Stone Martin builder Mitchell Martin Rachel Simpson They sold home under false pretenses Alabama Opelika

We built with stone Martin and closed on our home in June. We were very happy to move in and make this our forever home. Before build we visited the model home and plot weekly. We were told to walk the plot up and down and spend some time there to make the best informed decision. We did this multiple occasions and decided on a plot that we felt was best for us. This plot was flat and had no standing water. We came in different weather conditions even to ensure we were going to call this our home. It was a very important decision as a family and we felt we made the best choice going with stone Martin and the land we chose. We even looked at multiple homes over a span of a few months and we felt in our heart stone Martin was the one.

Well once we came out to go through the walk through we noticed the yard was not flat in the back. We, as well as our realtor, told the building supervisor Shawn that there was a problem and it needed to be corrected. Gabrielle who is the agent for stone Martin in this neighborhood was also present and stated they would fix it. On our final walk through we noticed it was muddy in the backyard and had standing water and they had not leveled the yard. Shawn was informed again we needed this issue fixed and they had at that point 2 weeks before closing.

Since Shawn couldn’t make certain decisions, he did in fact call his boss on speaker in front of us and his boss declared they would correct the issue. Even if we closed it would be covered under warranty and would be addressed right away. Closing day came and during closing a lady who represents stone Martin at the Lanier ford building in Huntsville helped us with our closing papers. She was throughly informed about all above issues and she stated, in front of witnesses, that the issue would be handled and we wouldn’t have to worry. My husband was also on speaker phone as he could not be present at closing due to working in another state.

So fast forward to moving day we were told all issues went through builder trend. An app. We are unable to email, call, or return any information through anyone at the company unless it goes through an app. They have hidden all their information and when they call they restrict their numbers so you are unable to call them. We started placing the above known issues in the app and the company kept pushing us off saying it will happen but never scheduling work. We gave them time to correct bc we trusted their word and the paper work they have had us sign. But as time went on we realized they weren’t going to address any of the issues.

In the mean time the water kept rising through all the rain we kept having and it reached the middle of the yard. The water never has gone away even in 100 degree heat and 7 plus days with no water. It might go down but never left. During our Alabama summer the water started an infestation of bugs. There were mosquitoes we get treated for, gnats that came and died every morning we treated, and other creatures. We fired 2 pest control companies because we couldn’t understand why they couldn’t get rid of the gnats. Come to find out they were due to the standing water in the backyard. We wrote it up in builder trend. We spoke to their representative Nick Martin who runs our area and he told us to never escalate things.

They know about this issue and they would fix it. The bugs started to get out of control. Gnats in the hundreds would fly around and die on all surfaces. We started dumping money into the issue because this is where we live and we have young children. It started to become a health issue. We had to move our master bedroom to the spare room bc we were afraid we would ingest them while we slept. We kept all doors closed due to this. You couldn’t leave open glasses out of drinks or you will drink bugs. It got so bad they were in our refrigerator and we had to move our food out to the garage so again we wouldn’t ingest them.

At this point we told stone Martin we weren’t working with Nick anymore. He wasn’t taking us seriously and when contacted he was rude to my husband. But he didn’t have to live here everyday in a bug infestation. After this we were then moved to John. He works solely with our home only in this neighborhood. He had no idea how to handle this situation either. He was more professional than Nick but his hands were tied.

They offered us no solutions beyond telling us to put a fly strip in our almost half a million dollar home. Amongst this we still had water rising. We started to fear it might start to affect the foundation. We also had to get a fence because we have dogs and children. We built this fence more than 12 feet above our property line and the water still rises to the middle of the yard. Imagine if we built this on the property line. Due to the constant standing water it is wrecking our newly built fence and is destroying the wood. We paid $6000 for this fence.

At this point I felt I needed to escalate this matter above their heads so I called head quarters in Opelika and was told they build the homes they do not handle warranty but they gave me the head warranty managers email. Upon receiving this direct contact, I emailed Rachel Simpson and alerted her of our on going drainage issues, bug infestation, and some more minor problems. It took her over a week to respond and a second email but she had her and the team to come out to look at the home. They were to have Wayne’s pest control handle this issue as that is who they contracted out in the neighborhood.

Waynes saw issue and backed out of the contract. She then had a bug “scientist” from cooks come to look at the bugs and determine what exactly they were. They took samples and informed us another home down the street had similar issues. They all stated they didn’t know what to do. Nick Martin, the first warranty guy, was present during this visit as well. He explained they cut a hole in the wall at the house down the street and hundreds of bugs flew out of there wall. They all decided not to do that at our home but did find them in the walls, under the floors, and behind and in the refrigerator.

Nothing was done beyond the sample on that visit. Nick Martin informed us he would be out that week, the last week of September, to cut the obstructions behind the home and the drainage ditch so the water could flow more freely. He never came. He told our neighbor the drainage ditch was fine. He explained nothing to us. Again more issues were put in builder trend and we emailed Rachel yet again to have the bugs fixed. We found out that Cooks had backed out of the contract as well after seeing issue and that we were dealing with FUNGUS GNATS. Every correspondence there after through Rachel has mainly been ignored. Stone Martin builders has also been CC and there side is silent.

Eventually 2 weeks later they had Wayne’s come back out and they agreed to try to send feed to the “nest”. Yet still no one has been out to address the underlinig issue of the standing water. So a claim, number 67070673, was opened with the better business bureau to have this handled. It was now a matter of safety. No one will listen to us. The BBB contacted them and they then started making some improvements. They asked for us to close the BBB without the work completed. That will not happen or they will ignore us yet again.

Wayne’s has made some improvements to the bugs but it is only a band-aid. Unless they are eradicated they will continue to return. We were told by numerous professionals they are in the foundation. The pipes that come up from the build of the home in the middle of the foundation had a bag for insulation around it and they are breeding from some kind of fungus there. The amount of bugs we see in the home are nothing compared to what is at the foundation and that is why they are present in the walls and floors. Nick explained they might have to tear the flooring out to get to the foundation to uncover these bugs and remove them. This is a complete nightmare.

My husband and I both are at home with our children due to Covid everyday. He works from home and our daughter is home schooled. This has so majorly affected our daily lives it is unbelievable. I’ve had more appointments with stone Martin to tell me they will one day get to it than them actually doing work it’s insane. I don’t know what else to do. My husband is a disabled veteran. The stress of all of this in his world is unhealthy. It’s unfair we can’t have this all promptly addressed. It’s been 108 days since closing and way more before that they could’ve completed. The weeds and standing water had rattle snakes and opossums among other animals.

The landscapers they hire are sub par. They told us they had no control over when they come and couldn’t make them move any faster. We are trying to be patient but while digging up dead bushes their landscapers planted in our yard this weekend 10/2 we saw the stone Martin landscapers go to the home being built next door. They went behind home and cut only the drainage weeds at that home and not ours. After this incident i again emailed Rachel, Stone Martin, and put in builder trend what happened. They still have yet to address issue. We cut the debris and things ourselves and the water still stands.

The city has made a ticket for the drainage grate because I called them. The city has moved faster than stone Martin. It is now affecting the entire street on ledges drive with the water. The water stands in our yard most of all it seems.

We need to proceed forward. We need the bugs completely gone. For good. We don’t want them leaving in the winter and returning in the spring and our warranty to be up. We need our yard leveled on all sides and a new drainage ditch dug so that the water can properly flow down and stop standing to help with the bug problem. We need stone Martin to make any repairs on our fence their laziness has caused due to them not doing prompt work. We need them to be transparent and listen when we are coming forward with health and safety issues.

We need them to complete the work they say they are going to complete. We can not rest until this is all address and over. I contacted the BBB with more videos and pictures of incidences yesterday. Stone Martin has yet to respond. We only want these issues correct, we will hire a lawyer if these escalations aren’t taken seriously and completed promptly. Since incident we have placed new claimed with attorney general, federal trade commission and even the news. I would never suggest anyone buy a stone Martin home. Ever. Half of our yard is under water ruining our fence and the bug problem is unreal. I would never think something like bugs would be an issue in a brand new home. I felt like stone Martin would've also corrected issues before it became this nightmare. The warranty company and landscapers they hire are a joke. Buyer beware!