RETURNING NATIONAL Margaret Morgan and her husband Bryan are at their wits’ end over how to resolve problems with the construction of their “dream home”.
After paying $762 000 to get the two-storey Christ Church home built, the Morgans said they have been forced to live in a house full of problems and poor workmanship, and have not been able to get anything resolved with the contractor, Best Invest.
They hired the company in 2014 to build the house after Margaret’s sister introduced them to directors Rhonda Stanford and Michael Webster.
Margaret, who lived in England for close to 40 years, said she was very disappointed in the company and the justice system because there was no recourse other than to pay out more money. Her husband estimated it would cost about $150 000 or more to rectify the many problems.
Even before they moved into the house last year, the couple sent a “snag list” of 14 items to the contractors, but they said nothing had been done even though several promises were made.
High on their list, they said, was a major design flaw with the two bathrooms in their upstairs apartment which Margaret’s sister occupies.
The bathrooms were supposed to be wet baths with no doors but graded so that the water flows easily through the outlet. However, the couple said, the baths were not graded so every time the shower is used, water floods the bedrooms.
“They have not found it fit to sort that out,” Bryan complained.
The Morgans also had to hire someone to change all of the kitchen cupboards in the apartment after they noticed mould shortly after moving in.
Another major issue is that the upstairs terrace has not been paved with the specified material, leading to water settling whenever it rains.
As she led a tour of the house, Margaret pointed to several problems: incorrect door and pipe fittings, wrong doors and windows, wrong trowel plaster finish and incorrect tiles, among other issues.
Right now she is forced to leave every cupboard door in the kitchen of the main house open daily because those cupboards are also gathering mould.
Margaret said she hired someone to assess the situation and she was advised that the walls were damp and she would have to rectify that problem as soon as possible.
Also puzzling to the couple is the number of stop cocks protruding from external walls, as well as concrete slabs for wells and grease traps.
“I have never seen a house with so many stop pipes,” Bryan said, pointing out that there were ten in total. “When I asked Michael Webster why there were so many, he said it was the plumber.”
The couple, who have since hired an attorney, said the last time they saw anyone from Best Invest was last year.
“Rhonda Stanford left here the 1st of August, 2016, and never came back until April this year to look at a damaged toilet. I went three weeks ago to Best Invest and she asked us for the snag list again. She already has the snag list . . . .”
The couple said they were not happy in their home and had been forced to put all of their plans on hold.
“My return and my husband’s first time living in Barbados has been ruined because it was our plan, when we moved in, to start up a square dancing club because we love square dancing. But all of that has been put on the back burner because 2016 was a totally wasted year. We couldn’t do anything at all.
“Now, in 2017, we don’t know what to because we do not know if Best Invest is going to come and finish off what they have to do, or do we have to take up our little bit of savings to correct their bad work?
“This was supposed to be our dream home and the hurtful thing is that we designed it and I put in things that I wanted. Best Invest did exactly opposite. They have given us things that we didn’t want. There is not one iota of things in this place that you can take your little finger and say, ‘Yeah, that’s good’.”
When contacted, Stanford said she was aware of the problems.
“I am totally aware of that. We have a court matter going on right now where my attorney has met with their attorney. We have been in contact on more than one occasion.
“I totally understand Miss Morgan’s frustration and I am trying to work with Miss Morgan. It is just a matter of having the necessary resources to deal with her matter.”
Asked if Best Invest still existed, Stanford said there were three directors and two had “backed out”.
“I am the only director left,” she added. (MB)