Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We purchased BoWoods first and only completed home late Jan 2022.Minor repairs were handled thoughtfully and in a timely manner. As such we hired them for $35,000 of interior renovations.Late March/Early April when the snow and ice cleared, and after only a few months of living here, we noticed crumbling on our driveway and wanted to bring it to their attention right away.On a near monthly basis we were told that the concrete company wasnt getting back to them and reasons were unknown - maybe salt was the culprit. We hadn't salted our driveway aside from 1 very light sprinkling which was not applied to all damaged areas so that didn't make sense.In Sept, when the last renovation was near completion, BoWood informed us that their 1 year warranty did not include exterior concrete coverage because they couldn't afford the insurance and that they took a loss on building our home so it was up to us to repair. The reason for the damage was unknown until neighbours confirmed that the builders covered our driveway in salt a few times before the sale. We made repeated attempts to resolve the matter with them without reasonable assistance on their side. I told them in Sept that before they finished our last renovation, I needed to understand what happened to our driveway. This took me months to figure out. They followed up in Dec asking to come in the week of the holidays. They then followed up months later while still investigating and again in July threatening to place a lein on our home and accusing us of being non responsive despite us replying clearly to their attempts.We are now left with the following repairs to a $700,000 newly built home:$30,000 exterior concrete replacement $10,000 retaining wall replacement not built to code $4500 to cover exposure points around the perimeter of the home because mice are getting inside.$800 to replace our garage door opener + sod repairs, kitchen wiring, desk and cabinetry dysfunction.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/02/2023

  I have had this same issue come up with a ****** review left by this customer. The business she has an issue with is BoWood Custom Homes, **** and not BoWood Company. Please remove this review from BoWood Company as they are not the legal business entity that this customer complaint correctly refers to.

  
  

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  BoWood Company

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/02/2023

  Happy to file a complaint with the most appropriate business line however both are relevant. BoWood Company is owned and operated by the same people selling "custom projects" - according to their website.  I would consider our home a custom product.  If an argument against the home is presented then certainly the custom projects for the home office and basement renovations would apply.  Both are captured within my complaint.  Further, if BoWood Company is not affiliated with my complaint, why are pictures of our home on their ****** page?  It seems as if BoWood Custom Homes are trying to avoid exposure by limiting access to their now password protected site with 0 option to post a ****** review.  Again, Im happy to file further complaints with the BBB and anywhere else needed if applicable.  This is just another loophole that the company is trying to move through. 

  Business Response

  Date: 10/11/2023

  BoWood Custom Homes was the builder on this project and all transactions with the customer were with this company. The home was the first as that combined company, but the owners together have 25 years of experience in the building industry and have since completed five homes that were all similar or higher value than this customer's home. Whenever the customer contacted us regarding issues with the home, we returned their emails promptly and visited the site as soon as we were available as well as depending on the severity of the issue. All issues were resolved, which the customer has also stated above. The customer notified us of issues with the concrete and as such we reviewed it and contacted our subcontractor, who did not make any attempts to review the issue for a number of months. It was at this time that the subcontractor notified us that it was not a quality issue from installation, but likely from salt application. In a review of our signed warranty contract between both parties during closing of the home, the customer was notified that exterior concrete was explicitly not included in the warranty agreement (attached) and since the subcontractor was unwilling to make any repairs, we had completed our investigation into the matter. We made an attempt to file a claim with our builder's liability policy which was also denied.

  The customer did hire us to complete two separate remodels of their home after they moved in. One was for a basement remodel as to which we installed a fireplace, new flooring and added some accessory shelving to the existing bar area. The second was in their office which included repainting the entire room and installing custom cabinetry and a desk. The basement was completed in a timely manner as was the office. It was at the time of completing the office that some scratches were noticed on the cabinetry top that needed to be addressed. When the customer was notified about our warranty policy regarding the exterior concrete around this same time they refused to allow entry to the home for the cabinetry to be repaired and after multiple attempts, each of which were not provided a window of time to complete the repairs, we notified them that we were going to file a lien for the invoice that was owed if we were not allowed access to complete the job or if they did not respond in 7 days to find a resolution. Once they responded to us with windows of time that the work could be done, we worked within those windows of time and completed the work right away and the customer paid their invoice.

  There were also issues that came up regarding pest control as to which again, our warranty did not cover. Even though this was the case, we still completed installation of a copper mesh barrier behind the lower row of siding in all of the concerned areas. This was reviewed with the customer's pest control agent, which stated should be sufficient to control the problem. We went above and beyond in making this addition to the home, which was not required. After the installation of this mesh there was one additional occurrence of a mouse entering the home. I asked on multiple occasions to visit the site and review the perimeter to see if I could repair the mesh installation, but no dates or times were provided. The solution they resorted to with another contractor was to install a solid aluminum flashing barrier under the bottom row of siding. In our review of this installation we notified the customer that we felt this would not allow proper drainage of moisture from behind the siding and potentially cause rot and would not be recommended. We offered to continue to pursue the installation of the copper mesh, but no time was provided for us to be allowed on site to review. The sod was a known issue when the customer purchased the home and we had a section in the purchase agreement as to which we provided money to repair as the home was sold in the winter months. It was up to the homeowner to schedule and make these repairs with the money provided during closing. Not once has the customer notified us of any issues with a retaining wall, a garage door opener, or kitchen wiring. At the time that the copper mesh was installed it was also after the one-year builder's warranty had expired and so any repairs to the home after that would have been handled on a case by case basis per our internal policy on out-of-warranty issues. No attempts were made by the customer to relay these to us.

  BoWood Custom Homes provided responses to the customer in a timely manner, except when subcontractors responses were not adequate and issues were addressed, including issues outside of our warranty policy in an expedient manner when the customer provided us access to the home to review and address the issues. As such, claiming that our company owes $40k+ in repairs is not a correct statement. All issues covered under warranty were handled per our agreed and signed policy.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/15/2023

   
  Complaint: 20641632
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  In some cases it is untrue and overall it doesn't resolve the matter:

  We bought a +$700,000 home with an implied quality which was misrepresented in many ways.  Most extremely with the concrete and the retaining wall.  Both were damaged prior to us moving in. As such we're seeking repayment for the removal and replacement of both.  All other problems have been noted to file a complaint against BoWood and support our argument.  We also felt a responsibility to inform future home owners of our experience given their lack of honesty and transparency.

  Prior to contacting the BBB we spent over a year, beginning March/April 2022, trying to determine the cause of the concrete damage (noted in attachments #1 and #2), hoping that they would hold themselves responsible when we realized that they were the responsible party.  When they didn't, we did our best to push the matter without involving third parties.  Since we were unsuccessful, we've now filed this complaint and added the ****** review.  We hope to resolve this before needing to take matters further.

  Despite BoWoods reply that the retaining wall was never mentioned, you'll see from attachment #1 that I asked about it in Sept 2022.   This was my 1st documented note but 2nd inquiry.  The first was in person, in my screened in back room with ****** when we first moved in.  I curiously asked about the integrity of the wall and was assured that it was well built.  This is now being addressed because we had irrigation installed last month and the contractor, further supported by our landscaper as noted in attachment #5, expressed great concern.  To BoWood's replied point - we're not qualified to make these determinations on our own and trusted you to build our home and correct oversights as needed.

  We added attachment #4 to highlight their handling of the matter. Following my request to postpone office renovations to investigate the concrete issue, they notified us Oct 13 2022 that they would schedule our final work following more important work.  Their 2nd attempt was end of Dec via text.  In January we addressed the mouse issue.  Their 3rd attempt was in February (#3 attached) to which I replied with my list of concerns.  Following that email we did not receive contact until June when the threat was made.  It was so disheartening to receive such a threat especially given how much contact had been made on our end and how stressful the added communication had been to that point. You'll see that I always replied promptly and never refused, or intended to refuse, to have the work completed.

  I've attached a summary of emails which highlight our primary concerns, office concerns, BoWoods responses along with a timeline of how I came to conclude responsibility and a recent retaining wall determination.  Our neighbors, without us asking, have offered to testify re: the salt poured on our driveway prior to us moving in.  If documentation is needed, I can have that arranged.

  Our intention was always to determine the responsible party for the concrete, and now the retaining wall.  If it seemed that were us, we would have been fine with that.  Instead there is no logical way that we can accept responsibility to concrete damage or retaining wall damage occurring prior to our move in date which revealed itself to us very quickly upon moving in.  It would seem that negligence by the builders, one way or another, is the cause and therefore we're holding them accountable for this despite their best attempts to hold us accountable.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/14/2023

  BoWood Custom Homes, **** has been dissolved as a business entity with the ************* due to a change in ownership. Future complaints will not be responded to as it is no longer an active business.