- Report: #141970
Complaint Review: Jim Walter Homes - Gulfport Mississippi
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Jim Walter Homes
Hwy 49 Gulfport, Mississippi, U.S.A.
Phone:
228-8329797
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Jim Walter Homes ripoff! My house looks beautiful until you get up close. Gulfport Mississippi
*Author of original report: Forgot to add about 1st roofer
*Author of original report: Jim Walter Update
*REBUTTAL Individual responds: JWH made my Dream Home into A Night Mare!
*Consumer Comment: we have a lawsuit in Texas
*Consumer Suggestion: finally going to mediation
*Consumer Comment: part of our story
Like all of the others that have written about this company, we were dreaming the American Dream of building our own home. We have lived in a trailer all of our married life and since we live in a hurricane prone area, we got tired of having to go to relatives during hurricanes because you cannot stay in mobile homes during these storms.
Jim Walter advertised that they were now building concrete slab houses so we picked out a plan we liked and called and made an appointment to sign the contract. This was in August of 2004. I specifically asked if we would be in it by Christmas and was told no, but we would be in by the end of January.
Well guess what? After making a pretty good down payment and begging and pleading for them to start,and even requesting my money back and to just cancel, my slab was finally poured the first week in January of 2005.
The slab and plumbing work went great, but after that the night-mare begins!! The trusses were delivered and left on the ground for over a month. We questioned if the rain and sun would damage them and was told by the construction manager that it wouldn't matter. My husband finally insisted they get out here and tarp them because he did not want them to warp.
The contractors finally came and began putting the house together. The board were hanging off the slab and some of the main boards holding up the roof are split. We picked out hardiplank for the exterior which they did not even install correctly. Most of it is loose and some of it is falling off of the house. This is not even the worst of it yet!
The contractors installed the tar paper on the roof and were finished with their end for now and along comes a pretty good storm and tears is all off. I called the construction manager and told him that he needed to come look and he said that he would but never did, which didn't suprise me because everytime I called him before he never did either.
Anyway, he sent a roofer out which met me one day while I was leaving for work and told me he was the roofer. I got to work and called my husband and told him the roofer was outside and he went out and looked and couldn't find anyone. He said, "Are you sure you saw a roofer?" And I told him that's what he said he was.
Well, he disappeared and reappeared a couple of days later and told my husband that he would be back that he had to try and get a compressor. My husband told him he could use ours and he was all excited. When he would come back he would nail a little bit and then say he would be right back and not come back for another couple of days.
He finally did put up a couple of starter strips and then another storm came through and tore the tar paper off again. Again, I called and told the construction manager he needed to come out here and again he said he would and didn't. This roofer was fired and they hired a couple of other guys that I have to admit were very good. They finished it in 2 days and did an excellent job. The problem now is that it's all wavy from the tar paper being torn off twice and being nailed back on so many times.
The building inspector from our county has come out and will not pass anything, which I am glad of because it is really a mess. There are 35 nails going through the siding and waferboard that missed the studs in a area that is only maybe 6 inches wide and 12 feet high. That's the way every wall is. The bath tubs have been full of water since February or so, checking the pressure. They are the nastiest, most disgusting looking thing! I'm sure the misquitoes love it!
The building inspector has written up 20 things wrong and said that he was going to have to come back because he had to be somewhere but he could be there all day writing the things wrong. I have written and faxed a letter to Tampa explaining all of this but after reading all of the things I have on this website, I doubt anything will ever be fixed.
My house looks beautiful until you get up close. All of the doors and windows do not fit properly. The outside vent holes were cut too big and then they nailed them but not in the nail holes! They made new ones in the metal with their nailgun. I could be here all day telling of this horrible experience. I don't know what next will happen.
Regina
Vancleave, Mississippi
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Jim Walter Homes
Jim Walter advertised that they were now building concrete slab houses so we picked out a plan we liked and called and made an appointment to sign the contract. This was in August of 2004. I specifically asked if we would be in it by Christmas and was told no, but we would be in by the end of January.
Well guess what? After making a pretty good down payment and begging and pleading for them to start,and even requesting my money back and to just cancel, my slab was finally poured the first week in January of 2005.
The slab and plumbing work went great, but after that the night-mare begins!! The trusses were delivered and left on the ground for over a month. We questioned if the rain and sun would damage them and was told by the construction manager that it wouldn't matter. My husband finally insisted they get out here and tarp them because he did not want them to warp.
The contractors finally came and began putting the house together. The board were hanging off the slab and some of the main boards holding up the roof are split. We picked out hardiplank for the exterior which they did not even install correctly. Most of it is loose and some of it is falling off of the house. This is not even the worst of it yet!
The contractors installed the tar paper on the roof and were finished with their end for now and along comes a pretty good storm and tears is all off. I called the construction manager and told him that he needed to come look and he said that he would but never did, which didn't suprise me because everytime I called him before he never did either.
Anyway, he sent a roofer out which met me one day while I was leaving for work and told me he was the roofer. I got to work and called my husband and told him the roofer was outside and he went out and looked and couldn't find anyone. He said, "Are you sure you saw a roofer?" And I told him that's what he said he was.
Well, he disappeared and reappeared a couple of days later and told my husband that he would be back that he had to try and get a compressor. My husband told him he could use ours and he was all excited. When he would come back he would nail a little bit and then say he would be right back and not come back for another couple of days.
He finally did put up a couple of starter strips and then another storm came through and tore the tar paper off again. Again, I called and told the construction manager he needed to come out here and again he said he would and didn't. This roofer was fired and they hired a couple of other guys that I have to admit were very good. They finished it in 2 days and did an excellent job. The problem now is that it's all wavy from the tar paper being torn off twice and being nailed back on so many times.
The building inspector from our county has come out and will not pass anything, which I am glad of because it is really a mess. There are 35 nails going through the siding and waferboard that missed the studs in a area that is only maybe 6 inches wide and 12 feet high. That's the way every wall is. The bath tubs have been full of water since February or so, checking the pressure. They are the nastiest, most disgusting looking thing! I'm sure the misquitoes love it!
The building inspector has written up 20 things wrong and said that he was going to have to come back because he had to be somewhere but he could be there all day writing the things wrong. I have written and faxed a letter to Tampa explaining all of this but after reading all of the things I have on this website, I doubt anything will ever be fixed.
My house looks beautiful until you get up close. All of the doors and windows do not fit properly. The outside vent holes were cut too big and then they nailed them but not in the nail holes! They made new ones in the metal with their nailgun. I could be here all day telling of this horrible experience. I don't know what next will happen.
Regina
Vancleave, Mississippi
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Jim Walter Homes
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Theresa
Kingsville,Texas,
U.S.A.
part of our story
#2Consumer Comment
Thu, November 11, 2010
Our house was built in 2005...we should have gotten a lawyer then. 5 years later and there are still problems we had from the beginning. But on top of that...they insist we have wind insurance. I couldn't get it from anywhere else because no one could find a WPI 8 certificate...well, I found out a couple months ago that there isn't one. They sent out inspectors that ripped siding off my house; then they left...didn't say what was wrong or if they'd be back.
I emailed the person I had been contacting and she said they'd be back on Nov. 8 to start repairs. I happened to catch one of the workers that day and he said they were waiting for scaffolding. I was dumbfounded. Had no clue why...WELL, when those losers built our house, they didn't put metal fashings under the siding. Now that MIGHT be ok in some places but we live along the coast where HURRICANES happen. If there had been one in the last 5 years, we wouldn't be in the house. There also is something wrong with the foundation. Along with all the problems we STILL have from FIVE YEARS AGO!
Get your OWN inspectors out to look at it!
Report Attachments
HOLTON HOME
Odem,Texas,
U.S.A.
finally going to mediation
#3Consumer Suggestion
Fri, August 07, 2009
we are finally going to mediaton next tuesday and three more follow ours so please call an attorney or go to the web sites that i stated in the last rebuttal to you my attorney is now talking to an attorney in miss and tenn that will take on jim walter cases please dont give up and let them take your dream from you it is sad that they make us think that we dont have rights where we have alot more than they want us to believe please go to your court house and ask for copies of your liens and then contact any attorney if not mine
HOLTON HOME
Odem,Texas,
U.S.A.
we have a lawsuit in Texas
#4Consumer Comment
Fri, July 03, 2009
We have an attorney in Texas and he has won many cases against them and with all the defects in these houses I do not see how he could not win have your Attorneys to look at the liens and see whats wrong with them dont give up thats the main thing i have a ten month old foxbourgh and it is a big dump and falling apart you can see the pics on www.myspace.com/proudmommatx i am on (((Redacted))) along with all my numbers and pictures and will talk to anyone and if we and our attorneys work together we can go out a winner just one family has no impact on them but as a whole the judges will see that no matter where they built a house it was in bad workman like manner and not up to codes please do not give up there are over 20 of us so far and growing weekly i talk to someone new every day and the story is the same
Wanda/Robert
Arnaudville,Louisiana,
U.S.A.
JWH made my Dream Home into A Night Mare!
#5REBUTTAL Individual responds
Wed, March 28, 2007
Well you are not the only one that is having serious problems with JWH. We had signed paper for the house to built back on Dec. 6, 2003 and still don't have a house. I have an attorney and sueing JWH. I had put up 1 acre for the mortagage and they took all 10 acres instead. I had proof that I had put up 1 acre, so we went to court to prove the intent to do fraud and won this round. So we don't have to go to arbitration. We had meditation and JWH representives walked out without negotications. The house they built on our land was the Foxbourgh and it looks beautiful far away, but not up close. Now the siding is falling off and the roof is leaking and JWH says they will not work on the house any more. I also prey that God can help us and others can seek help with settling with JWH. All we want now is to have JWH remove the house, abolish the mortagage and pay our attorney fees. We were told by representives of JWH that if we took them to court that we would not have a leg to stand on and we would lose. Well here it is now going over 3 years and We will not give up. We wish there were some laws to protect the consumer, but as it stands the builders have more protection and rights than us. This is messed up. All I can say is don't give up, because that is all what JWH wants you to do. We wish you and everybodyelse the BEST OF LUCK and will PRAY FOR THEM.
Regina
Vancleave,Mississippi,
U.S.A.
Jim Walter Update
#6Author of original report
Mon, November 14, 2005
Well, here it is 15 months after signing the contract and we are no better off than what we were before. They did have to come and remove the siding which was incorrectly installed and now the new replacement siding has been sitting on the ground molding for about 6 months. The original contractors got mad because they had to remove the messed up siding and they diliberately knocked holes with their hammers in every single blackboard. When I contacted a lawyer they told my lawyer that my husband made the holes because he was mad. My husband has a chronic lung disease, is on oxygen 24/7, and cannot walk 2 feet without stopping to catch his breath. One of the holes in the very top of the garage. Now can anyone picture a man climbing way up to the top of the roof toting his oxygen tank and hanging over the garage to knock a hole in it? That is so absurd! Since Hurricane Katrina hit they did run right out here with their insurance adjustor and claimed all of the damage their workers did on the hurricane so I guess now they can pay for the construction workers' mess ups. I have requested my lawyer to sue them and get me out of this nightmare contract anyway possible so that I can hire a reputable contractor. I just pray to God they come and remove this atrocity from our property. My concrete slab has so many cracks in it that it looks like a jigsaw puzzle. Some of the cracks go clear thru to the ground. If anyone knows of a successful lawsuit against these people will they please post it somewhere? Is there some sort of law that a house has to be built at least by a year? I know we have to go thru arbitration but does anyone know if there have been any success stories against these people? Can't we form a class action lawsuit and join all together to fight them and put them out of business? I hate to see anyone else go through what we have!
Regina
Vancleave,Mississippi,
U.S.A.
Forgot to add about 1st roofer
#7Author of original report
Sun, May 08, 2005
I forgot to add that the roofer asked my husband if he knew where the roof vents went and if he knew how he was supposed to install them!
