I hired Davis Caves to build a house and had what must have been an atypical experience. In the end the house was not finished, subcontractors were not paid with the funds we supplied and about $40,000 was never accounted for.
Anyone who is considering working with this builder needs to be aware of his actions on this project.
I have documentation of points that I make and will incorporate them as I go.
Friday, October 19, 2012
My last visit to the property
Construction as last I saw it. I do not recommend house wrap as final exterior finish. It saves on construction costs, but does not hold up well.
He refused to return even after a conference call with the bank in which we agreed to put extra money in escrow for him. This call included him asking the loan officer if I was "tapped out". For awhile he said he was, but had schedule problems.
He lied to me regarding issues of fact, such as having ordered the windows and later the documents from the supplier (demanding my payment) showed they had not been ordered when he said. He also took half of the window money when he "ordered" them and the supplier denied receiving any money from him.
On a matter that I personally would think addresses his character he refused to release funds to a third party HVAC contractor who had nothing to do with anything relating to my issues with Marty. It turned out that as contractor he also had to approve the release of funds from the construction loan and he refused to do so until I was facing legal action from the HVAC contractor.
He also claimed that a payout was not made to him because the paid amount was HIGHER than the billed amount due to an add-on I had paid him.
My personal advise after working with him is that you should run away from Marty and tell your friends to do the same. If you do hire him get a finish by date on the contract with penalties for failure to meet. Also press that the bid includes everything; even though my plans, redrawn by his architect, showed all the windows and doors with the sizes supplied by me he later explained that the contract amount was an "allowance" for windows/doors and if I went over that amount it was my fault. It did help to explain why his window prices were so much better than expected. The bank and I thought the contract was for the house as it was shown in plans, site elevations, and description, as the bank made clear during the approval process that it must be.
I need to get back to this blog and posting about the experience.
Can't believe he has our photos up on his site even after the lawyers made it clear he was not suppose to. We had to hire a building company to finish our house. He did not pay subcontractors and told one lie after another. His company should be shut down.
Wow. Next he will ask to use your house on his tour of houses he has built.
You own the copyright to images you take so you might look into it and see if there would be any satisfaction in suing him for unauthorized publication (for commercial purposes) of your copyrighted material.
How did this all end? Did your house ever get done? I'm considering using Marty for a build and need to know if your project ever got resolved.
ReplyDeleteIt never did.
DeleteHe refused to return even after a conference call with the bank in which we agreed to put extra money in escrow for him. This call included him asking the loan officer if I was "tapped out". For awhile he said he was, but had schedule problems.
He lied to me regarding issues of fact, such as having ordered the windows and later the documents from the supplier (demanding my payment) showed they had not been ordered when he said. He also took half of the window money when he "ordered" them and the supplier denied receiving any money from him.
On a matter that I personally would think addresses his character he refused to release funds to a third party HVAC contractor who had nothing to do with anything relating to my issues with Marty. It turned out that as contractor he also had to approve the release of funds from the construction loan and he refused to do so until I was facing legal action from the HVAC contractor.
He also claimed that a payout was not made to him because the paid amount was HIGHER than the billed amount due to an add-on I had paid him.
My personal advise after working with him is that you should run away from Marty and tell your friends to do the same. If you do hire him get a finish by date on the contract with penalties for failure to meet. Also press that the bid includes everything; even though my plans, redrawn by his architect, showed all the windows and doors with the sizes supplied by me he later explained that the contract amount was an "allowance" for windows/doors and if I went over that amount it was my fault. It did help to explain why his window prices were so much better than expected. The bank and I thought the contract was for the house as it was shown in plans, site elevations, and description, as the bank made clear during the approval process that it must be.
I need to get back to this blog and posting about the experience.
Some more images that are already online:
Deletehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/aaron_green/albums/72157623889560767
Run away, it will be a disaster
DeleteRun away, it will be a disaster
DeleteI have posted more detailed information, including a copy of the document that described the materials.
DeleteWe had the same experience in 1999/2000
ReplyDeleteCan't believe he has our photos up on his site even after the lawyers made it clear he was not suppose to. We had to hire a building company to finish our house. He did not pay subcontractors and told one lie after another. His company should be shut down.
ReplyDeleteWow. Next he will ask to use your house on his tour of houses he has built.
DeleteYou own the copyright to images you take so you might look into it and see if there would be any satisfaction in suing him for unauthorized publication (for commercial purposes) of your copyrighted material.