Buyer Beware! In August 2020, I contacted Beiler Builders to construct a new home next to an existing farmhouse that was planned to be torn down. I was told that it would take 6-8 months to complete. Realizing this was a difficult year for everyone with product and shipping delays, we expected a few setbacks (maybe a few months). However, the product shortages and delays were NOT the reason my home took nearly 15 months to complete. Instead, materials sat in my home for weeks at a time before any work was performed. There would be several weeks pass by with no employees even on sight. I was expected (since I live on site) to monitor the sump pump that constantly tripped off due to the GFI. I also was expected to install the culvert, contact the electric company to have the home connected to the power grid, as well as have the energy company bring the propane to the house. No general contractor was on site at all to handle the utilities and monitor that the house was secure. If you are brave enough to hire this business to build your home, go ahead and apply for a job with them, because you'll be doing much of the work anyways!
Be sure to double check any and all plans ahead of construction, as the contractor will not likely be at the job site to do so himself. For this reason, I now have a tiny, deck built over an egress window because poor planning led to a sliding door opening OVER the egress. Watch your step!
Communication with this builder was horrendous, at best. The owner has limited ability to text, and take photos with the phone. The voicemail is always full and he does not respond in a timely manner when you are able to get a message to him. Upon one instance, the water was shut off in the old house in order to get water to the new house. His plumber had been out 3 times to "fix" an issue with the water temperature, to no avail. When I text him about getting my own plumber to fix the issue and I could just bill him, he responded incredibly unprofessionally by calling me and chewing me out using profanity. Many times, we had the same conversations over and over because he could not recall what he/I had said before. Even when information was sent in a written manner (text/email), he did not go back to look at this. The contractor never once wrote down any lists, changes, concerns, and information. Everything was verbal- and then forgotten.
After all of this had gone down, he stated in passing, casual communication, "oh yeah, you've gone over budget". No invoices, change orders, or costs were given to me even when requested throughout the 15 months....up until I had to hire an attorney to demand these documents. Even when invoices were finally turned over, they were incomplete and included extraneous personal purchases that were not part of my build.
After we agreed to go our separate ways in an effort to be DONE with it all, we had to hire a new contractor to come and finish/correct many issues. I never once was able to have a punch list or a walkthrough to point out defects before closing. Instead, I had to pay someone else almost 1600 (and counting) to come clean up, repair, and finish the work. These punch list items included a wobbly basement stair banister (unsafe), nail holes (unfilled) in the wood flooring, and making adjustments to a front door that poured water though it on our first night staying in the home ((no exaggerating -it poured through the door). NO post-construction cleanup was done. Spackling had to be scraped off the brand new windows and inches of drywall dust cleaned up from cabinets and floors....things we paid to have done. What a way to celebrate 15 months of such a stressful build - cleaning the construction mess, and mopping water in the front door.
Please beware. Smooth talking does not equate to quality work. Take their contract to an attorney before you sign anything. A home building company should be able to communicate, be well-organized, and generally want their homeowners to be happy and safe in their new home. This is not was you will get if you hire Beiler Builders. read more
