DREAM HOME ‘NIGHTMARE’
Couple takes legal battle public
A couple is so fed up with the quality of their house that they’ve parked their truck with a sign attacking the home builder outside the company’s offices for two weeks.
On Monday, Brad and Sharon Lenz could be found outside Crawford Homes’ show home on Green Apple Drive East in Regina. The sign reads, ‘Buyer beware. Had our dream house built by Crawford. Turned into a nightmare.’
“I want to get this guy in court,” said Brad, referring to a lawsuit the couple has filed against the company.
At the end of April, the couple made an application for Crawford to submit additional documents they feel are required to pursue their case after what Brad called delays. The president of the company, Al Bashutski, said that’s now happened.
Bashutski added, while he’s not happy with the couple’s sign tactic, “I guess it’s a free country.”
“We build a quality home; we’ve never had an issue like this,” he said.
The Lenzes purchased a lot in Kronau a few years ago with the intention of relocating there for retirement. In March 2013, they entered into a contract with Crawford to build a $363,700 home on the site, according to court documents.
A statement of claim filed by the couple on Nov. 17, 2014, says Crawford breached the contract by failing to properly design certain aspects of the house, construct it adequately or use good-quality materials. It goes on to list 19 deficiencies, from a laundry room the wrong size to unevenly installed windows and damaged hardwood floors. The couple also alleges that Crawford’s fixes were untimely, insufficient and of poor quality.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Crawford, in a statement of defence filed Feb. 4, 2015, denies the allegations with respect to the design, construction and materials used, as well as the poor fixes.
The statement says that the Lenzes approved blueprints of the home’s design.
It adds that in an initial walkthrough
We build a quality home; we’ve never had an issue like this.
of the property, the plaintiffs didn’t identify any issues.
Crawford also says it made several attempts to repair problems later spotted by the couple. But some of the fixes, Crawford claims, could not be made because the couple would not agree to have them completed or denied access to the home.
“There’s only so much you can do,” said Bashutski, adding that the company is still willing to come in to finish the repairs.
He said this home’s list of repairs was maybe due to fast-tracked work to accommodate what he considers the couple’s quick movein date of November 2013 after a summer of heavy rain. (The court documents say that was the agreed upon move-in date.)
“We were kind of backed into a corner with the possession date,” he said.
Brad said due to what he considers inadequate fixes, he was advised by legal counsel not to let Crawford do any more repairs and instead began hiring other help.
The couple is seeking $75,300 to cover repairs. They are also asking for $50,000 in damages for inconvenience and mental suffering, and at least $100,000 in punitive damages. The couple has lived in the home throughout these repairs, but Sharon wants out. “I hate it now,” she said. The couple has contemplated selling the house, but they are concerned they would lose money.