Talk of The Villages Florida

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-   The Villages, Florida, General Discussion (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/)
-   -   Cautionary Tale For Custom Built Homes (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/cautionary-tale-custom-built-homes-341914/)

MSGirl 06-10-2023 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SusanStCatherine (Post 2225061)
For some reason Nickel Tile was not held accountable by our builder and the warranty department. There is some relationship there where Nickel Tile gets away with their subpar work. We never talked "angrily" what makes you think we would?

I've been here less than two years and have met tons of people with unresolved defects in their home. Covid was a bad time to build in hindsight. I met several people who had the exact same problems we did with the exact same builder and exact same subs, all custom built around the same time. Why do you think they stopped doing full custom builds? Too much time spent on warranty fixes sure seems likely based on what I witnessed.

When I have over $50K worth of unresolved defects then, yes, you can call that gouged. If multiple attempts at fixing something still makes it a defect a home inspector writes in his report, then maybe it should be replaced. If it's a brand new house, why should the homeowner suffer with subpar repairs? Why should the homeowner pay to fix something that is wrong with their brand new house?

2 years is no longer a brand new house! My experience with the warranty dept is they will not let contractors provide sub par work! If you expect the warranty dept to take care of your home for your lifetime, maybe you should have rented. Things happen !
Side note- nice to see you on here again GracieGirl! GracieGirl is correct! You can get many more things done with honey!

galluccb 06-10-2023 09:22 AM

Metal edging made specifically for that in tile department. Purchase based on width of tile. Utility knife in enough to glue in. Good luck

conman5652@aol.com 06-10-2023 01:52 PM

Why didn’t u complain when u did ur walk thur

dsnrbec 06-10-2023 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by conman5652@aol.com (Post 2225299)
Why didn’t u complain when u did ur walk thur

Not sure if this question is directed at me but the tile didn’t start peeling until the house was 2 yrs old.

Bonanza 06-10-2023 05:24 PM

It Will Never be the Same
 
Sadly, there are some residents who think TV is the greatest thing since Dixie Cups.
NOTHING could be farther from the truth!
Since the demise of Harold Schwartz (who was the best!) and Gary Morse (who was better than those in power now), things and quality have gone steadily downhill.

I don't know what the actual relationship is but Nickel Tile is somehow related to the Morse family. Many years ago we had an issue with Nickel Tile because there were many places in our floor tile installation where the lippage would cause you to trip. We went back and forth with Warranty, Nickel tile, and Morse and it actually was never repaired perfectly although it was a little better after the so-called repair. We were also threatened by Morse, that if we talked about our problem they would take us to court. YES . . . THAT is what they told us!

I hope at least some of the would-be/potential buyers read about the many issues there are regarding living in TV and the problems that are never taken care of. I'm sure if many residents were made aware of some of these things they would be living elsewhere.

Mleeja 06-10-2023 05:57 PM

We bought an older house so I cannot comment about dealing with the Warranty Department. I am sorry a couple of the posters feel the need to vent their frustrations. However, we have used Nickel Tile for carpet replacement, tile on the floor in the lanai and a decorative tile backsplash in our kitchen. We had very good results using this company and would not hesitate to use them again. There are three sides to every coin and we are only getting one here.

SusanStCatherine 06-10-2023 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mleeja (Post 2225339)
We bought an older house so I cannot comment about dealing with the Warranty Department. I am sorry a couple of the posters feel the need to vent their frustrations. However, we have used Nickel Tile for carpet replacement, tile on the floor in the lanai and a decorative tile backsplash in our kitchen. We had very good results using this company and would not hesitate to use them again. There are three sides to every coin and we are only getting one here.

Nickel Tile probably does not use the same workers for private work as they do for Villages construction because then they are held directly responsible for the install by the customer.

The $2M house in Citrus Grove had Nickel Tile's best worker Gary do the tile install. I was in it while it was under construction and the tilework is beautiful. He has over 50 years experience and is the only one that is still paid hourly. I know because he did some of the repair work in one of my bathrooms. It took him seven entire days to redo about half the tile above our tub. What he was allowed to redo looks pretty good, but the parts he was only allowed to patch, not so good.

There are various experiences by homeowners no doubt depending on who the individual worker assigned to your job is. The person who installed our tile was not very skilled. I have pictures of the person doing the install taken by Don Wiley who we hired to take photos while our house was under construction. Don Wiley was great in pointing out defects during construction, including the bad tilework. Many things were fixed during construction and we had faith all defects would be fixed within the first year.

The Certified Tile Installer I consulted when Nickel Tile refused to repair the other two showers properly, said by looking at the photos he could tell the installer did not properly waterproof the shower and he did not use leveling clips, which is why there is a lot of lippage. I gave the statement he wrote for me to Warranty, Nickel Tile, Legal, Sales Management, and others and not one person will hold Nickel Tile accountable.

I have been tortured by the defects in my home which were not only reported during construction, during closing walkthrough, put in writing on the initial punch list, various emails, and reported on two home inspection reports.

Wall tile defects - Google Photos

SusanStCatherine 06-10-2023 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSGirl (Post 2225212)
2 years is no longer a brand new house! My experience with the warranty dept is they will not let contractors provide sub par work! If you expect the warranty dept to take care of your home for your lifetime, maybe you should have rented. Things happen !
Side note- nice to see you on here again GracieGirl! GracieGirl is correct! You can get many more things done with honey!

Apparently people who have been here for nine years (Was that back when they were going to stop building south of 44?) are experts on absolutely everyone's construction including the past two years. Their experience must apply to absolutely everyone and hold true forever. And they even know the tone of voice and how I spoke to the warranty department. Wow, I can't wait to become that powerful.

I don't expect warranty to take care of our house for the rest of my life, they just should have taken care of the defects within the first year. Our house was never in brand new condition and many of the defects were never fixed despite our patience. We spent half our time in our house having contractors come in and attempt to finish the construction of our home instead of us being able to go out and enjoy the lifestyle. Maybe I should pour honey over my house since I can get many more things done with honey.

SusanStCatherine 06-10-2023 11:18 PM

Length of Warranty
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr (Post 2224808)
I was told that although The Villages says that they only warranty house for pone year. Florida law mandates that they cover them for four years.

Anyone else heard that?

Some of our defects reported during construction and at closing have not been fixed at 21 months so don't expect anything at four years.

But seriously, one year warranty on most things including workmanship. Cosmetic issues need to be reported within the first seven days of closing - especially those things that the homeowner could have caused themselves like scratches and such. Two years on systems like electrical and plumming and ten years on structure.

Two Bills 06-11-2023 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SusanStCatherine (Post 2225357)
Nickel Tile probably does not use the same workers for private work as they do for Villages construction because then they are held directly responsible for the install by the customer.

The $2M house in Citrus Grove had Nickel Tile's best worker Gary do the tile install. I was in it while it was under construction and the tilework is beautiful. He has over 50 years experience and is the only one that is still paid hourly. I know because he did some of the repair work in one of my bathrooms. It took him seven entire days to redo about half the tile above our tub. What he was allowed to redo looks pretty good, but the parts he was only allowed to patch, not so good.

There are various experiences by homeowners no doubt depending on who the individual worker assigned to your job is. The person who installed our tile was not very skilled. I have pictures of the person doing the install taken by Don Wiley who we hired to take photos while our house was under construction. Don Wiley was great in pointing out defects during construction, including the bad tilework. Many things were fixed during construction and we had faith all defects would be fixed within the first year.

The Certified Tile Installer I consulted when Nickel Tile refused to repair the other two showers properly, said by looking at the photos he could tell the installer did not properly waterproof the shower and he did not use leveling clips, which is why there is a lot of lippage. I gave the statement he wrote for me to Warranty, Nickel Tile, Legal, Sales Management, and others and not one person will hold Nickel Tile accountable.

I have been tortured by the defects in my home which were not only reported during construction, during closing walkthrough, put in writing on the initial punch list, various emails, and reported on two home inspection reports.

Wall tile defects - Google Photos

That installation is a disgrace.
Even the "Developer Can Do No Wrong " brigade could grudgingly agree.
The whole lot needs replacing. That cannot be repaired.
How you progress in face of all the denial, I haven't a clue.
But.
A blown up photo montage board, with appropriate signage, prominently displayed outside the sales office may get a reaction.

SusanStCatherine 06-11-2023 09:15 AM

Disgraceful Installation
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Two Bills (Post 2225382)
That installation is a disgrace.
Even the "Developer Can Do No Wrong " brigade could grudgingly agree.
The whole lot needs replacing. That cannot be repaired.
How you progress in face of all the denial, I haven't a clue.
But.
A blown up photo montage board, with appropriate signage, prominently displayed outside the sales office may get a reaction.

Thank you for responding! You understand. I like your idea and have considered wearing a sandwich board with photos attached. I was thinking of doing it at the design center but maybe the sales center would be better. Maybe display it at the open houses of the model homes.

I'm working on a website where everything involving our ordeal will be available and organized. Descriptions of our entire experience from selecting a lot, design, building, closing, warranty, etc. Photos, Inspection reports, Email communications would also be included and a copy of our extensive warranty survey we submitted . I'm thinking of monetizing it so I can use it to make my own repairs.

I'm also thinking of offering a free cosmetic inspection to new buyers after closing if I am available. Some people just are unable to see the cosmetic defects until it's too late. I have helped others with getting some defects corrected. Often times there is a product manufacturer issue and they need to be held directly accountable even if warranty won't help in that regard. That is understandable.

SusanStCatherine 06-11-2023 09:27 AM

Small Claims Court
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by jimkerr (Post 2225187)
If you don’t get anywhere, take clear pictures, fix the problem yourself and take them to small claims court.

This is a great idea. I am having difficulty getting answers on the specifics of this. Do you know anyone who can help? I can find no record of The Villages court cases about warranty contract failure. No homeowners seem to do it or it is covered up. Settlements may be reached before going to court with non-disclosures. If you check BBB entry for The Villages Construction you can tell most complaints are being hidden. The developer is very powerful.


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