extras would be paid cost plus To go true cost plus the way he was attempting to apply it with no transparency to actual bills, would have been the equivalent of writing MrC [redacted] a blank check to charge me whatever he saw fitIt should be noted that MrC [redacted] had me pay for the utilities during the construction of my house which out of trust I did for the vast majority of the building process, when in actuality the contract specifically stated the payment of utilities were his responsibility to pay A contract that he should be more than familiar with as it was his boiler plate contract that we used In addition, MrC [redacted] specified a paved driveway as part of his contracted price Much to my surprise his idea of a paved driveway was just the base coat of asphalt He left me to get my driveway finished which I have an estimate for over $to complete I could go on and on listing what he called “misunderstandings” during our discussions when we discussed final payment The outcome of the final agreed upon price of the house was a result of these discussions and not the charity that he would make you believe in his comments Second Section The Refrigerator: MrC***’s framer did not follow the building plans when building the wall behind the refrigerator It was specified that we wanted a regular depth refrigerator in this space that would not extend beyond the counters This required a set back in the wall, an item that MrC***’s architect outlined to accommodate in the drawingsMrC [redacted] argued that the error was on the architect that he hired and not the framer that he hired At the end of the day, MrC [redacted] didn’t take responsibility for either As a result of the error in framing the wall, I was forced not only to change the design of my kitchen but purchase a smaller, more expensive counter depth refrigerator See The wood in the floor is full of flaws as a result of MrC [redacted] having the floor installed over damp OSB This was reflected in the original inspection that his supplier had done and was confirmed by a professional flooring expert I had review the issue See See in section above See in section above Regarding the fireplace venting: MrC [redacted] asked me how I wanted it vented and I told him through the wall if it didn’t create any issues With all of his years of experience you would have thought he would have known it was an issue He did not The wall ended up not being a practical solution and the venting needed to be routed through the roof I paid MrC [redacted] good money for his expertise as a “reputable builder” to guide my decisions and instead he deferred many of them back to me (forcing me to do the research he mocks me about) or asking me on countless occasions to work with his subs directly MrC [redacted] recommended that I should have contracted the house myself In essence I did much of the contracting work that I paid him to do See in section above Regarding the smell around my toilets: I called MrC [redacted] explaining the issue of smell as most reasonable people would I am not a plumber and did not know the source Again, not knowing the root cause of the issue himself, MrC [redacted] sent out the plumber to check the seals on the toilets I didn’t speculate on the seal, he and his plumber did Even the plumber wasn’t certain of the origins of the smell and replaced the seals on the toilets After he completed them he speculated that the smell was due to some Rid X septic solution I put in the toilet That was not the case either as MrC [redacted] contends The smell is due to the issue with my well that MrC [redacted] never corrected.(see picture of well water quality) The smell returned To ultimately correct, I had to purchase a special filtration system at my expense to remedy My punch list was not “attended to for the most part” as he puts it MrC [redacted] addressed the most (but not all) of the minor items and walked away from the major items I would add that he did not correct the minor items that he did tend to within the first days after occupancy as the contract stipulated It took him countless requests from me over months to correct many of the items on the list In retrospect, I should have held back more money to provide the necessary incentive for him to follow up Again, I errantly put trust in MrC*** MrC [redacted] asks what more can he do Simple, do what any reputable builder would do, follow the agreement to fix the punch list items that were outlined instead of walking away and trying to spin the truth to rationalize his lack of ownership in the quality defects he left behindIf you still have any doubt as to the truth, please review the attached pictures, they are worth words and prove the quality issues I claimThere are plenty more that I would be happy to share with anyone interested If MrC [redacted] spent as much time and energy fixing the issues with my house as he has trying to discredit me and distract you from the facts, I probably wouldn’t need to be filing this complaint Don’t Build Bravo! Regards, [redacted] ***

From: [redacted] < [redacted] >Date: Thu, Jul 21, 2016 at 11:22 AMSubject: Complaint ID [redacted] To: [redacted] @cleveland.bbb.orgThank you very much in the matter of complaint ID [redacted] . It has been resolved. [redacted]

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