After a hard rain two nights ago, we noticed a small leak in a bedroom. We called Dae Won Construction roofing contractor to come and check, as they were the original roof installer. They repaired the leak for now and we are in discussion over the rest of the roof installation.
Yesterday, late afternoon a drip drip drip noise was observed in the kitchen area. The window in the kitchen that was supposedly fixed back in 2017 is now leaking! Caulk had to be added as the window installer/contractor did not do it when they repaired the windows in Sept. 2017.
We informed Focal Point Homes about the discoloration of the metal roof. We asked them to send us some documentation that shows the manufacturer’s name – never received. The only people on the roof have been their contractor, however, they would not take responsibility for the discoloration (most likely sprayed touchup paint to cover field damage of the paint system which occurred during or after installation).”
Today, we discovered an incorrect wiring issue related to the line that charges the battery for the generator. When the power goes out, the battery starts the generator. If the battery is not charged, then the generator will not start. This line is supposed to be on a dedicated circuit in the fuse panel. We had a power outage, and the generator did not start. After further investigation, we discovered the GFI circuit/outlet in the garage next to the panel was tripped. We reset the outlet and the battery started to charge. We contacted Lanehart Electric and informed them of the incorrect wiring. They are going to be here on 6/20/2019 to run a new cable and fix the issue.
Today, representatives of James Hardie and Dae Won Construction came to our property and reviewed/inspected the installation.
Today, 5/20/2019 the installers finished the installation. Tomorrow, Johnathan Cho of Dae Won Construction and Sergio Bojanic, James Hardie Building Products are planning to be at the property at about 12:30 pm to review the work.
10 days into the reinstallation. Everyday we have been dealing with nail gun pops and hammers banging on the walls. The installers hope to finish in 2-3 days.
The pictures below depict correctly installed flashing and blocking for penetrations.
The progress of the installation:
Here is more evidence of the aluminum nails that are not supposed to be used with Hardie boards.
Left of the house is done and it looks much better.
RE-Installation Continues –
2. They have started the front and right side of the house
3. This picture shows the flashing that was used between the joints…it looked to be roofing paper that was no more than 3″ wide. These needed to be 6″ wide & coil stock.
4. Now they are applying the correct size 6″ wide coil stock.
Here are few images of the progress…
Correct flashing between the joints are being used now
Here is what they used before…it looks like roof felt
Electrical boxes and vents are now being boxed correctly. Flashing is being applied.
Now:
Before:
Now:
Before:
Below are more evidence of aluminum nails that were used during the old installation:
Two clips showing the work at the end of day one.
May 8, 2019 – Dae Won Construction Co., Inc. started to replace the Hardie siding on our home. The house wrap is also being replaced.
This picture below shows that many original end cuts were not painted after cutting them on side. Per James Hardie installation guide, any onsite cut segments need to be covered with paint.
They used a branded house wrap made by BARRICADE®WRAP PLUS. At first it was proposed to use staples. After calling the manufacturer, it was recomended to use caped nails.
We received an email from Dae Won Construction Co., Inc. informing us that they are no longer planning to charge us for replacement of the House Wrap. They have proposed to replace the house wrap with BARRICADE®WRAP PLUS. The work will start on Wednesday May 8, 2019.
We decided to make a video of the exterior before the construction.
On April 3rd, 2019, Scott Murray emailed us regarding the cost of house wrap replacement and stated “Our contractor pricing for it is $854.04; however, I am sure that we could have them hold the same price for you if you would like to purchase it through them. We have not yet gotten a labor pricing quote back from them; however, my guess is that it will be in the range of $1,200-1,300 (for installation only). ”
April 24, 2019 – we received an email from Scott Murray stating:
“Regarding paying for the work, I talked to Jonathan about the idea of you, Focal Point, and Dae Won all splitting the $2,900 cost three ways, which he said would work for him. Assuming that you are OK with that plan as well, we can start pushing things forward. Is your paying $966 acceptable and is it OK for Jonathan to reach out to you directly to coordinate an installation date?”
We emailed him back and stated:
We feel that since the house wrap damage was incurred during the project build/faulty installation of the siding, either Jonathan should absorb the cost or alternatively, the project manager in charge of overseeing the project should pay, but if we are being forced to pay and split the cost for the house wrap and have no other choice, then let’s move forward and schedule everything.
We waited for Dae Won Construction to schedule the work.
On April 3rd we received an email from Scott Murray asking us to pay for the house wrap replacement. He also stated the following:
QUOTE:
A colleague of mine reached out to the manufacturer to ask if the old wrap needed to be removed or if it could remain with the new wrap just going on top of it. According to him, the person at Dow DuPont with whom he spoke said that “installing new house wrap over the old isn’t a problem at all. In fact, he said it would be beneficial since you would be adding an extra layer of protection.”
UNQUOTE
We contacted DowDuPont regarding the above and they replied in writing with the following two emails:
We contracted DowDuPont regarding the WEATHERMATE™ House Wrap. We asked them for their recommendation in dealing with nail holes that were going to be left after the removal of the James Harie sidings. They replied – “House Wrap not to perform as intended and may lead to increased air leakage”.
On January 15, 2019, after months of concerns, we hired an inspector who specialized in Hardie installation and materials. A full inspection was conducted and a report was generated (see below). This report was emailed to Focal Point Homes on 1/18/2019.
On February 19th, the original subcontractor that installed our James Hardie siding emailed us and stated that after speaking with James Hardie (The James Hardie Rep/inspector that came to our house on February 13, 2019) they both have decided to replace the Hardie siding on our home.
report
Below are two publication by James Hardie describing best practices and the installation guide:
hardieplank-hz5-us-enintro-tools-hz5-us-en
Concrete slab for the generator was poured incorrectly and it was not secured to the foundation. It sunk more than 4 inches after four years.
We had to hire a plumber to lower the gas line, replace the valve with a Shut-Off Ball-Valve so everything could be up to code.
Outside power conduit was missing an extension sleeve!
This was corrected. We also added whole house surge protectors
Most windows were not installed correctly. The installer did not follow Andersen’s installation guide during the install. They were not squared, plumbed, leveled or shimmed correctly. All had to be taken out and re-installed.
As one can see below, the installer did not even bother to cut the OSB board from the window frame so that the window would go up and down correctly. This caused so much dust and mess on the inside and outside of the house!
And of course, once the windows were re-installed the best that they could be done, the siding contractor had to come back out to replace and fix the James Hardie planks/siding.
Here is the installation guide for Andersen’s windows:
installationguide-0005261Most closet hardware was installed with trim work finish nails! They were not secured/nailed to any wall studs, so as clothing was hung, the hardware started to come away from the walls. Shelving was being pulled down and poles were falling.
They were all redone.
Now in places we see unnecessary double trim:
We emailed Tom about the water leak into the kitchen from the backyard door. Transom not painted with primer nor caulked.
Many network cables were not terminated correctly or crimped causing connectivity issues. They all had to be tested and terminated again.
The metal roof was repaired by DAEWON Construction Co., INC. today.
We informed Focal Point Homes of the below damage that we noticed on the metal roof.
Someone had thrown a marker stake into the sewage pipe during the original construction (back in 2013), which caused gradual blockage, and eventually flooding.
Twice we had to deal with pipe blockage and spillage into our house until the actual cause was discovered by our plumbing company.
The wood stick is visible in the center of the sewage pipe going out of the house.
Visible rust and cracks all over…just after 1 year!
The Fairfax county inspector came twice and had the contractor fix the grading—twice. Strange gaping holes became apparent, as if the backfill was not properly compacted.
Siding installer had to come back several times to fix installation and caulking of our James Hardie siding—issues have just gotten worse over time.
Drainage pipe under the slab was clogged up with mud and dirt. It had to be cleaned. Also, the sump pump had to be changed due to dirt getting into the system.
Rear Exterior Stairway & Landing Foundation Issues—Contractor did not install enough gravel beneath steps for drainage. It caused a leak into the house and destroyed the basement hardwood flooring. Issues were created by:
Even during the repair, we had to point out the following:
Rainwater leaking into the garage (inside front left side)—coming down the inside of the wall from the attic above the garage. Melting water from snow on the outside of the roof was coming inside.
It was discovered that proper flashing and weathershield was not installed.
Kitchen fan and damper installation issues. The original damper was not installed correctly, so part of it ejected into the backyard—didn’t realize what the part was until a couple years later. After that, the motor died since part of the damper was stuck inside the vent. We had to remove and fix the unit, and replace the motor.
Vendor used wrong refrigerant in one of the units.
Below is a video of the hissing sound that would echo above the master bedroom at night.
Below was another issue with the condensation drainage that would also echo.
Eventually after a number of complaints and showing the above videos, it was agreed that we had an issue with the AC and Airtron sent someone to fix the issues.
Pipes throughout different floors were tied too tight or holes were made too small causing clicking and cracking sounds all over the house (as water temperature increases or decreases the PVC pipes expand or shrink).
Drywall cutouts were made all over our new house to check and try to fix these noise issues. Not all were fixed, as the patch up jobs grew to be too many.
Master bathroom ceiling started to leak with rainwater due to what we were told was improper sealing of vents:
The plaster boards around the house were cut out and patched over and over due to plumbing and other issues.
Kitchen area: when centerpiece ceiling light was originally hung, it was installed off-center and the subcontractor had to come back and correctly center it.
The kitchen table light was installed on a 3-way switch so it could only be turned off from the switch near the patio door. Additionally, the light above the kitchen sink did not have a designated switch. It could not be turned on or off independently of the rest of the kitchen lights. We fixed the issues by purchasing additional equipment/hardware and had to run new wires and install a new switch above the sink.
Almost all cabinet doors/drawers (bathrooms, kitchen, basement bar, etc.) throughout the house were replaced three times.
Email to Builder 8/20/2013 –
Hello Tom,
Timberlake’s rep stopped by our house yesterday to inspect the cabinets. They have been to our house about 5 times so far and they have changed almost all the drawer panels, as well as, a few cabinet doors. The joints on the new ones are doing the same thing and they separate after a bit. Rick stated that they are aware of the issue and they may change all of them to solid panels with only horizontal sections and eliminate the vertical sections. They said they will let us know by the end of next week.
The pictures below show how nothing was aligned!
These were left at our place since the manufacturer did not want them:
The grout in the master bathroom cracks every so often and we have to re-apply grout.
The pictures below were taken on 5/19/2019 near the bath tub.
June 2013 – The kitchen dishwasher installed was not the correct model number as stated in the contract. It was also damaged. It had to be changed.
In 2014, 2015 & 2016 –
The kitchen refrigerator was changed three times because of problems. It would stop cooling. GE eventually replaced it with a new one.
From the beginning, our basement engineered hardwood flooring had visible issues. It became clear after two years that the contractor did not install a moisture barrier and did not use the glue “Mapei Ultrabond ECO 995” as he had stated. This caused moisture penetration and damaged the entire basement floor. It all had to be redone.
We had to remove all furniture, etc., from the basement so they could remove all the adhered wood flooring.
Almost every room had several boards removed and replaced due to installation of cracked boards. Repairs went on for one year.
Certain area have been filled with a brown putty substance that cracks.
Installer came to fix the track but was unable to fix it. The track was not squared and the distance between the tracks was not the same (not correctly parallel).
Even though we oiled the springs and all other moving parts every 6 months, in 2017 the springs failed. We replaced the springs with an upgraded version and had the tracks fixed by a different vendor at our cost.
Shoddy paint work all around. There are still areas in the house where no finish paint was applied, not to mention, drip marks, poorly painted trim work, caulking or at places lack of it, etc.
We just found/noticed these today – 5/16/2019
We found these on 5/31/2019
Our fence was not installed in accordance with the drawing that we were provided in our December 2012 agreement. The chain link fence denoted on the map below by “—xx—” was to be removed by the builder and our white vinyl fence in the rear and rear-sides of the yard was to connect with the shorter wooden fence the builder put up on the left side of our front yard.
Our white vinyl fence was not installed on the property line, as instructed, but was shifted 2 feet inwards. The builder was to remove the chain link fence but did not due to the neighbor’s request not to remove.
The Owner of the adjacent home stated to the builder, “will sue for adverse possession if you remove the chain link fence”, so Focal Point Homes keeps it in place instead of removing it per the contract.”
On November 12th 2012 we signed a contract with Focal Point Homes to build us what we hoped would be our dream home. A house that we can call home and a place that we can relax and enjoy being together with family. A place we did not have to worry about things not working or would breakdown for years. A place that would be new and would not have so many defects. A place that–as Focal Point Homes called it–would be a place that we would “yearn to live in”.
Below is a video we made during the construction. We were so exited!
Below are screen captures of their website. Click on the images below to enlarge.
We came across a new house being shown by the builder Scott Murray, President, Focal Point Homes at Opalocka Drive, Mclean, Virginia. During the meeting he mentioned that they had an upcoming property that would be ready for construction soon… We checked his website and found some of the statements below that were posted on their site:
“Our goal is not simply to build homes that people yearn to live in; it is to provide our customers with a home building and buying experience that they find tremendously gratifying. To date, our home buyers have given us an average score of 9.6 (out of 10) when asked to rate their overall satisfaction with their building and buying experience; and every one of our home owners has responded that they would gladly recommend Focal Point to family and friends.”
“We can always be trusted”
“Having noted this pricing gap in the housing market and knowing that many other home buyers must feel similarly disappointed with their choices as he and his family did, over the next few years Scott began to set his sights on establishing a company that could satisfy the area’s need for competitively-priced, high quality homes offering the latest in function, design, and materials. Ultimately, Focal Point Homes was born to accomplish that aim.”
“There is, undoubtedly, a place for custom home builders who “spare no expense” to satisfy their buyers’ tastes (and there are certainly many home buyers for whom expense is of little concern); however, Focal Point’s founders believe that there is also more than enough room for a builder who pays an inordinate amount of attention to controlling costs and delivering an exceptional value while, at the same time, refusing to stray from its goal of delivering thoughtfully designed, carefully constructed, and beautifully appointed homes. Because most other high-end home builders in the area have become accustomed to passing all costs along to their clients (who frequently have contracts requiring them to pay the full cost of construction no matter what the cost may be) many have also become far too accustomed to experiencing very little incentive to eliminate waste in their operations, which means that, even when they construct homes on a speculative basis, their wasteful habits (and high home prices) can be hard to break. Focal Point’s management team refuses to operate in such an undisciplined manner.”
“Focal Point Homes focuses relentlessly on both high quality construction and cost control; and it hits that mark like no other by availing itself of its various managers’ cost-focused, production home building experience as well as their educational backgrounds. Because Focal Point is one of the most efficient home building operations in northern Virginia, it is able to repeatedly deliver many of the area’s most desirable homes at its most competitive prices.”
Screen Caption from Focal Point website. Click to enlarge!
