ComplaintsforSmith Douglas Homes

• Initial Complaint

  05/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My home was built in 2022. As of today, my floors are buckling, the shingles are coming off my roof, and a diseased tree has been planted in my front yard. My home is beautiful, but I fee like I was given a lemon on a bad lot. We have documented issues with our yard, due to how it was dug out during building. I have complained about the tree, but the person who said he would replace it is no longer with the company. The shingles on the roof aren't covered under the warranty (I have no idea what is), and the floors are supposed to be covered as well; I am unable to get that resolved either.

  

  Business response

  05/31/2024

   

  I have reached out to the homeowner, and she has agreed to meet with me Tuesday June the 11th to discuss the claims she sent in.

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was in the process of purchasing a Home with Smith Douglas builders. I was required to pay ******* Money as a show of interest in a particular home. But also I had to apply for a mortgage. Applying for mortgage takes time and after some days my lender told me that they will not be approving my (mortgage). Smith Douglas told me that they will not be refunding my ******* money which was over $2000. Their argument was that my mortgage needed to be processed as quick as possible. I had no control of how long my loan will take to process. Smith Douglas timeframe for me to clear the loan or know the verdict from the lender is ridiculous. 7 days is not enough. I need them to refund my money and not take advantage of educators like me

  

  Business response

  05/21/2024

  We appreciate your concern and bringing this to our attention. However, this situation was managed within the agreed terms of the home purchase contract signed by Dr.*****. Our standard purchase contract, including the one signed by Dr. ************** that the buyer deposit is non-refundable unless a formal loan denial is received within the seven business days of contract execution.  Dr.*****s loan denial letter was produced/received outside of that timeframe. The denial was also produced by a non-preferred lender, and as a gesture of good will, Smith Douglas gave Dr. ***** the option of re-doing an application with one of the Preferred Lenders so he could try to continue moving toward closing and keep his deposit intact. Dr. ***** declined that offer, and we have retained the deposit per the terms of his home purchase contract. Should Dr. ***** wish to continue in a home purchase agreement with us in the future,we will allow for the transfer of the deposit for a period of up to 12 months from the date of the termination of the prior contract.

  Customer response

  05/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21544905
  
  Smith Douglas claims that the situation was managed within the agreed terms of the home and the contract signed. They clearly understand that obtaining loan approval within seven days is unrealistic. By imposing such a short timeframe, Smith Douglas takes advantage of people, knowing full well that lenders cannot typically decide within that period. Consequently, I could not proceed with the purchase because the lender's decision came after the stipulated seven days had passed. Furthermore, Smith Douglas suggested using their preferred lender, but I wanted to choose my own. Their actions are unacceptable and morally unethical, particularly due to their intentional deception and trickery in handling these matters. This conduct raises serious concerns about their business practices and their regard for potential homeowners, making the home buying process unnecessarily stressful and unfair.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Dr. Kabah

  

  Business response

  05/30/2024

  Dr. ******************* business days for conditional lender approval is common in our industry and has been the timeline we have utilized to contract, build, and deliver over ****** homes. There is nothing deceptive or unethical about this timeframe, which was clearly set forth in your purchase agreement. Should you decide to build another home with Smith Douglas Homes, we are happy to honor your deposit toward that purchase.

  Customer response

  05/30/2024

   
  Complaint: 21544905
  
  Smith Douglas,
  Most builders refund the ******* money to maintain ethical standards and avoid exploiting home buyers through contracts like yours. I committed over $2,000 with confidence that I would secure the loan, which unfortunately did not happen. Both your salesperson and my realtor were aware of my situation. My realtor, who has successfully helped many clients purchase properties, also believes it is fraudulent on your part to withhold my ******* money. There is documented communication from my realtor to your company regarding this issue. The refusal to refund my ******* money feels like an unethical attempt to take advantage of my situation. I request that you reconsider your stance and refund the ******* money, upholding the integrity that should be expected in the home-buying process.

• Initial Complaint

  05/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  As a resident of the **************************, my home sits directly adjacent to the work site where Smith Douglas is currently undertaking a construction project, I have experienced significant inconvenience due to the ongoing work. Over the last two years, the construction has not only been a source of continuous disturbance but has also caused considerable damage to my property. Specifically, my patio furniture and equipment have been ruined due to excessive dirt, debris, and exposure to chemicals from the construction site.I understand that construction can be disruptive and that some disturbances are inevitable. However, the level of debris and chemical exposure, which has led to the need to completely replace damaged outdoor property, is beyond reasonable expectations for adjacent homeowners.I have reached out to Smith Douglas in a sincere attempt to resolve this issue amicably. I have requested reimbursement for the damaged goods, hoping for a prompt and fair resolution without resorting to legal action. I believe in maintaining good community relationships and am hopeful that Smith Douglas will address this issue in a manner that reflects both understanding and respect for affected homeowners.This review reflects my current situation, pending a satisfactory resolution. I am optimistic that Smith Douglas will take swift action to rectify this matter, thereby demonstrating their commitment to community values and customer satisfaction.

  

  Business response

  05/16/2024

   

  After visiting **************** and looking at the properties adjacent to the new development, I did not see any disturbance to anyones home. There for SDH should not have any responsibility for this claim.

• Initial Complaint

  04/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My house was built by Smith Douglas 5 years ago in ************, **. As a new homeowner, I was happy to be in a new home but in just a few short years I have become frustrated with the quality of workmanship that was used to build my home. I am requesting communication from the builder because up until this point, there has not been much response or whoever I have made contact with does not have the authority to make a decision. I have made requests for issues such as roof leaks and the most recent issue is the cracking of the Allura siding. I have a roof leak that has caused damage to the sheetrock in my home. When this issue was brought to the Warranty Department's attention, I got a response with the Roofer's information and that they were typically good about helping get stuff resolved but could not guarantee that there would be no charge to have these issues resolved. This should not be my responsibility as a homeowner to coordinate with subcontractors that had poor workmanship during installation. The siding issue is a concern for me as we have noticed that there are 10+ boards that have cracked in 5 years. The siding was installed with trim nails. Exterior siding should be installed with either galvanized or stainless-steel exterior nails. Note that none of the boards that are defective are on the lower parts of the house where a mower could have done the damage. Since I have had ZERO luck with the warranty department effectively serving me as a homeowner, I figured it would be best to reach out to the manufacturer and see if they have a response or solution to the siding cracking issues I have noticed. I have attached their response below stating that the reason for cracking was due to faulty installation. My neighborhood is also experiencing a large number of sing holes and a solution to those needs to be resolved before someone is tragically hurt or killed. I was overpromised, oversold, and underserved. As a consumer, I would avoid Smith Douglas Homes.

  

  Business response

  05/14/2024

  I reached out to the homeowner today 5/14/24, he agreed to scheduling and appointment with myself and a Allura rep to come and inspect the siding, I told the homeowner as soon as the rep confirmed a date I would let him know.

  Customer response

  05/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 21638821
  
  I am rejecting this response because I have still yet to receive any effort from the roofing contractor to make it by to take a look at the roof. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  05/22/2024

   

   

  The Roof has been repaired; the homeowner told me they would take care of the interior damage. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Poor workmanship.

  

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  This home is 3 years out of warranty, and I have not received anything from this homeowner in over 2 years, if they would like to contact me at SDH Warranty I would be willing to discuss any concerns that they have.

  Customer response

  04/11/2024

  Thank you for the response. 1) My husband submitted within the 1st year the requests to have several issues fixed. 2) When he followed up, he was told they never got it. Okay, let's give it that it was 2020 during COVID but, to say he never contacted them within the year was a not true. I wrote a FB post on their page in 2021 speaking of the poor workmanship. 3) When they came finally, the 1st floor window was supposedly fixed, no it still had the same issue. 4) Our bedroom ceiling has cracks and obvious is seems to be pulling apart. My husband was just recently, within the last month in a half, told this is not something that could possibly be covered under warranty. How is it that a 4 year old home could have such damage? 5) When they came to finally push in the nails coming out the wall after the first year because they said we hadn't reported anything--not true--the gentleman told us the main bathroom's shower head was installed too low. 6) We pointed out corners of the walls where the drywall is obviously pulling apart. The issue is the workmanship is subpar. We also pointed out in the walk through of the shingles over the garage was not positioned properly, very obvious, never got fixed. 7) Part of the wood--top part--patio area on the left side of the house is rotting because the way the placement of the gutters. Sadly, the response from Smith Douglas is to say we have failed to report or that it is out of warranty. The issue is the poor workmanship. We aren't looking for anything more than for quality work. This home cost more than $300,000. For the work done, it shouldn't have cost that much. 

  

  Business response

  04/29/2024

  I reached out to this H/O 4/29/24 and made and appointment for 5/9/24, to go and look at the items on the pictures that he sent.

• Initial Complaint

  03/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Bought a house 1 year ago this month. 6 months after moving in, it was discovered that smith Douglas never passed the rain water drainage inspection for the county. So they came back and dug a deep trench/easement in my backyard. Now causing erosion on both sides of the easement, as well as loss of my backyard. I wouldve never bought this lot if I knew I was going to be in this situation. This is builder negligence, and to now try and pin the expense on me is shady. The only response I can get from both warranty specialists is that they dont cover landscaping or erosion.. However this wasnt an issue when I closed on the house. It only became an issue when they came back after 6 months and dug this easement. This shouldve been identified before selling the lot.

  

  Business response

  03/28/2024

   

  I met this homeowner on 3/28/24, and we are working on a resolution with the homeowner.

  Customer response

  04/01/2024

   
  Complaint: 21473803
  
  I did meet with Smith Douglas Reps on 3/28 and are pending a solution to the issues at hand. We discussed a small retaining wall to hold back the hillside. Something about 3 ft tall, as well as a dry river rock bed for the water to flow where sod is currently placed which is also causing erosion. If both ideas are truly honored as a solution, I believe we will be resolved. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  Smith Douglas Homes representatives visited homeowners on Thursday, 3/28/24 located at ******************************************* / Lot 106 in the ******************* We noticed the following two conditions: minor erosion along the bottom of the slope located at the rear of the property and minor erosion along the sodded drainage swale slope near the rear concrete patio starting, due to lawn mower blades close ground contact.
  
  Smith Douglas Homes would like to restabilize the bottom of rear slope with re-seeding and matting for permanent stabilization. The sodded area of the drainage swale (near the rear concrete patio), SDH would be willing to regrade and re-install new stapled sod.  The homeowner would be required to water and maintain this re-seeding and re-sodding thru permanent establishment.
  
  Addressing homeowners statement regarding the regradingof the drainage swale It is correct that Smith Douglas had to regrade the drainage swale along his drainage easement. Cherokee County required drainage easements to be certified by a professional engineer. The drainage easement had been altered since the issuance of final plat to Certificate of Occupancy.Smith Douglas Homes was required by Cherokee County to adhere to storm water ordinances and regulations.

  Customer response

  04/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21473803
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This response is 100% unnaceptable. Just another reason why people need to steer clear from Smith Douglas Homes. Trying to put the blame on the homeowner and the county, instead of taking accountability for their mistakes. The county didnt change the storm drainage requirements in the middle of the subdivision being done. Smith Douglas just Failed to follow the requirements. Just like my lawn mower blades hasnt caused the soil to drop 6 inches in parts of my backyard, or caused the hillside to *****. I have rocks coming up through my backyard from the sod/soil dropping down. I shouldnt have expected an answer any different from this company, everyone Ive spoken to has tried to play the blame game on someone else. Sad their warranty specialists have told me they cant wait to get out of this neighborhood because of the amount of warranty tickets they have. Really shows the quality of worksmanship that they provide. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a real estate agent that I have been working with for the last 4 months that was NOT included in the contract for the House I am purchasing.In the process of looking to buy a house on Saturday Dec. 16th my wife and I went to Fullshear lakes, a new community of new construction houses to view a house to purchase. As it was new construction, bringing our **** Estate Agent was not necessary as it was early in the day and easily accessible since they have a model home. Usually for resale homes **** Estate agent would come with us to allow us access in to the house. We saw the new con house and wanted to purchase it. We were told that other people want it as well. We offered to sign a contract right away. When the contract was created by the builders salesman they listed that I had no **** Estate Agent because they did not notice one walk in the day I came to view the model. As such, they created the entire contract to reflect this and never asked me if I do have an agent.In a hurry to purchase and being told that I wont be able to proceed with the house until I sign a contract ASAP the wife and I signed. By not having a listed **** Estate Agent the home builder makes more profit and are not willing to create an addendum to the contract even tho NO OTHER PAPERWORK OR FORMS OR CLOSING HAS BEEN COMPLETED. This is a very bad way to do buisness. My **** Estate Agent who has been with me for 4 months is now cut out the contract and that is not fair as he had so much to do with even this house as he recommended they community. After the signing of the contract the builder has shown their true colors and is being really hard to work with even for the smallest request. I could retract the contract and lose out on my ******* money of $1000. They are okay to do so as they have more buyers and have kept the ******* money. Please help bring justice to this situation. Seller Agent name : ******************* House visit 12/16/23 Contract signed 12/20/23

  

  Business response

  01/09/2024

  ************** had an initial meeting with our Sales Counselor on 12/16.  We would not write a contract until he was pre-qualified and had a pre-qualification letter with a lender.  ************** entered his information into multiple lenders portals and was pre-qualified for a loan on 12/18. The Sales Counselor spoke to ************** on 12/19 and ************** was ready to move forward with the purchase agreement, now being pre-qualified.  ************** did not bring a Realtor to our office when looking at homes and did not mention a realtor during the three days leading up to our sales counselor filling out the purchase agreement.  ************** signed a purchase agreement on 12/19 and sent an ACH Debit on the same day for a Good Faith ******** The purchase agreement and page 4 (Realtor Page) of the purchase contract is signed by ************** stating there is no Realtor representing ***************  We give every client the opportunity to write a contract with representation of a Realtor. We are not able to Amend a contract and add a Realtor after a contract has been executed.  

• Initial Complaint

  12/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Greeting, I closed on my home in 3/2022. Ive contacted Smith and Douglas several of times since then and they will not respond and correct the items I listed almost a year ago. Theyve had a supervisor to come out here ands see my concerns he took some pictures and still nothing.My downstairs half bath toilet rocks back and forth. All of the sink fixtures in the house are falling apart. My counter tops in the upstairs bathroom is separating from the counter. You can place your entire hand underneath it. Ive had several cabinet doors that are separating from one another. They installed carpet in home that has a hole in it.I informed them that theres a pipe directly in front the furnace where youre supposed to change the filter, a guy came out he also said they need to reroute that pipe so I can change out my filters He stated he would make a note of it. Thats been 6 months ago. My window is popping out and rain is coming inside.Theres sink holes on the side of my house Thats getting bigger each time it rains. All of the doors to the rooms are not catching so we have to lift up on them in order for them to remain closed. My front yard is a mess as well. They left a large piece of concrete in my flower bed under living room window thats attached to my house. This is also killing my bushes and I cant do any landscaping to my yard to add any curb appeal. The construction supervisor spreader false information about my home based business. Theres a crack that runs through the concrete in my kitchen and dining room area. Theres bow in the wood that was addressed in our walk through.Still To this day in my master bedroom upstairs wall isnt straight. Theres a lot of concern when it comes to these builders from theyre beginning walk through and theyre 12 month Warrenty. My entire home was only primed inside and not painted. You can see the patch work in my ceiling in my family room.. They dont even care once you sign your documents they wont honor anything.

  

  Business response

  12/27/2023

   

  I have contacted the homeowner, and scheduled an appointment to meet with her to review the items she is concerned about.

• Initial Complaint

  12/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  See Attachments.

  

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  The home itself is not threatened by water, just the back patio. Earlier, this homeowner did have recurring events where a significant amount of rainwater would come onto the rear patio as he has reported. We have since worked on this yard and have succeeded in deflecting most of the water away from the home. Recent rains have shown these alterations to be successful in preventing flooding onto this patio under normal conditions. This is not to say that a particularly severe storm may, for a short while, allow water to reach the patio, but it will drain away rapidly when the rains return to normal intensity. Our warranty states that, Standing or ponding water within 10 of the foundation should dissipate within 48 hours. Water may stand longer during periods of heavy rains, especially when heavy rains occur on successive days.  This yard drains well within these guidelines. The Warranty also states that we cannot warrant against, Any conditions that are out of our control such as severe weather events or other external force.
  The standard code does describe specs for grading around a home, but the on-site Municipal Inspector has ultimate discretion on determining if the conditions meet the spirit of the code. Had the Inspector not been satisfied with the home and yard, we would not have gotten the Certificate of Occupancy, allowing the home to be sold. 

  Customer response

  12/18/2023

   
  Complaint: 20975570
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Municipal inspectors are not infallible. Because the grade not being to code was not noticed by the inspector does relieve SmithDouglas of the responsibility of ensuring their homes are built to code. Their warranty hand book states that "We are responsible for setting proper grade and drainage ******", they have not done this. SmithDouglas should be responsible for abiding by all of their warranty hand book statements. Our patio was part of our home purchase it is part of our outdoor living space and it is a reasonable expectation for it not ever to be under water when the other patios around us are not under water. Recent rains have not been as heavy as they were this summer. The last significant rainfall was August 27th and our patio had standing water on it as shown in the previously attached photograph. This occurred after their last attempt at correcting our problem.   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  

  Business response

  12/27/2023

   

  Smith Douglas has stated our position on the matter Previously, and we stand by our response and the terms of our warranty policies. 

  Customer response

  12/28/2023

   
  Complaint: 20975570
  
  I am rejecting this response because: SmithDouglas Homes said they stand by their warranty when in fact they have not complied with their warranty. See attached SDH Warranty pages 26 and 27. SmithDouglas Homes needs to live up to their warranty guide lines. This matter is not closed. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I closed on my new home on March 8, 2022. I noticed internal water damage on the 1st floor bathroom ceiling and wall June 19, 2023. It appeared that a plumbing connection was leaking and I contacted Smith Douglas's plumber to investigate. He indicated the leak was not a plumbing issue, but that the vent boot on the roof was not installed properly. He took pictures to prove it. Numerous attempts to contact Smith Douglas by all means possible were unsuccessful. Smith Douglas did nothing. In order to mitigate damages and restore my home I had Southeast Restoration help me. They also took pictures of the failure to build the house correctly. After they completed the work the total cost came to $5,032.91. This is not simple warrantee work that would have not been covered after the 1 year guarantee. Nobody thinking rationally would expect a buyer to get up on the roof to inspect work that should have been inspected by the builder. This is literally Smith Douglas not properly inspecting the work that was not done properly in the first place. Water had been leaking into my home each and every day it rained and failed to show up until 3 months after the warrantee period. I want Smith Douglas to reimburse me $5,032.91 to avoid further action my part. I will furnish any documents requested by Smith Douglas, if and when they contact me.

  

  Business response

  12/12/2023

  As this claim was made after their warranty had expired, we would not have responded with a repair. Our warranty clearly states, (and is the industry standard position), We assume no responsibility nor offer reimbursement for service work performed by anyone other than the original contractor of record without prior written approval. If an unauthorized contractor is used for repairs, the homeowner will be solely responsible for both the quality of work performed and any cost incurred. Additionally, any work done by an unauthorized contractor may void any remaining warranty coverage pertaining to the item being addressed.

  This situation appears to fit the criteria for a legitimate homeowners insurance claim.

   

  Customer response

  12/16/2023

   
  Complaint: 20944923
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   ******************** ********************************************************** contacted me by phone on Friday December 1, 2023 (finally) when Smith Douglas realized that there was a complaint on the BBB website against them.  His claim was that Smith Douglas did not receive any complaint about the problem with my home back in June of 2023.  I had my brother forward emails that proved they had been contacted on multiple occasions by email, phone (voice message) and other employees contacted through the model home onsite.  After my brother sent the information, ******************** never bothered to even acknowledge he had received it.  This is typical of the lack of response by Smith Douglas
  Smith Douglas is correct.  The water damage caused by a major defect in the construction of my house was discovered 3 months after the 12-month warranty.  The roof was leaking into the house from day one every time it rained.  The vent booth was never installed properly and Smith Douglas, if they even had an inspector, did not perform the roof inspection properly.  After all wouldnt a home owner expect to buy a house without a Built in leak.  This is a fact that Smith Douglas cannot and did not deny (see Smith Douglas response).
  As to unauthorized work being performed, considering the amount of rain occurring during the period immediately following the discovery, one would rationally expect Smith Douglas to get back with the homeowner, even if to tell them no.  If this is the way one can expect Smith Douglas to respond, then people need to be aware of it before contracting for a house with them.
  Regarding the statement in italics, it is obvious that they dont want unauthorized repairs DURING the warrantee period . . . may void any remaining warranty . . . .  I can only imagine what damage would have occurred if this defect had surfaced earlier.
  The final point I want to make is that this is NO WAY for a company to operate a legitimate business.  I would seem that Smith Douglas is willing to lose a couple of sales because they do not want to be responsible for building a house with a BUILT IN LEAK and cover the cost for the homeowner to repair it.  Letting people know about my situation will cost Smith ******** more than the repair, not to mention their reputation.
  Everything presented here is true and factual, with provable evidence to support my claims.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

  

  Business response

  12/21/2023

   

  Smith Douglas has stated our position on the matter already,and we stand by our response and the terms of our warranty policies. (and is the industry standard position)

*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. ↩