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Drew-I agree, I would never have upgraded but I bought a spec home due to time restraints. That is my whole problem with this situation. I didn't even want the floors but now I am living with horrendous floors which look awful, are not worth the money at all and I agree it is not McCar. It is Armstrong, the manufacturer. But McCar could make it right by just switching it out, heck I will even take vinyl flooring over this stuff they call "hardwoods". But like I said it was not my choice to go through this nightmare that has gone on for almost three months now. And the reason we drag this out, it to make others realize how long it does take to try and resolve a situation, not only with McCar but any builder. And I would post these same comments on any builders site. This is my first and will be my last time building that is for sure.
Drew-I just saw your last post about McCar being honest. That is a joke. I have finally been able to classify exactly what wetlands are, and in a nut shell, McCar "exaggerated" what was going to become of these wetlands smack in the middle of the neighborhood and right beside the pool. The area is now a swamp, yes a pond full of frogs, ducks and mosquitoes right beside the newly built pool, which by the way Union County will not give an Occupancy certificate as long as the standing water is right beside it. Yeah, McCar had a drain, until they graded over it to make a beautiful setting for the pool. The idiots covered the drain which is turned caused a swamp literally right in the middle of the neighborhood. Then to sell the houses to use very foolish, believing people, they say they are going to make a "park setting" with benches and fill it in with mulch or at least wood chips. Yeah, right, it is stagnant, stinky, trash filled, water with ducks nesting, frogs chirping. It makes me feel like I moved to the Everglades. Now that is true honesty for a builder, isn't it.!!!
I meant to say the sales person was honest with me about which upgrades I should choose vs which are cheaper on my own. I never discusssed anything else with them so sorry if it was a blanket McCar salespeople are honest
Drew-I just saw your last post about McCar being honest. That is a joke. I have finally been able to classify exactly what wetlands are, and in a nut shell, McCar "exaggerated" what was going to become of these wetlands smack in the middle of the neighborhood and right beside the pool. The area is now a swamp, yes a pond full of frogs, ducks and mosquitoes right beside the newly built pool, which by the way Union County will not give an Occupancy certificate as long as the standing water is right beside it. Yeah, McCar had a drain, until they graded over it to make a beautiful setting for the pool. The idiots covered the drain which is turned caused a swamp literally right in the middle of the neighborhood. Then to sell the houses to use very foolish, believing people, they say they are going to make a "park setting" with benches and fill it in with mulch or at least wood chips. Yeah, right, it is stagnant, stinky, trash filled, water with ducks nesting, frogs chirping. It makes me feel like I moved to the Everglades. Now that is true honesty for a builder, isn't it.!!!
How ironic. A very similar situation in our community, too! We have what McCar has literally termed a "lake" right next to the playground and pool. Now, before I moved here, other homeowners told me they had to fight to get a fence around the playground because it was approximately 20 feet from the edge of this "lake". The fence was up by the time we moved here. Thank goodness! But, this "lake", is all but. It's a stinky retention pond. But, you can't exactly advertise that on a sign or in newspapers to prospective buyers!! So, "lake" sounds so much better! It's full of water moccasins in the summer/fall and we had to fight like mad all last year to get the 6 foot tall weeds cut down that cirlced this "pond"! (the weeds were not McCar's problem, obviously). But, funny you should mention the 'drain' issue. Our pool's clubhouse was built with a drain in the pump room, but, the drain didn't 'drain' anywhere! So, our clubhouse and pump room suffered severe mold and water damage because some genius didn't have the drain 'draining' anywhere! We homeowners had to put up a huge fight with McCar as a whole to get them to accept responsibility and fix this as they built these amenities. So, it's not just my house they've goofed on. I have a hill in my backyard that they finally admitted they bulldozed dirt to while this lot was vacant. This hill was full of leftover building materials that had decayed over time and caused a nasty, black sludge to surface and run down my backyard. The EPA and county initially thought it was sewage! That terrified us! We have small children that play in our backyard! But, after dozens of calls, we found our answer. An excavator that McCar hired actually told me that he was instructed to bulldoze the dirt to the area behind my lot (the lots lines meet). The area that the dirt (and building materials) were dumped onto belongs to our community as a common area. A McCar employee finally admitted and verified they had basically illegally dumped truck loads of dirt and debris behind my lot and smoothed it all over to make it appear as a natural hill. Pretty sneaky, huh? After all, much easier to do it that way than to have to haul truck loads of dirt away, right?? Oh, the fight over that isn't over yet. It was an illegal dump and I'm just biding my time...for now. Incidentally, McCrae and McSwain were both notified of this issue and my intentions of fighting them to have it removed. McCrae addressed me saying they give very specific instructions to their subs to clean up and remove any and all materials, and, if such is found not to be the case, they would deal with the subs immediately. That sounds nice, but, the hill remains and it was dumped there illegally. I'm told "it's only dirt, ma'am", but, I was there the day the county ordered them to remove all "visible building material" or face fines. There is a silt fence with rebar buried 10 feet under that hill. How do I know?? I stood right there and watched as they took a bobcat and reburied it. So, it's not just dirt. They don't want to pay for the removal as it will be costly.
Last edited by dsolnmsol; 03-21-2007 at 10:03 AM..
DSL--So you are in Atlanta, right? You have one of these nice little "swamps" next to your pool also. I wonder if that is a norm for mccar. They aren't calling it a retention pond but wetlands. And they are right, we confirmed with the town, county and Army Corp of Engineers. They are classified wetlands, but and that is a big but, they could apply for a permit to move it to the outskirts of the neighborhood and not right in the middle. The layout of the neighborhood is totally wrong. They knew the wetlands were there but still designed everything completely around it. So basically, as unknowing buyers, we are stuck, huh?? And now the house I chose because of it being right across from the pool is going to downhill in value because who wants to look at the pond all the time. Wow, great planning on my part. This is a perfect example, transplants have to do a whole lot of research. Not just schools, areas and builders but also the make up of the neighborhood and what the future holds for it. This is definately a situation I never thought of.
DSL--So you are in Atlanta, right? You have one of these nice little "swamps" next to your pool also. I wonder if that is a norm for mccar. They aren't calling it a retention pond but wetlands. And they are right, we confirmed with the town, county and Army Corp of Engineers. They are classified wetlands, but and that is a big but, they could apply for a permit to move it to the outskirts of the neighborhood and not right in the middle. The layout of the neighborhood is totally wrong. They knew the wetlands were there but still designed everything completely around it. So basically, as unknowing buyers, we are stuck, huh?? And now the house I chose because of it being right across from the pool is going to downhill in value because who wants to look at the pond all the time. Wow, great planning on my part. This is a perfect example, transplants have to do a whole lot of research. Not just schools, areas and builders but also the make up of the neighborhood and what the future holds for it. This is definately a situation I never thought of.
I know. We're learning alot as we go too. Fortunately, for me, our "lake" is nearer the front and I'm all the way tucked in the back of the community butting up to the 50 acre nature preserve. In a way, I lucked out. (well, this is why my husband was so adamant about having this lot--the view!) Unless, you consider all the critters I get!! Discovered we had a bear visit recently! Oh well...hafta' keep reminding myself we moved to the country!
My wife & I bought our McCar home in a Harrisburg, NC community called Magnolia Springs. We've been in our house a few months now. We signed our contract on an empty lot. I was at the homesite almost every single day taking pictures. I have nearly 600 digital photos of every phase of construction. I used these photos to put together a running list of issues that I had. Each issue had an attached photo so that there could be no ambiguity. Many of the items on the list were simply cosmetic problems, and have been quickly fixed. The remaining items have survived. They were on the final punch list at home owner orientation. They have been added to the 45 day walkthrough (which didn't take place until about 60 days). And they continue up to now.
I would say that I am very satisfied with the effort that McCar has put forth to try and make things right for us. Where I'm dissatisfied is with their ability to actually do it. The biggest problem for us (and some of our neighbors, too) is the floors. We have the armstrong laminate floors, and more than any decision we've made in this house, I wish that we had just passed on that option and got the standard vinyl and carpet. I'm certain that we could have gotten much better quality floors for the amount that we paid in the upgrade. (As an aside, I think the selection of floors that McCar has is horrible!) The problem that we have is that the floors buckle all over the place! I don't know if it's because the subfloor isn't flat, or if it's because they didn't install them with the proper spacing or that the product just sucks. I don't know. But McCar doesn't seem able to get subcontractors who know how to fix them.
McCar has been out to our house 3 times to try and rectify the problems with the floors. They are coming out again next week to rip out the entire floor and replace it. And every time they come out, not only do they not fix the problem that they were supposed to fix, they create some other problem that has to be added to the list. For example, now we have shoe-molding all over the place that wasn't put back down correctly. My 16 month old son can pull it out of the joint and turn the little pieces into seriously dangerous weapons, with exposed nails! If, after next week, McCar can't fix this problem I'm going to ask for our money back and let them put in the standard flooring. My brother-in-law just had Lowe's come out and put in solid hardwood floors into his house (not that engineered hardwood crap that McCar has) and he paid only slightly more for it than we did. I'd *GLADLY* pay what he paid to get that level of quality. My neighbors are experiencing the exact same problem.
All of that being said, my overall reaction to McCar is this: for me, they have gone to great lengths to try and make me happy. And, for the most part, they have done a good job. But there are a few areas that they just consistently seem unable to resolve. I hope, that when I am forced to escalate this, they will come through.
Hi there. How are things at lot 125? I would use your name as I remember the names of all the customers I meet in my region, but I haven't seen you use it as of yet, so I will refrain. I see this was posted last month and I wanted to follow up on the progress. Although I may not get to every home for every inspection, I do stay in the loop on what's happening in each of the homes for the north region of Charlotte. As for your neighbors, (yes I know who they are and have spoke with them personally on different occasions) we are working to get their issues resolved as well.
Please understand that the laminate floor systems that are now offered at McCAr Homes are a relatively new product to the industry, ourselves, and our contractors. As previously stated by other posters, the same installers that do floors for us do them for numerous other builders as well, so this is an industry wide effect, not just an issue at McCAr. Have we experienced difficulties in some homes, YES, are we working to rectify these situations with our contractors effort, YES.
On this note, some people feel as if we are not providing a satisfactory level of service if we don't arrive next day with an entirely new floor system to lay down. Unfortunatly for the homeowner, there are administrative steps that we ned to follow in rectifying situations like this. 1.) Our contractors need to be held responsbile if the culprit is installation, which they want to come out and inspect. 2.) Sometimes it is necessary to have the manufacturer (Armstrong) look at the floor to get an assesment of what is going on, after all, who knows the product better than the maker. 3.) If the install was not performed correctly the first time, without proper coaching and evaluation of the product by the manuf, it will just get installed incorrectly a second time, causing prolonged frustration beyond what waiting for an inspection would have caused. Unfortunatly the cost of the repair falls back on our contractors, so for them to replace things without having the proper game plan in motion would be economically unsound and unfare to you as well.
Hi there. How are things at lot 125? I would use your name as I remember the names of all the customers I meet in my region, but I haven't seen you use it as of yet, so I will refrain. I see this was posted last month and I wanted to follow up on the progress. Although I may not get to every home for every inspection, I do stay in the loop on what's happening in each of the homes for the north region of Charlotte. As for your neighbors, (yes I know who they are and have spoke with them personally on different occasions) we are working to get their issues resolved as well.
Please understand that the laminate floor systems that are now offered at McCAr Homes are a relatively new product to the industry, ourselves, and our contractors. As previously stated by other posters, the same installers that do floors for us do them for numerous other builders as well, so this is an industry wide effect, not just an issue at McCAr. Have we experienced difficulties in some homes, YES, are we working to rectify these situations with our contractors effort, YES.
On this note, some people feel as if we are not providing a satisfactory level of service if we don't arrive next day with an entirely new floor system to lay down. Unfortunatly for the homeowner, there are administrative steps that we ned to follow in rectifying situations like this. 1.) Our contractors need to be held responsbile if the culprit is installation, which they want to come out and inspect. 2.) Sometimes it is necessary to have the manufacturer (Armstrong) look at the floor to get an assesment of what is going on, after all, who knows the product better than the maker. 3.) If the install was not performed correctly the first time, without proper coaching and evaluation of the product by the manuf, it will just get installed incorrectly a second time, causing prolonged frustration beyond what waiting for an inspection would have caused. Unfortunatly the cost of the repair falls back on our contractors, so for them to replace things without having the proper game plan in motion would be economically unsound and unfare to you as well.
I don't understand why they are posting solutions on the internet instead of going out to the home and fixing the problem. Now I know why people don't buy from them.
Magnolia Springs does in fact have several homes with this type of selection, some of which we have rectified and some of which we are currently doing so. Like I said we have had a growing pain with the product, but through due diligence have made strides forward and the newer installs have improved. The worst thing that I could do would be hide behind a computer and a desk and say that we have had no problems and this was a freak occurance.
All Customers- One thing I would like to note is that I will not personally have time to monitor this daily, but will periodically check back to note any comments that may happen in my region. Please note that by not responding to your comments or concerns does not mean I do not care, but rather that I am out in your communites trying to make sure that your home is something you can be happy to live in, while keeping a ethical judgement as to what is right/wrong. While McCAr wants our homeowners to be happy, there is a distinguished line between what is a homebuilding error, and what is considered to be general Homeowner maintanence. Any questions as to wether or not your concerns are either of these, more times than not the answer can be found in the Homeowner's handbook.
Potential Home Buyers- One thing I would like to note (please don't take this as a defense, but rather an observation of our industry we work in) is that homebuilding and warranty service work is often a thankless job. What I mean by this is that people are quick to shout when satisfaction is not met, but yet just take it easy and don't speak out much when satisfied. Often times we say "no phone call is the best phone call" because you honestly don't expect for people to call and let you know that everything is great. For as many people who get online and voice their frustrations, there are many more who enjoy a home without any regrets, and include in their final 1 yr surveys that they would purchase another home from McCAr. Mistakes will happen as homes are built by human beings, and yes McCar has mistakes, but so will every other home builder in the industry. If you purchase one of our homes in my region, I look forward to meeting you.
Last edited by Charlotte Cust. Relations; 03-22-2007 at 08:48 PM..
I don't understand why they are posting solutions on the internet instead of going out to the home and fixing the problem. Now I know why people don't buy from them.
Hi there, what I have posted is the same process we have used in homes that have already been corrected. It is in fact practice and not theory that we post here. The reason for posting is to set an expectation of processes that must be taken to get to a satisfactory end result. I would not post an excuse or anything to cover up actions, which is indicative of the fact that I just publicly acknolidged that we had a problem in this customers home. I have spoke with him and his wife and have visited them personally as well, and not ran the other way.
People have definatly shown they would prefer to post problems on the internet so why not post the solution as well? As I said I can't monitor as frequent as some of the posters, but if problems are discussed why can't solutions be. Thanks for your concern.
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It's full of water moccasins in the summer/fall and we had to fight like mad all last year to get the 6 foot tall weeds cut down that cirlced this "pond"! (the weeds were not McCar's problem, obviously). But, funny you should mention the 'drain' issue. Our pool's clubhouse was built with a drain in the pump room, but, the drain didn't 'drain' anywhere! So, our clubhouse and pump room suffered severe mold and water damage because some genius didn't have the drain 'draining' anywhere! We homeowners had to put up a huge fight with McCar as a whole to get them to accept responsibility and fix this as they built these amenities. So, it's not just my house they've goofed on. I have a hill in my backyard that they finally admitted they bulldozed dirt to while this lot was vacant. This hill was full of leftover building materials that had decayed over time and caused a nasty, black sludge to surface and run down my backyard. The EPA and county initially thought it was sewage! That terrified us! We have small children that play in our backyard! But, after dozens of calls, we found our answer. An excavator that McCar hired actually told me that he was instructed to bulldoze the dirt to the area behind my lot (the lots lines meet). The area that the dirt (and building materials) were dumped onto belongs to our community as a common area. A McCar employee finally admitted and verified they had basically illegally dumped truck loads of dirt and debris behind my lot and smoothed it all over to make it appear as a natural hill. Pretty sneaky, huh? After all, much easier to do it that way than to have to haul truck loads of dirt away, right?? Oh, the fight over that isn't over yet. It was an illegal dump and I'm just biding my time...for now. Incidentally, McCrae and McSwain were both notified of this issue and my intentions of fighting them to have it removed. McCrae addressed me saying they give very specific instructions to their subs to clean up and remove any and all materials, and, if such is found not to be the case, they would deal with the subs immediately. That sounds nice, but, the hill remains and it was dumped there illegally. I'm told "it's only dirt, ma'am", but, I was there the day the county ordered them to remove all "visible building material" or face fines. There is a silt fence with rebar buried 10 feet under that hill. How do I know?? I stood right there and watched as they took a bobcat and reburied it. So, it's not just dirt. They don't want to pay for the removal as it will be costly.
