Arbor Quality


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Picture 1 shows a huge concrete slab that was attached to my patio and buried 1 inch under the soil. I discovered it the hard way - with a rototiller. I asked the construction superintendent Ted to remove it. He said he would. I asked many times and was told it would be removed. Come to date of my one-year sign-off, I was subsequently told by the warranty man, Jim Grant, I was out of luck. "Sorry, it's not our problem." I asked him to have his boss consider it and was then told the same. So much for Jim and Rich's "Concern for the customer!" It eventually took a cement saw to detach it from my patio as it was about 8-10 inches thick. Then myself and two neighbors went at it with sledgehammers and three wheelbarrow loads later finally hauled it off. This item enrages me the most.

Picture 2 shows my sidewalk. It looks like the cement was still wet when they decided to drive their tractors on it. The neighbor across the street has a pristine sidewalk - why can't I have one that doesn't look like a war zone with discoloration, tractor tracks embedded in it and gouges where they dragged their blade?

Picture 3 shows a window in the upstairs middle bedroom. Rather gappy there at the bottom, eh? And they say they've fixed it! No wonder my air-conditioning bills are so high this summer.

Pictures 4 and 5 show nail-pops in our master bath. And this is AFTER they repaired them. They came RIGHT BACK. I asked the drywaller (name withheld) why Arbor doesn't use screws instead of nails to prevent this and he said "This is cheaper." And THAT I believe. Save a penny and spend a dollar fixing it. Except now it's AFTER my one-year process and they won't fix it.

Picture 6 is the carpeting at the base of our stairs flopping around - AFTER THEY FIXED IT. Maybe I should just call a professional and get it over with.

Picture 7 shows the craftsmanship I found behind the vent hood while attempting to fix the duct gap. The drywallers located the electrical wiring too far to the left, so what did the electrician do? He grabbed the wire and yanked on it, ripping the drywall until it was long enough to reach the vent hood connection.

Picture 8 shows an air-gap in the ducting for the vent hood over the range. All we've been doing these past months is venting hot, greasy smoke into our upper cabinets. Also, see picture 9.

Picture 9 shows ANOTHER air-gap directly above the vent hood. Did this guy get ANYTHING right on this installation?

YES, these issues (except for the vent hood) were known to Arbor and were dismissed by the "Warranty Team." I replaced the vent hood with a microwave and fixed all the issues myself. I fear Arbor would have said it was past my one-year, anyway.

What pisses me off most is the absolute insensitivity Jim, Rich and company have to a homeowners concerns about his/her first home and their seeming disregard for all the money that homeowner has dropped into their lap. Their favorite response to all questions about quality of workmanship is "Well, it IS a 'production' house after all." That statement has become a sort of black humor to the wife and I about anything Arbor. Our response SHOULD have been "Well, if it is a "production' home, shouldn't you be GOOD at it by now?" And all this is just the stuff I can SEE. What else is hidden behind the walls, under the floor and in the attic that I haven't found yet? I'm scared to think about it. Judge for yourself, folks, whether you want these folks to build YOUR new HOME. I know I won't, if I get the chance.

Think I'm nuts? Think I'm just pissed over nothing? Tell me! You can reach me at arbor@mdfisher.com

The opinions expressed here are my own. Sorry if they offend you.