greystone country homes

[BIG MONEY]

Has anyone had a home built by Greystone Country homes? Just looking for peoples experiences good or bad. Thanks

[Angie]

Don't do it. I wish I would have had more information when deciding which builder to use. It took them almost 1 year from closing to get done...they still aren't done. They changed our superintendent(said he was "laid" off but I believe he was fired)7 months into the project which caused a huge delay and he had made big mistakes which the owner of the company tried to blame us for. These were things that didn't meet code or pass inspections as if we know about these things. We tried to talk to the owner and his wife who is in charge of things and it was like talking to dumb and dumber....hillbillies with money. So my advice to you, hopefully it's not too late...pick another builder. Look them up on BBB, a lot of complaints for the number of houses they build last year. I think they only built 8-9 and have 7 complaints, 8 if you count us. Good luck in your search. It's kind of sad, building your dream home should be a great exciting experience, with Greystone country homes, it was a total nightmare. They don't care about the customer, they care about the draws.$$$

[Middletown OH]

We are also thinking of building with Greystone, after reading the comments I don't know now. They seem so professional their homes are beautiful. My problem is I have built before (nightmare) I was looking forward to having a company come and build so I don't have to deal with all the little decisions. How are their materials? I know these companies do little to make the most money.

[Shelly]

I can't find Greystone on the BBB anywhere what name do I look under.

[Angie]

It is very difficult to find them on the BBB. I had to enter in the address and after many attempts, they appeared. We have been in our home now for 3 weeks, once you've signed the last draw, greystone is finished with you. I have been trying to get the sub-contractors #'s because we are having some plumbing issues, and no one returns my calls. I am noticing that drywall is cracking along the doorways(every doorway) and floors are creaking, they spilled something(paint) on our stone fireplace and tried to cover it up, the glued together a toilet seat that had obviously cracked instead of replacing it. They used PVC plumbing instead of copper. They put plumbing into a middle master bedroom wall, so now while we are laying in bed, we can hear our daughters upstairs flushing the toilet, taking a shower, brushing their teeth. We had asked why that was done,(we shouldn't be able to hear water draining in walls in a new home) they said their was nothing they could do since it was already in. A Greystone home is like Mona Lisa....from a distance it is beautiful..close up, not so pretty. I think that they used poor quality materials everywhere and the cheapest labor possible, example: our house was sided by 1 man/wife, not a crew, just 2 people which took forever and has a lot of seams. To get rid of our trash that couldn't be burned, they didn't hire a trash removal company, they buried it into the ground. I just hope that they are going to keep their word and fix the drywall in a year. If I had to do it all over again, we would have used a different builder. If I can prevent even 1 person from going through what we went through with greystone, I will do whatever it takes. Building your home should be a dream come true.

[Mom of 3 Girls]

So far my experience hasn't been so bad. They have been very cooperative in fixing whatever issues I have.

[Hoosier House Hunter]

In looking for a good build on your land builder, I found this blog near the Greystone website. It tweeked my interest enough to personally call the Cincinnati BBB on the phone, guess what? no problem. Greystone really does exist with the BBB in fact Greystone has been a member in good standing of the BBB since 1999. She told me that Greystone was a locally owned and operated custom home builder that started up in 1992. There are 5 complaints all satisfactorily resolved and one administratively closed, which means the builder made good faith efforts to resolve it. Interestingly, she also said that this is not a large number of complaints for a builder and that the actual number of complaints is not as important as what the company does to resolve them. She also stated that there have been NO NEW complaints in the past 12 months.

In my builder surfing, I stumbled upon the following sites of interest:
KHOVSUCKS.COM
www.TKHOMESUCK.com
Paul Schumacker Homes / Pros and Cons - building a new home forum
and a pick your own poison site - www.hadd.com/websites.php
Most of the big offenders are corporations located out of town but building in Cincinnati. I kind of like the fact that Greystone is local so I have decided to stop by their office and meet the notorious Mr. "Dumb Hillbilly with Money" in person.

The way things are in the building business now I think I would rather have a builder with money building my house than a builder without money trying to. I am convinced it will be wise to dig a little deeper here for "the rest of the story."

[cincy2002]

There is always 2 sides to a story. It's great to see different opinions, perspectives, and experiences with all builders. That's what is so great about the internet, to have that information out there so we are informed so then it is up to us to research and form our own opinion. My opinion is that it should never get to the point of being to the level that we see posted here. Who's responsibility is that? Who knows, but I would wonder why any company that is "doing so well and making big bucks" is laying off people?

[Jimbo]

Wow, this builder just can't win. If he fired a superintendent he is wrong, If he laid him off he is also wrong. If he makes money he is wrong, if he does not make money he is also wrong. I'm in the building industry and builders are giong out of business all over the place. The industry is shrinking and the smart builders are downsizing. They will be around tomorrow.

[Angies Plumber]

I apologise but the truth is neither simple nor brief. Due to number of character constraints associated with this site, my comments will take two separate posts.

I would like to begin by addressing the location of this home. But first a bit of information pertinent to this job. In almost all build on your lot building contracts including this one, the lot/home owner agrees to PROVIDE and MAINTAIN ADEQUATE access to the building site throughout construction. This is part of the "sweat equity" thing and is done to save money. I know this for a fact because I plumb for other builders including the largest build on your lot builder in the Greater Cincinnati area.

This house had to be constructed on the top of a "Mountain." Not that there is anything with wanting the "house on the hill" but the first day my van would not make it to the top. I had to hoof my plumbing materials one half mile up hill to install the under the basement floor slab plumbing. This right before winter in October 2007. I can't understand how anyone could have made it up there when it rained or snowed. The drive was extremely difficult with a tight switch back half way up. The condition of this temporary drive varied from bad to worse to impossible. The foundation concrete had to be pumped because you could not get around the house and I know the concrete pumping company broke an axle trying to get up to do the work. Deliveries by suppliers were a nightmare. Large trucks had to be unloaded on to smaller conveyances at the bottom of the hill and supplies drug up with bulldozers. The site was completely inaccessible and shut down for weeks at a time because of snow and ice. Many subs showed up to work but simply had to go somewhere else. My Hamilton County Plumbing inspectors told me they would not drive up that hill and I had to meet them at the bottom and get them up. At the end, the septic inspector made the fellow who installed the septic system ride him up on a back hoe to give his final inspection. And you know I don't believe Greystone ever charged these people any extra for all this aggravation.

Angie chose a first floor master plan that had bedrooms and bathrooms over the master bedroom. It is a popular plan and it is offered by three other builders that I know of. I have plumed this house before and one of the other builders shows it as one of their model homes. As far as PVC water lines goes, once installed, the copper lines were getting stolen out of a lot of houses and most builders went to CPVC last year. Home owners were usually given some monetary consideration for the difference in cost. FYI a Greystone house I plumed on the East side of Cincinnati had the copper lines stolen out of it twice before the home owner finally went to CPC. That caused a two month delay in construction and two $500.00 insurance deductibles the home owner had to pay.

Cast iron plumbing which is very quiet has not been used in residential construction in 75 years unless you are Bill Gates and can afford to pay the additional 20 to 30 thousand dollars to have it done. Did I mention that this hill is definitely not a hill in Indian Hill? There are many first floor master homes that are designed with a roof instead of living space over the bedroom. They just cost a little more to build. I can only run my 3" PVC pipe in certain locations. If I drill through too many upstairs joists to get the water noise away from the sleeping area, I would fail a building by making the floor unsafe and I would have to pay for the repairs. This house passed all building inspections, exceeded most of Hamilton County code requirements and was issued a Certificate if occupancy.

[Angies Plumber II]

Second Part of Post.

I can't let this pass either. We all know what is going on in the housing industry, ti is horrible. I think Greystone Country Homes should be proud to hire a husband and wife team. The already sour market is overwhelmed with illegal immigrants and it is difficult for Americans to be competitive unless the are doing much of the work themselves.
When I was there those two worked their butts off and they did a fine job.

Anyway here is the time line. The hole was dug in October and as I wrote earlier, I did my under slab rough in that same month. I completed my finish work on March 14, 2008,(toilets set and faucets installed basically ready for the home owner to hook up to their water and sewer). The house was pretty much finished in 5.5 months through winter weather with an inadequate gravel drive literally carved into the side of a "mountain."

"And now for The Rest of the Story." If the home owner is contracting with a separate contractor of their choice to do their septic system, which they were, the home owner is required to have their septic system installed and in working condition by the time I do my finish or the inspector will not even come to the job site. This has nothing to do with me or Greystone. I finally got my final inspection on May 15, 2008, because the home owner's did not get their septic finished until May 14, 2008. This little problem held up production for two additional months. Now who dropped the ball? And yes bank draws are very important and the final plumbing inspection is tied to a bank draw. Thank goodness that Greystone was able to pay me upon completion of my work back in March. I don't believe they got their money on that draw until later. It could have been a two month wait for that check. Even had I not received the money, I would never jeopardize my relationship with Greystone Country Homes for trying to glue a ten dollar toilet seat back together.

It gets better yet. Now Angie is trying to go around Greystone and asking me to remove one of the safety features on my plumbing system and somehow still keep the Greystone plumbing warranty in force. I do not believe she has spoken to Greystone about this and I will not do it and violate any plumbing codes or directives. I personally believe these people got into something they did not fully understand and made some poor decisions that have both slowed the production of their house and very well might affect the performance of the same. Anymore it seems like people always want to blame someone else and now all these two want to do is bash Greystone for their own choices.

In spite of extreme adverse conditions, this house was on track to be completed in a little over 5 months. I invite any subcontracters and suppliers involved in this job to also comment.

Chris Enright Plumbing

[Homeowner]

Glad you opened the door. FYI this is Greystone West, not East. Now for the rest of the story we didn't want to get into, but now I definitely want everyone to know the facts. First, Greystone signed up to build the house with full knowledge of the site. Second, let me give you an idea of the kind of supervisors Greystone hires (not all may be like ours, but here's an example). I was sick in bed on a Monday this winter when it snowed. I got out of bed at 7:00 in the morning, drove in the snow to the house, drive to the top of the hill to the house site, used the atv to plow and salt the driveway. I was there from 8:00 to 11:00. I called the supervisor at 10:00 and asked if anyone was coming up today. He said the subs got stuck in the driveway. I said I knew for a fact the driveway was clear. He said he'd just left and was stuck on my driveway for 45 minutes. I asked what time and he said from 9:00 to 9:45. I told him it was funny that I hadn't seen him on the driveway when I was running the atv up and down it all morning (it's 1600 feet, not 1/2 mile). He didn't know what to say and hung up. He called me 2 hours later and said he needed to apologize. I have the voicemail saved. He wasn't there. Anyone see the future problems with a supervisor like that? Four times he called and said no one could get up the driveway because it was wet. I had my stepdaughter (18 years old) drive her Corolla to the top. She had no problem. I have pictures documenting this for the lawsuit that's coming for Greystone. So the driveway - there were exactly 5 days that the driveway wasn't passable in total. The house started in September. Because of the weeks nothing was getting done (no one on site, dry weather), it pushed the septic past October and Hamilton County wouldn't allow it until dry weather in the spring. Anyone who's a plumber in Hamilton County and has been around septic systems should know that if the builder doesn't get their side done in time, no system is allowed to be installed all winter. Now who dropped the ball? As for the plumber - he talked with the cistern guy early on and asked if he needed to install an expansion tank because the cistern guy also had one. Our cistern guy told him he didn't know and to contact Hamilton county to see what was required. After moving in, our cistern pump surges like crazy. The cistern guy had 4 different pumps replaced. The pump manufacturer and 3 other plumbers all say the likely cause is the two expansion tanks battling each other. We called Greystone 3 times, and left 2 emails trying to get the plumbers number (Greystone said don't call us, call the sub directly). We finally got it last week. When we talked to the plumber and said the others we talked to suggested removing one of the tanks, he said that couldn't be the problem. This is the safety feature he's talking about. We asked the plumber to come out and see what needed to be done because Greystone said if we touch anything it voids our warranty. The plumber said he'd talk to Hamilton county to see if it was OK to remove the tank and he'd call us back on Thursday. It's monday and we've not heard a thing except this post. Nice and professional just like I expect from Greystone. Mr. plumber, did you speak with Hamilton county? Are you even going to step one foot into our house to see what the problem is like you are legally liable for? Is there some reason you're not standing behind your work? I have my cistern guy and 3 other plumbers willing to meet you there and figure it out if you can't.
If they have to, you'll be billed for the work. I have an entire notebook of documented Greystone problems that I'd need a week to post. FYI all the other subs we've had to call back after moving in have been great.

[Corey]

My company worked as a subcontractor for Greystone on the Anderson job on Lawrenceburg Road. We had no problem with Greystone or their supervisor. The problem was the driveway to get to the house. Thankfully Greystone's supervisor communicated with us as to the shape the drive was in. During heavy rain/snow periods I would imagine the drive not being passable for many days. Perhaps 5 to 10 working days at a time. I have worked in this industry for about 10 years now. I have never seen a new home construction driveway anything close to this one. Long, steep, muddy mountain of a driveway. I doubt the customer would have been able to find any other builder in town willing to try to work in these conditions. We have worked with Greystone for about a year now. They have treated us fair, and are very good to work with.

[roger]

I am the plumbing supplier with greystone. when delivering the tubs for the job, my driver was unable to manuver up the hill with our truck. he was on the job for over two hours, trying to again and again get up the hill but finally. we had to drop the tubs halfway up the hill. the no-good superviser met the plumber there to carry them by hand the rest of the way up the hill. terrible effort on there part wasn't it

[Angies Siding Guy]

Another Greystone sub sent me this link and since Angie has a problem with me and my "Helper Wife", we feel we need to respond. My "Helper Wife" is also my best friend. Now for the "rest of the story".
We have sided houses for Greystone for over 10 years. Greystone has two siding contractors so when a house is ready for siding (depending on weather)it can get started right away. I wish I was the only siding contractor because unlike most builders I have worked for, Greystone pays me as soon as the job is done and trusts me to come back if necessary. Siding a house is a two person job and yes siding does have seams. Greystone uses a little better grade "thicker" siding than many other builders so the edges where the siding overlaps may show up a little more. The length of time it takes to side a house usually does not hold up production. Interior work, i.e. electric, plumbing, etc., can be done while siding is being installed. Siding is outside work and weather is the biggest time factor, especially when it affects access to the house. Going up that drive was always hard, and many times impossible. Going back down was just plain scary. We had to park at the bottom and walk up twice. We got stuck once.
When we finished the job we did what we always do before we leave and that is to get homeowners approval. We asked both of them how they liked it, they said they liked it except for a couple of seams near the door. This siding all ran in the same direction and if you stood in the middle wall (looking at a door or window) some seams will be to your right and you will be looking over the edge of the seam, some will be on your left and you will see the edge of the siding that covers the siding underneath. I told them I would take it off and over lap it in reverse; it was only a few pieces. They talked to each other and he said "the boss said it is ok." Since Angie was with him I assumed she was the boss and the boss got her way.
Now the boss has decided to bad mouth us and our work anonymously and behind our backs. We are a small company and pay close attention to detail, and provide a custom siding job that stays on the house. We challenge anyone to go look at that house if they can get up that "driveway"
[e-mail]

[Angie]

First of all, I want to say that this has all turned into something a bit ridiculous. I am not satisfied with Greystone west. I believe that the subcontractors did a great job that is why I didn't point out any names here and jeopardize the company's name of the people doing the work. I know that the driveway was hectic many days and we made every effort to keep it with new gravel, plowed, salted, and we understood the icy/snowy days that there would be a delay. It was well worth it because the location is awesome, we have a great view, nature, privacy, and woods all around us. We knew what we were getting into, that was our dream. Those that cannot understand that, it is not your home or your money.
First, to the nice guy who sided the home, I only said that it was a 2 person crew, of the other homes built out there, it is usually multiple people on each side of the house, so therefore it took what seemed like forever, months and months to be exact(yes, I am the "boss" that happens to love to journal and take pictures of all the details) It didn't hold up production, I never said it did. There were a lot of seams in not the greatest places in front(maybe it was the layout of the house )that were very noticable but the rest of the siding looked great, and I know that you and your wife busted your butt and were out there on weekends. Now that you put your name out there on this long thread of nonsense, to all that need a siding job done I recommend MARK CUSTOM SIDING. I also thought that the trim guy, electrician, our hardwood guy, the painters, Gunter family did a great job! I have nothing against the sub-contractors here.

[Angie]

I wonder how people build houses in gatlingburg, california, or anywhere that doesn't offer a flat, nonscenic piece of land? They get used to it and get the job done. We did have other builders come out and said that they would build our house but we chose Greystone. Angie(initial sales lady) represents them very well. We like her, liked what she had to say. She made it seem so easy and organized. Once she was out of the picture, things quickly changed. Too bad Angie wasn't building our house. It was as if it was the first house being built in hamilton county. note to greystone: Keep Angie around!!

As for Angies(me) Plumber, now I know why you aren't returning our calls and getting out here to see what's going on with our water surging and making terrible noises each time we turn it on...you are too busy writing lengthy comments stating information that could've only been given by the builder. As for the septic guy who held up production for 2 months???? get your facts straight. The septic guy was excellent and came highly recommended. He was out there everyday busting his butt to put in a very complex system that hamilton county requires. A system which cost us more than what you probably make in a year. Also, I didn't even mention your name or company and blame you for the stuff, it was greystone who didn't insulate or explain to us that we would hear the water in the bedroom wall to give us a choice, I could care less about a $10 cracked toilet seat, we will replace it. But people asked about the quality of the materials, that's an easy example. I dont' know why the water is doing what it's doing, I am not a professional, you are, so please stop this circus act and get out here and fix it, we will gladly have our septic guy meet you here, he has replaced 4 pumps, he will not replace another one, he has done his part and then some, now it's time to get it fixed so we can end this silly thing.
To Hank and his wife.....I personally apologize for the name calling here on this site...I wish I could go back and delete it. I was very frustrated at the time and very emotional.. you see, we wanted to build our dream home and we wanted it to be ready(as promised) before we had a destination wedding so we could focus on our life together in our dream home. We came back from our honeymoon, after 2-3 week delay during the supervior change, house still not done, the things that needed fixed were worse than before they were fixed, different stone, different colors, holes patched with metal plates in the bathroom, our hardwood scratched up, our corian scratched up, it was my nightmare. Here I was supposed to be a happy wife but I was stressed out, tired of this whole experience, working with many of my friends who were building at the same time and hearing there pleasant experiences,,,I started to boil....so I am sorry that I called you and your wife dumb, you are not, I am sorry that I called you hillbillies with money,...it's the west side(not "Indian Hill") heck, we are hillbillies with money that can build houses on top of a mountain with a driveway in the side of a mountain, as some will have you believe here

[Angie]

So the bottom line is:

My experience was not the greatest, I will never build again, I will not recommend Greystone to anyone until they make this situation right. I live in my dream home on my dream land. I only gave my opinion of what was done in my house. These are facts.
I believe my concerns were not addressed in a professional manner, I believe that we settled in many ways with upgrades that we paid for that are not at all what we made clear that we wanted(even showed pictures) I believe that we had months of unproductive time do to weather, our driveway being "scary" and a whole lot of miscommunication. I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion and has the freedom to express it. Again, I am sorry for emotional comments made toward Hank and his wife. It is a hard time out there in the building world. All I expected from a builder was honesty, communication, hard work and dedication, quality and accountability. Phil and Angie, you did a great job for us given the situations and conditions of things. You went out of your way to try to make things right, I appreciate that but I understand that there is only so much you guys can do because you don't own the company. so thank you.
Angie "the boss" hey, I kind of like that.

[Andy]

Angie wrote:

Don't do it. I wish I would have had more information when deciding which builder to use. It took them almost 1 year from closing to get done...they still aren't done. They changed our superintendent(said he was "laid" off but I believe he was fired)7 months into the project which caused a huge delay and he had made big mistakes which the owner of the company tried to blame us for. These were things that didn't meet code or pass inspections as if we know about these things. We tried to talk to the owner and his wife who is in charge of things and it was like talking to dumb and dumber....hillbillies with money. So my advice to you, hopefully it's not too late...pick another builder. Look them up on BBB, a lot of complaints for the number of houses they build last year. I think they only built 8-9 and have 7 complaints, 8 if you count us. Good luck in your search. It's kind of sad, building your dream home should be a great exciting experience, with Greystone country homes, it was a total nightmare. They don't care about the customer, they care about the draws.$$$

With my experience all well known home builders are good business people. You need to undertstand they are generating income for the prosperity of the business #1. The relationship you build with the home builder is very important, you really need to communicate well and reiterate specific issues, catch them right away - stay on top of it - if you're building a "dream home." Home builders will do anything the homeowner wants - make sure you get it across to them.

[Andy]

Shelly wrote:

I can't find Greystone on the BBB anywhere what name do I look under.

http://cincinnati.e-asp.net/Nis4/bbbreportacc...

Looks pretty clean to me.