Garbage: Indicative of Consort's Practices

Something else of interest re: Consort Homes: While driving around other subdivisions in development, I notice a general cleanliness, attention to detail, tidiness to the area--a lack of construction garbage, in other words--with respect to the empty lots and to the areas surrounding. Here, in Countryshire, Consort seems oblivious to these very same things.

Here in the areas under construction at Countryshire, there is harmful debris next to homes--from large pieces of wood to nails to metal stakes-- surrounding open lots, and refuse laying next to Dumpsters--but not in them.

This is but a teeny tiny bit of what I have been dealing with for two years. At one point, I had to call a construcion manager to my home to load up over 20 boxes and Tyvek, in addition to related construction refuse found on my lot and those neighboring. I've had to pick up no less than 100 roofing tile bags left out after the men finish work. I've had to pick up scraps of roofing from my deck. I've had pieces of siding blow across the street and strike my car. I once collected no less than 10 boxes in a single morning from the side of our lot--all under the observation of your men building a house across the street. No one made a move to pick them up themselves, no one has apologized.

A construction manager himself has driven up and down the street countless times, construction refuse clearly evident, and not made a move to dispose of it--instead, he often blamed the construction refuse on another builder, several streets away. As I look out the window across the street, large pieces of plywood and drywall sit on an empty lot, just waiting for another wind gust.

All of this is indicative of Consort's approach: sloppy, fast and in a hurry, not attention to detail. And, as a self-touting "green builder," I wonder how Consort justifies canisters of chemicals left out on the lots to drip into the soil (isn't this an EPA violation?).

We have a neighborhood FULL of children, young and old, and family pets. I don't even want to think about what might happen to any of them if they are struck by debris or exposed to chemicals from canisters leaking into the soil, or crawl into a dumspter left wide open from the side, or struck by electrical cords left dangling from roof tops overnight in a storm.

Now, when I made the construction manager aware of these issues I received an extremely rude, inappropriate, and unprofessional email from the construction supervisor (Mike), telling me that all of "this" was "none of my business." I said it then, and I'll say it again now: OH BUT IT IS, WHEN IT REFLECTS ON PROPERTIES, WHEN IT VIOLATES ORDINANCES, WHEN MY YARD IS COVERED WITH GARBAGE, WHEN IT CAUSES RISK OF HARM--IT CERTAINLY IS.

Consort has been reminded, regularly for two years now regarding this problem. Deaf to customer concerns?

**Mr. Petras, as Director of Sales and Marketing I would think this would interest you, or no? Actually, Mr. Petras, I would think all of what I've been writing would be of interest to you--sales and marketing, and those PROFITS PROFITS PROFITS depend on the court of public opinion, do they not?

Build Your Home Here? Didn't Think So.

So, these are some images of the lot line that connects to my property. If you follow on past this large drainage structure you would reach the road that has buckled, and cracked, along this same route and contour. Seems the problem goes on for a loooong way. How can Consort fill these lots? They can't. Why not? Look at the large sewer in the middle of the picture--this large concrete drainage pipe. Look at the pictures of the road previously. All of this is necessary drainage, natural drainage. To fill these lots up to prevent this drainage, as Consort seems to think would be a grand idea, would impair the ability (and necessity) of the land to drain properly. The large aquaduct/sewer/drain with the stones surrounding is actually on a lot being offered for sale (incredible!!) and connects along the natural route to my lot and others in the opposite direction. Again, THESE LOTS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN OFFERED FOR SALE. OUR VALUE IS LOST.

Something else I've recently noticed: Consort building a "market home" two lots over from my north side. At first I scratched my head, wondering why a market home on this flooded area? (They already have another market home for sale for almost 2 years now.)Then, AHA!, it clicked. The market home is being built upon a parcel of land that had sunk, and flooded so extensively (again, on the route of drainage), that there was a pond on the same. A pond deep enough for ducks to swim and graze. I can only assume that after showing this lot to potential buyers month after month, all all balking (rightfully) at the flooded parcel, they decided it would be better to just go ahead and fill that big pond up with some mud, and quickly build a market home. Thus, hoping for a better chance to sell it. Of course, this lot is on the natural drainage route, with a sewer just adjacent, and will very likely continue to drop and flood as mine has.

I, fortunately, took pictures of this pond some time ago and will be posting those as well!

Finally, notice the picture of my lot and the severly angled island of landscaping. You can be sure that my landscape designer and I didn't purposely intend to bury a maple tree 15 inches deep in a drainage route, nor did we think it would be artistic to build an island tilting deeply on its side.

A Welcome to Pepe

A warm welcome to Mr. Petras, Consort Homes Director of Sales and Marketing, aka "Pepe." And to all interested in learning more about what has happened with my lot and home, please read on. I will try to post pictures and updates daily, keeping this information fresh and up-to-date. Nothing like photos and video--what's the old adage?--pictures and video are worth a thousand words.

Mr. Petras, as Director of Sales at Consort, you surely must understand that this home has permanently lost its value, and will never be able to compete on the market with other similar homes, but those that do not have egregious lot damage or ice building on their fireplace and melting on to the hardwood floors, bedroom walls covered in frost and ice, a shelf on their lawn making it impossible to care for, gaps between floors and walls letting in 20 degree F drafts all winter, doors that have fallen askew in their frames and will no longer shut, bulging walls, ceilings separating from tops of walls, cracks coming out on the diagonal from windows, and flooded land and destroyed landscape design. Ha! Tell me this house and lot haven't lost value.

That Consort has not offered compensation for permanent loss of property value is astonishing and speaks volumes of Consort's practices--not to mention abject greed. Listen up, readers, offering to fill tremendous drops in land with "a little more soil" and a plastic tarp, and suggesting that the home owner close their flue to prevent icicles from forming on the home interior, is pitiful. This is a pitiful attempt to minimize the gravity of the situation, and loss of value.

When a flat lawn suddenly drops drastically down into the contour of natural drainage, creating a shelf, and then another shelf, a little bit of soil isn't what is needed. When streets are buckling down in this same drainage pattern--a little bit of soil isn't the answer. The lot line in question should have been treated as it is by reputable builders, and those not driven to squeeze every penny out of the land--by simply not building upon it.

Look around, folks. You'll notice that other areas have these drainage ditches and drainage sewers ON THE OUTSIDE of developed lots--not sold as usable land and property.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting pictures on how reputable builders handle these drainage areas. I can tell you one thing, they don't attempt to sell them as usable land for homes. Stay tuned....

A Consort Home Fireplace