Business ProfileforZeilman-James Homes

Anyone even thinking about this company I would HIGHLY recommend having an attorney read the contract before signing. They cover themselves pretty well and you will be trapped in a nightmare. If I could give them 0 stars I would. The entire process was a horrible. It all begin with our sales person forgetting to provide some details and then leaving after we signed. Then we were given one bad experience after another. It took over 15 months from ground break to compete a **** sq ft home that was one of their plans. The process was 2+ years, but they don't start counting until ground break. Which also leaves you subject to price increases. During NO part of this process did we ever feel like a valued customer or that we were building a custom home. Once we were passed off to our our site manager everything just got worse. Throughout the process we were lied to and given multiple excuses. Our concerns were either ignored, addressed with rudeness and excuses or just blown off. Any time we had questions or when we expressed dissatisfaction with workmanship we were ignored or met with " sometimes that is just how it is " There were errors throughout the process that we had to point out to our site manager because he never seemed to notice them until they were pointed out. The workmanship is terrible and I can see EVERY tape seam in my walls and I paid extra to upgrade to flat ceilings BIG mistake I can see every single seam. Our trim is cheap cardboard, the paint is peeling off our exterior door jams and our cabinets have staples poking out the sides. Our house is 2 months old. We had so many terrible interactions with this company that we just signed off to finished with arguing and be able to finally move into our home. We had dreamed of building our retirement house on this lot for 20 years and now I hate it so much I want to sell it. I would NEVER recommend this company. I have dated photos, emails and texts to backup all of my complaints.

We try hard to make our customers experience a good one, but its obvious we did not achieve this goal with this customer. Im sorry this customer feels this way and I will try to make it right. Their Settlement Agreement, (which is the document a customer signs before accepting their home and moving in), had zero items listed. From our perspective this means their home is being accepted as complete without flaws.In an effort to rectify their concerns we will offer an additional walkthrough of their home. They can contact our office at************to schedule another walk-through.We will revisit their home, review each of their concerns and address any items typically done prior to a customer accepting their home (as the Settlement Agreement clearly states). That said, many cosmetic issues such as drywall dings, scratches, etc. are clearly excluded once a customer moves into their home after accepting it as complete (as this customer has done).Several issues listed in their complaint are incorrect and deserve a direct response. They are as follows:It took over 15 months from ground break to complete a **** sq ft home. Their home was excavated, (start of construction), on July 27, 2021. It was completed on June 10, 2022. That is roughly 10 1/2 months, not 15 months.The process was 2+ years. They signed their contract December 28th, 2020. Their home was completed on June 10, 2022. That is roughly 17 1/2 months, not 2+ years. It took the customer over 5 months, (of the total 17 1/2 months), to get their pre-constructions items completed. Pre-construction items are items customers have to complete before we can begin construction on their land.Throughout the process we were lied to and given multiple excuses. We do not lie to customers, period. Ive spoken with their Job Supervisor multiple times during and after their home was completed. He is an honest man that works hard to make our customers happy. That is difficult when the customer questions everything he tells them, accuses him of lying at every turn and basically doesnt accept that he knows much more about the building process than the customer. My response to the multiple excuses claim is a continuation of this theme when the Job Supervisor tries to explain how something is done or why an item is delayed due to a back order or other supply chain issue and is met with accusations of lying and cutting corners, it is difficult to achieve a productive communication process. An example of this situation with this customer, (which continued throughout the building process), was a routine issue regarding a small crack in their foundation that occasionally leaked during heavy rains during construction. The Job Supervisor explained that the waterproof company, (we have a waterproof warranty on their foundation), doesnt address such an issue until the final grading is completed and the downspouts are installed and ran away from the home. This directs water away from the foundation and is a building code requirement. Once those items are completed, if the leak continues, (which generally it does not because the water is directed away from the foundation), the waterproof company will inject epoxy from the inside of the foundation, fixing the issue. This is the industry standard way to address this issue, but the customer wanted us to dig out around the foundation and repair it from the outside. This is not how this issue is resolved and we did not do what they requested. Many other issues with the same assumption that our Job Supervisor was lying to them and/or cutting corners occurred throughout the building process. If a customer choses not to believe the experts they hired Im not sure how to make them a happy customer.There were errors throughout the process we had to point out to our site manager because he never seemed to notice them until they were pointed out. We are a scattered site building company, meaning we dont build in one subdivision, but rather on scattered sites throughout Ohio, ******* and ********. As we explain to our customers before construction starts we cant be at each job site every day, but we have set inspection times to catch issues before going to the next phase. This customer was at the job site nearly every day and would call/text to point out items before the Job Supervisor would have a chance to perform his typical inspections. Most of the items pointed out were simple cosmetic issues that are handled along the way. The Job Supervisor found and corrected many issues the customer never noticed. This is typical and what is expected of a good Job Supervisor. For this customer to insinuate they saw all the defects and the Job Supervisor missed them is not accurate. They saw superficial things typically noticed by customers, but the Job Supervisor completed his normal quality control checks at the appropriate milestones of the job.Many of the items listed, (drywall seams, staples on cabinet trim, etc), are typical punch out items, (cosmetic issues that are addressed during and at the end of a building project). Our Job Supervisor addressed many punch out items including a list provided by the customer prior to closing. Again, zero items were listed on their Settlement Agreement and they signed off accepting their home as complete without flaws.The past 18 - 24 months have been a very challenging time for the building industry, as we have been hit with the 1-2-3 punch of raw material unavailability, labor shortages, and runaway inflation. These are not excuses as perceived by this customer. They are facts that builders have had to navigate in recent times. Weve tried hard to give our customers an honest prediction of how long their home will take, but that has been a challenge as a result of the ongoing supply chain issues that continue to affect all industries. In todays building climate 10 1/2 months from start to finish for a scattered site home is a reasonable, (Id even argue relatively quick), building time. The reality is building a new home is a two way street, requiring both the Builder and the customer to communicate effectively. Our job supervisor communicated regularly with this customer, but was regularly met with resistance.Our company motto, (and Mission Statement), is, Tell the truth and do the right thing, Always. We work hard as an organization to live up to this mission and will continue to have this be our guiding principle.