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United Built Homes review: worst experience possible 65

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Author of the review
9:14 am EST
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The worst experience of my life. Have been building on this house since the first of August 09 and they cannot seem to fix everything that is wrong with this house. The first lie was when they say we will keep you informed of everything and each step in the construction. LIE. Next Lie is how and where they will bring electic to your house before you get electric hooked up. They will put the breaker box wherever they want and expect you to pay the difference in pulling the wire from meter to the house. The house has cracks in every corner from the tap and bedding. Instead of putting double switches in rooms the put two single switches and made one for the fan and one for the light, left the plug outlet outside the wall under the sink not flush in the wall marked on with a magic marker. Forgot to run electic to end of bar so they just ran the wire through the cabnets. Miss cut for plumbing under the sinks so just covered it up with a piece of board. I don't think this house will even pass code inspection. You try to get ahold of the corporate office and it takes three weeks and me leaving a message on every extension in the building before someone will call back. They will always take the side of the office building the home. I go to the sherman office to talk about our electric situation and the first words out of their mouth was I don't know how man times we have to tell you we are not resposible for the electric and needless to say our conversation got very heated after, it put me on the defensive real quick. We had our septic system put in and one of their workers not even an electrician direct wired the septic without a disconect switch. They will not tell us who wired our house so we are not even sure it was an electrician who did it. I know that if I ever conducted business like this I would be fired or my business would go belly up. I really don't think they could tell the truth even if they wanted to. The best advise I can give anyone looking to build is go with Jim Walters these people are a bunch of crooks that will take you down payment and build how they want and then tell you its not their problem. This is only a small list of what we have found wrong. I am not paying this much money to live in a piece of crap house that is supposed to be new.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

65 comments
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Jerry Westin
, US
Nov 10, 2022 3:25 pm EST

Same here, same office, they still haven't finished my bathtub, I closed back in October. We lost our 1 year deal also, now we found out they put the range hood stack on wrong and so our appliance doesn't line up

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Mel Hudson
, US
Mar 04, 2023 1:15 am EST

You are not going to get anything but grief from them. Write your attorney general. UBH needs to be put out of business, permanently. They have a history of fraud and losing in court.

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Brittany Coots
, US
Jul 13, 2021 12:34 pm EDT

I am having the same issues out if the Beaumont Texas office. Please look me up on Facebook and message me. I can connect you to many more people with our same story.

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metermaidrkb
, US
Jun 12, 2020 9:16 am EDT

anyone interested in a class action law suit against UBH?

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Jackie Brady
, US
Jul 06, 2021 3:06 pm EDT

Yes
Jackie and Delton Brady
Lewisville Ar
71845
[protected]

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Jun 14, 2022 11:26 am EDT

Yes yes yes absolutely. They are the worst we are not even in our home yet. We closed may of 2021. Please tell me what we can do to go after them. We absolutely are not the only ones and they need to be held responsible for all of their lies and non custom build ability.

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Mar 01, 2023 12:31 pm EST

Yes definetly Kristi Bunnell Wenzel oon fb

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Mar 01, 2023 12:36 pm EST

Yes Kristi Bunnelll Wenzel on FB

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Mel Hudson
, US
Mar 04, 2023 1:12 am EST

We are also interested in a class action law suit...magnolia, Arkansas. UBH needs to be put out of business!

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Mel Hudson
, US
Mar 04, 2023 1:14 am EST

Where are you located, Kristi and what is your contact info so we can get a class action started? calvin.and.melissa@gmail.com is our gmail address...please contact us!

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Mar 04, 2023 12:45 pm EST

Yes please kristi0919@yahoo.com

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Dneil
, US
Nov 23, 2019 1:52 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Anyone wanting to do a lawsuit please call me at [protected] or look me up on Facebook or Instagram, my name is Danielle Caston. My username on Instagram is Dneil76.

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Mar 01, 2023 12:33 pm EST
Replying to comment of Dneil

Yes Kristi Bunnell Wenzel on FB

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Dneil
, US
Nov 23, 2019 1:51 pm EST
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Anyone wanting to do a class action lawsuits please email me @ luvbirds154@gmail.com. Danielle Caston is my name.

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Courtney Tolson
, US
Aug 17, 2021 10:59 am EDT
Replying to comment of Dneil

I tried finding you on Facebook but couldnt. Could you please find me? Courtney Tolson. curly blonde hair

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Oklahoma_Joes
, US
Oct 23, 2019 2:21 pm EDT

How can we get a hold of you? [protected]@gmail.com does not seem like a valid email address.

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Emily I.
, US
Oct 08, 2019 6:04 am EDT

Can you please email me? I’d like to speak to you about a similar situation.
[protected]@ymail.com

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Pamela Joyce
, US
Aug 22, 2019 6:52 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My mother and I own a lot in a historic area that is being redeveloped. I made this abundantly clear to Rory. When I told him that we own the lot free and clear and I paid off some accounts. He replied, "How did you all do that". I replied, "Just like other hard-working people". I found his comment rather odd. Rory told us to submit separate applications along with verification of income for everyone in the house. I emailed all of the documents requested on the application. Sam called to ask for my application. A few days later, Sam called to explain that some of the information our applications were not legible. He added that he needed to write our information on one application. I decided to write out everything for my mother and myself on one application and we signed it. I submitted additional supporting information concerning our lot. We received disclosures in the mail. I contacted Rory to ask how my credit scores listed on my disclosure was calculated. I also emailed him my credit scores from a reliable source because they were drastically different. Rory never addressed my concerns. I decided to follow up regarding our application three weeks later. I noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to reach Rory and Sam. I sent Rory a text message asking who I should speak with at the sales office. A service manager name John called me. I met with him at the sale's office the following day. A man arrived shortly after I did. I sensed something negative about him. John escorted me to the conference room and that same man was there. The man introduced himself as Chase, the regional sales director. I got a sinking feeling that I was about to get screwed. Chase asked how they could help me. As if he didn't know. I told him that I was seeking answers. Chase quickly replied that UBH could not provide the construction and permanent loan because of the comps in that area. He added that UBH would build our home if we got the bank to finance the construction. I'll bet they would. I reminded Chase that there is a lot of revitalization taking place in this area. I added that a comparative market analysis was emailed to Rory and Sam. Chase asked me when I had it done. He apparently did not know. I told him it was done in 2017. I find it curious that new town homes and single-family homes are scattered throughout this same historic area and investors want to purchase our lot. It has been two years since I had the comparative market analysis done. Our broker recently said there are more properties with characteristics similar to what we plan to build in this historic area now. It is clear to me that UBM resisted us from the very beginning. We are Americans and our family was raised in this area. Racial discrimination in home ownership is against the law!

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Bschirard
, US
Jul 04, 2019 9:31 pm EDT

Count me in. Rosenberg office...14 months and there still not finished... 6 months of no interest gone, 1 year interest 6.9 gone... oh yea years 2 through when ever they decide to finish 10% interest. An extra $400 a month for a house I can’t live in. Please count me in the class action
Brian Schirard

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Jerry Westin
, US
Nov 10, 2022 3:23 pm EST
Replying to comment of Bschirard

Same here, same office. They did a [censored] job half million dollar property and they can't get ahit done correctly.

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ripped of in Texas
, US
Nov 28, 2018 10:28 pm EST
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UBH is a criminal enterprise and should have a class action law suit filed against them immediately

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Melanie Liane Sawyer
, US
Oct 08, 2018 10:17 am EDT

United Build Homes in Beaumont, Texas is the worst ever. Our experience has been horrendous. They have lied at every turn. Pushed and pushed for us to sign the contract, then disappeared for 3 months. Plumbing was wrong at least 3 times and had to be corrected. They didn't know how to read the deed restrictions and placed the frame too close to the property line and had to move it. Master bath had to have the walls moved because they didn't/couldn't read the plans. Delay after delay, lie after lie. And now, on top of everything, since they wasted 3 and half months of our 6 month - no interest no payment building loan and sent us a dang "mortgage" payment bill under the "construction loan" terms.

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ripped of in Texas
, US
Nov 28, 2018 10:29 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We need to file class action against them.

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Not happy with OKC United Home Builders
, US
Oct 04, 2018 7:01 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

If you plan to use United Built Homes (OKC) Branch... you had better truly do your homework and take each and every single complaint filed on them seriously. They are very slick talkers especially the sales manager and your home will have numerous issues... I promise! And if you allow them to talk you into fixing issues another way then... they will use that against you. Another words... once you agree they have you and expect you to “drop the issue it’s been fixed. Once again do your homework! Don’t believe the $90 sq foot deal.. it’s more around $130 a sq foot and that is with the least expensive hardware. That way the sale manager can make big profits. Their GC’s can agree with you and admit mistakes but the general manager will strongly encourage them up to side with him if they want to keep their jobs. They can make mistakes and tell you they are allowed some building error room... now this is with their eyes... not a building square or level! Rip off is an understatement! It’s all about them making money and the homeowner just dealing with what they tell you. After the fact of being screwed by them... we have talked to other PROFESSIONAL builders... and when you say United Built Homes... you get the reply “you shouldn’t of went with them”, some of their work contractors are good but when it comes to their masonry work it’s terrible”. We have had numerous mistakes that have been due to the “lack of communication” between the UBH office and their hired contractors. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! And now matter who you use... take LOTS of pictures... never know when they will become handy. Glad we have done that and kept a record. Take each review serious. They like taking your money and giving you a home with NOTICEABLE flaws and act as though nothing is wrong!

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ripped of in Texas
, US
Nov 28, 2018 10:30 pm EST
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Class action lawsuit.

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Courtney Tolson
, US
Aug 17, 2021 11:04 am EDT

This has been the worst experience of my life. Nothing is finished. Its been 13 months. contractor quit 4 months ago and no one told us. account manager at the okc office left, and no one told us. refinance still isnt finished. oh and to top it off, find out this morning that the appraisal didnt come back high enough. DO NOT BUILD WITH UBH!

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daria_11
Jacksonville, US
Aug 17, 2021 11:15 am EDT

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dave donchecz
, US
Mar 05, 2018 1:13 pm EST

i think there should be a class action suit against this company. I work in a law office and if anyone wants to proceed and we get enough people i will make that happen. My story is the same lie after lie, over 274 days to build the home, the grounds we left in a mess trash everywhere, the materials were left in the weather with no tarps at all on them, the pilings in the ground are not straight, the painters and framers are sub par at best. Sean tells you what you want to hear and once he gets your money you will never get a call returned unless you go ballistic. these people should not be able to do business in Texas and i am far from done with these boards i am going to draft letters to the AG of Texas and any other state board that overseas builders. They treated me the wrong way and i am not going to take it lying down. should anyone wish to contact me regarding a lawsuit my e mail is ddonchecz@yahoo.com

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ripped of in Texas
, US
Aug 12, 2018 11:36 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I'm in

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Melanie Liane Sawyer
, US
Oct 08, 2018 10:14 am EDT

We have had the worst time of this. They have lied at every turn. Pushed and pushed for us to sign the contract, then disappeared for 3 months. Plumbing was wrong at least 3 times and had to be corrected. They didn't know how to read the deed restrictions and placed the frame too close to the property line and had to move it. Master bath had to have the walls moved because they didn't/couldn't read the plans. Delay after delay, lie after lie. And now, on top of everything, since they wasted 3 and half months of our 6 month - no interest no payment building loan and sent us a dang "mortgage" payment bill.

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DC2012
, US
Jul 22, 2020 9:02 pm EDT

we are in

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Mar 01, 2023 12:36 pm EST

I would love to be part of a class Action Lawsuit. These people need to be held accontable for all the lies they have told countless people and have run a scam on everyone. Kristi Bunnell Wenzel on FB

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Marisel Saucedo
, US
Sep 08, 2017 8:04 pm EDT

We are also having problems with UBH. They seem to have some kind of scam going on ie. they verbally promise everyone that the house will be completed in 190 days and very rarely go over six months; they leave the materials laying around for a couple of months and put in weathered and warped wood and bad shingles; they are charging us mortgage payments because they have gone beyond their 6 month window based on their inability to complete the house etc. etc.
We are also dealing with San Antonio office but it sounds like they have the same bad practices at every one of their branches, They have no Project Management practices other than us calling them constantly to find out project status,
We are so mad at ourselves for not reading reviews and not doing our due diligence on this builder,
We may be reporting them to the Texas Attorney General and the Attorney General in their home state, We may also hire a lawyer if we have any problems with leaking etc, They should NOT get away with their scam!

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ripped of in Texas
, US
Nov 28, 2018 10:32 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

class action lawsuit

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Leticia Tanner
, US
Feb 07, 2023 6:56 pm EST

What was the outcome? We are also in the same boat and in the San Antonio area. Trying to find a lawyer right now.

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David Ligon
, US
Jan 24, 2016 11:28 pm EST

united-bilt built a house for my wife and me in 2002. from the very beginning they lied at every turn. foundation was pier and pad. the pads were supposed to be 2ft x2 ft will 1" rebar. pads were not 2ft deep. piers were concrete block x3 high. i proped my foot on one to tie my shoe and it fell over. i told "jeff" the regional construction manager about it and he said he would fix it. i don't think he ever did. we were living about 2 hours away and went down to see the progress on the house every weekend. the plumbing was set wrong. ALL faucets leaked after we were in the house for 3 weeks. after several calls i replaced them myself. the cabinets in the kitchen were poorly made and the man who set them left to doors off. when i called him to ask if he ws coming back he got hateful with me and said no. 3 windows were installed broken. one was the front window in the living room. after we wee in the home for about 7 weeks the send two "kids' to replace them they broke a window in my garage replacing the broken one. never fixed it. the house set for at least 6 weeks with no roof. just the tar paper felt. it rained much that summer. the front bedroom floor was terribly uneven with dips. i had to pay to have it fixed and had to install the entire floor in the home. the garage slab floor was floated poorly with a high spot in the front. the first time it rained after we moved in the whole garage flooded. water ran down the roof line of the garage because it wasn't flashed/flanged. the chimney chase was supposed to be free standing from the rest of the roof line. water pooled next to the chimney and ruined the sheetrock in the living room. i put up an acre of land as a down payment. the land cost me about $4k. united-bilt had the land appraised at $26k. i had 4 regional construction managers in the first 18 months we were there. everyone told me they were busy putting out fires and couldn't make any money on new home construction because they were tied up finishing up houses like mine. i got an attorney to write them a letter on the advice of one of the construction managers. united-bilt sent out 4 high ranking guys for the corporate office in sherevport in la. they walked around, took pictures promised to fix everything and left. i didn't hear anything for a month and we i called to enquire about fixing things i was told those men no longer worked for the company. the last manager i spoke with steve wardlaw made similar promises but never delivered. i was told by one construction manager united-bilt just stonewalls until people giveup. the hardy plank was terribly messed up. it was put on wrong according to one construction manager named mccommas. he quit! i called james hardy company and they informed me united-bilt was not certified by them so there was no "lifetime warranty" and there was nothing they could do. we were in the house for 12 years. we never got all of window screens. first i had heart problems and had to retire after having a pacemaker installed. my wife fell in the house about 6 months later and torn up her knee so bad she had to have a knee replacement. we called "erick' in the payment office and ask for a mortage modification. he informed us "they don't do that". we got behind because my wife a nurse could not work for 6 months after the knee replacement. united bilts lawyer mr gauldin in springfield mo. sent us letters threatening foreclosure. we couldn't keep up so we just walked away. we had no other options. we lost our dream home. lost our property to united-bilt. we did file for bankruptcy protection but couldn't keep up with those payments because neither of us could work for awhile. so our home is gone. we are slowly getting on our feet. God has been good to use overall. some lessons are hard to handle. one thing i've learned in all of this is be on site everyday and watch united bilt. the guy who built our house didn't even use the plans we agreed on the day we signed our contract with united bilt. we wasted a lot of time and much money on this house. the house cost $100K to build. we had to put in the floors, fireplace, and paint it ourselves. the first appraisal on the house was $89k. so we were under water the first day we walked in. on a final note one of the biggest hurdles we faced with united bilt was a man named bill duvall in tyler, tx. mr duvall tried to beat us out of the $600.00 clean up allowence that was agreed upon by everyone but "left out" of the contract by mistake. it was their mistake. after much heated conversation mr. duvall agreed to give us $520.00 for cleanup. mr. duvall was very difficult to deal with. he seemed to be a company man who was more like a used car salesman. mr. duvall finally got his wish and made it to shereveport to the corporate office. however i learned about 1 year ago mr. duvall passed away from cancer at the age of 60. i've prayed many times to God that if all of this was His will so be it. i've learned to accept what happened. sad thing is my kids grew up in that house. my grandson would come and stay with us there. and my 87 year old father died there. my wife and i took care of him for the last 4 years of his life. if that is the only purpose served by living there and going through all of the hassles with this company. then again so be it. these are not good people at united-bilt.

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daria_11
Jacksonville, US
Aug 17, 2021 11:16 am EDT

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AmyRW
, US
Dec 29, 2015 8:20 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My sister build with UBH against my advice. As a residential architect, I know quality. The first problem with the site prep. They moved the sandy earth around to create a building site and didn't pack it down properly. That's the first sign you'll have foundation issues in the future. No extra piers with a regular slab foundation (not post tension), and that house is bound to have structural issues coming. I took photos for future reference. My advice is to take pictures of EVERYTHING is you decide to use them. I also felt what you get for the price isn't reasonable. Most cost per square foot homes INCLUDE garages. That sq ft is thrown into the overall cost. But, with UBH, you don't get a garage. And most of the time, they talk you into not doing the painting or the flooring leaving you with an unfinished house to finish. There were also things unfinished in the house that should have been finished. I did modify one of their plans so it's a little different than their model. Here are the photos I took when I went out there throughout the stages: http://s85.photobucket.com/user/wilsonta1/library/GENTRY%20RESIDENCE

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robin taylor
, US
Dec 04, 2015 12:12 pm EST

For 6 months in April 2015, I had talked with UBH via phone and was repeatedly told that the 6 acres of land would suffice for D P as they were an in house financing company. I was further told that UBH would help clear and prepare the land for the home. Many emails were exchanged- but the week before physically meeting with UBH to work out the details, UBH sent me an email requesting that I bring 20-30 THOUSAND $ as a down payment. I called Eric (only name given) and asked he meant to say thousands instead of hundreds. His reply was yes as the 6 acres of land would not be enough to suffice for the down payment. Choice words and he said he had talked with Greg the main guy over UBH in Little Rock AR and he confirmed the amount. I thanked him for wasting 6 months of my time and I would not be doing business with UBH. I have like 10 emails that state over and over the land would suffice for the down payment. The next day, I received an email that proclaimed 100% financing with your land. I responded quickly...and reiterated my contempt for deceit. 12/15

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Stan_H
, US
Nov 28, 2015 10:54 am EST

My wife and I want to build a home in Sherman, TX. Based on the reviews and statements I am seeing here and elsewhere, I will definitely avoid UBH. I can understand a company having a few whiners here and there. In this case, there seems to be consistent issues with integrity and quality.

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BBB1234
, US
Oct 16, 2015 10:48 am EDT
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I guess my experience has been different in some ways and the same in others. As far as the quality of the build, I have no complaints. Materials were good and the home passed my home inspection that I purchased independent of the builder. From the standpoint of communication, I have to give UBH poor marks. We knew from the beginning that we would have some personal disruption as we were selling a house and building a house at the same time. Normally, this might not be a big issue. However, in 2015 we had record levels of rain and the building of our UBH home was delayed. That's where the challenges began. I just needed answers regarding timing. I needed to enroll my child in school, decide upon how long to store my property, and make arrangements for temporary lodging. Building materials would show up and my family would get excited at the progress just to come back two weeks later to find no work had been completed. If you don't mind waiting, you want no customization, and want to be completely hands off with the decisions regarding your home, UBH would be a good fit. As for me and my family we found it to be a very challenging time as we never had enough information to make decisions. While our home has been built to our expectations the build took longer than expected considering it is such a modest home. We were not kept informed through the various building stages as we were promised during the sales meeting. I won't say it was the worst experience of my life as others before my post have stated. I will say however, that the lack of communication added undo stress to my entire family. It just did not have to be that way.

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Brad Koonce
New Braunfels, US
Mar 09, 2015 3:48 pm EDT
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The absolute worst mistake I could have made was walking in to United Bilt Homes in Selma. I have been lied to from the beginning and they have destroyed my property. They will not return phone calls after you sign papers and give them your down payment. I agree with and have had a lot of the same problems as the people above. Wish I would have read reviews before I signed. I will be selling this home as soon as it is complete, if they can ever get the roof to stop leaking.

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curtm61
Killeen, US
Nov 01, 2014 11:01 pm EDT
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Hmmmmm, I just sat through a good hour of United Bilt youtube videos and thought, why dont I check some reviews. I do not trust contractors at all. When I was a kid, a carpenter was a man that enjoyed the same life as a doctor or another person of value in the community. But, these days you can bail out a contractor or find him face down at the local tavern. I have sent off for the pamphlet and other information they offer and I'll see what they have to say. On the other hand, I see a lot of reviews where the folks writing them, obviously don't have a clue what contract negotiations are all about. I can just see them, sitting at the table with a salesman, nodding their heads at everything he says, a stream of drool coming from the corner of their mouths and thinking all the while that there is no reason to suspect someone would take advantage of an idiot like me. 1ST THING, you are in charge, not them. Their contract doesnt mean jack ###, unless you agree. Try bringing your own contract and see how far that gets you. If a contractor doesnt intend to do even the most basic of good, sound construction work, then you'll know right off whats going to happen.
Do your homework people!

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sherry balcom
Ganado, US
Sep 30, 2014 12:48 pm EDT

I agree with bakegirl In AR. Not a good idea to use this company. They charge too much for square foot and they don't complete the home on time. We're almost finished with our home and paid cash. We still have a lot of interior work and tie inns to do but yet paid a small fortune because we were In a hurry due to being homeless from a previous fire. Our building materials were left outside in the weather for 2 months before building began. Buyer beware, slow, poor quality, weak mgn. And too much money.

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Aggravated in AR
Mountain Home, US
Aug 20, 2014 1:17 pm EDT

Do any of you folks know how to write? Please try using a paragraph or 2. It’s hard enough to wade through your drivel without a break.

I’m trying to decide whether to use this builder and you all are making it near impossible to read your comments.

Thank you

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bakergirl
, US
Jun 17, 2014 3:36 pm EDT
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Just moved into our home about a month ago. Although we have not had major issues with our home yet... I would not recommend United Bilt to anyone for a home. The materials sat outside for over a month before construction began. This includes windows, doors, lumber... everything. They covered the lumber but the tarps blew off and we were constantly out at the land having to pick up and replace tarps Boards in the middle of the piles began to mildew and show black spots. We were also not informed in any of our conversations or meetings with UBH that we would be responsible for digging and installing our own water line from the meter to the home including our own cutoff valve. We also were not informed that you would have to trench our own electrical line from the transformer box to the meter on the home either. So, we had to rent a trencher, we paid over 1000.00 in electrical wire, PVC, Pex piping, and plumbing supplies in order to get this done and we did it all ourselves. NEVER have I heard of a builder not including this in your build. If you expect to get flooring, a driveway, septic, or painting done then you will be very disappointed to learn that these things are also not part of the "basic construction" of the home. These things are considered "allowances" and you are only given so much in allowance money depending on what your home cost to build. We were only able to afford a driveway and septic system with our allowance money because we knew these would be the 2 most expensive things out of pocket. This left us painting the ENTIRE home ourselves, as a painter wanted 7-8, 000 dollars. We ended up purchasing all of our paint and supplies for about 3000.00 but after spending 3 weeks of our time spackling holes, sanding, staining cabinets, painting walls, trim, doors... by the time we were moving in, I almost hated the house. Then we had to take out a Lowes credit card in order to have flooring installed and even with some of the cheaper options, it still cost us almost 7000.00. Before we signed the authorization to build, one of our biggest concerns was mortgage insurance as we had an experience previously with this that almost caused us to go into foreclosure and we wanted to be sure that this wouldn't be an issue with this home. Over and over again the salesperson and the manager assured us that the home would have no trouble appraising where it needed to in order to avoid the PMI. They kept telling us that they had rarely seen a home not appraise for what it needed to. Just found out a few weeks ago, that we will indeed be paying PMI to the tune of about 250.00 extra per month. Perhaps I should not have been so gullible, but you are trying to trust they are doing what is best by you. There is a home going up next to ours with another builder and the difference in product quality and build is definitely noticeable. We chose UBH because we knew we could not afford to pay another builder a construction loan while the home was being built as required by most builders. UBH did not require this so that did help, but with all of the money we have had to spend after the home has been constructed and with what our monthly payments ended up being, we would have been better off to go with a builder that would have given us a turnkey job.

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BrokenVet
Billings, US
Nov 23, 2013 12:28 am EST

United Bilt Complaint
Oct 2007 – Went to United Bilt to look into having a home built on our property. Gave financial information to apply for the loan through United Bilt Homes – Spouse approx. 1200 per month; I was attending Police Academy through VA Voc Rehab program (approx. 800 per month). Also in National Guard drilling status (approx. 375 per month) and receiving 20% VA disability compensation. House and land was used as collateral for the loan and new house would be built on the same property. They told us that they would finance the house for 1 year and then we would need to find our own mortgage loan at a traditional lender. They said they would continue to finance the home, but the interest rate would increase.
We were told that everything was included in the purchase/building of the home, but we would have to pay to have the utilities connected. Were told that the house would have the sewer, water and electric “stubbed out” for connection.
Nov 2007 – Approved for loan and construction would begin. During the permit stages, we were told that they couldn’t get the property separated into 2 plots due to time/cost constraints not included in Mortgage. Monthly payments of $1500 for the new house and the old house w/property.
Didn’t know that we would be responsible to have the utilities from the city ran to the “stubbed out” connections and ended up using all of our savings of 6500 dollars to have the services connected. We paid 3500 dollars to have the electric meter installed on the outside of the house and to have the electric ran underground to the meter. 900 dollars for the city clay sewer connection and another 1500 to have the road dug up and water lines run to the new water meter.
Our old house was in such a shape that we couldn’t rent it out and United Bilt told us that if we wanted to sell the old house we would need to hire someone to survey the property to have it turned into a mini subdivision, a cost we couldn’t afford.
I completed the Law Enforcement Academy in late Nov and eventually got hired onto a Police Department. I started in January 2008. I was able to stay with the Police Department long enough to finish training, but we had fallen behind on our 1500 per month mortgage. I quit the police department and went back to my old job so I could make more money. It was just too late to get caught up.
On the first day that we were late on our mortgage payment, we received a call from the United Bilt Home office asking for payment. We told them that we couldn’t pay at the time, but could pay later in the month. We eventually got to a point where we couldn’t make ends meet and we couldn’t afford the mortgage payment(s). Every day that we didn’t make a payment United Bilt Homes would call us asking for payment. Every single day. We had even asked not to be called, but they continued.
Eventually, they sent a salesman from the office in Springfield to talk to us about our payments/history. We explained why we were behind but were unable to work anything out. We talked to the phone representative the next time she called to try to work out a refinance or something to help us get caught up, but they wouldn’t work with us on it.
Finally we were at the end of our ropes and were considering foreclosure. Not the best route, but we really couldn’t do anything financially to get caught up. United Bilt had sent a representative to the house and he talked to us about signing both of our homes and the property over to them in lieu of foreclosure. They told us that it would look better on our credit if we transferred the deed in lieu of foreclosure. We didn’t really know that wasn’t entirely true. Within an hour, United Bilt had the secretary/office manager at our house with documents. She was also a Notary Public and notarized all documents. They were nice enough to give us until Jan 2009 to move out of the home, but we lost everything…both houses and the property. Due to the money we had to put into building this house and the 1500 dollar a month mortgage payments, we fell behind on other bills as well.
I’m not saying this is entirely United Bilt’s fault, but when we saw all of the controversy on the National Mortgage Settlement we realized that we had been taken advantage of. They financed us based on my temporary school income and knew I was a student in the Police Academy. We never should have been approved for this mortgage. We are to a point now where our credit is so screwed up we can’t even buy a house. I have been deployed and saved money while I was gone to help buy a home….still can’t do it.
Are there any other programs or any course of action that my family can take to fix this situation? I have reviewed the National Mortgage Settlement website and find it hard to believe that there isn’t any type of relief for people who didn’t have their mortgage through one of the 5 major companies. There has to be something that we can do to get our credit restored to what it was before we built the house. I believe this was predatory lending and would like to see the value of the house and property we lost ($56, 000) returned to us.

I believe my wife and I were subjects of predatory lending. We had to forfeit our home and property deed in lieu of foreclosure in Jan 2009. We just gave up. 

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Butch Good
Killeen, US
Sep 17, 2013 7:33 am EDT

Another bad experience story here. My daughter wanted a house on my property. We hired United to build a little ranch house. She could have bought a 2 story home with property all ready built for less. We incurred the cost because her hart was sent on have a home next to mine. They delivered material very quickly. But then the material including doors and windows sat out in the elements for 2 months. When the started building the home the framers had a hard time with the warped and weathered lumber. They got the joists set and had to tear the entire house down to the ground. They blamed the framing crew for the sub standard work. Said they fired them and brought in a new crew. After this the project management was a joke. One trade would come in to work, finish, 2 weeks later another trade would come in. slow, slow, slow. Now here's the topper. they scheduled the plumber to come in today to hook up the water. Their project manager called my daughter and asked if the ditch had been dug for the water line. As I pulled in to my house after work yesterday, guess what I saw. My Family Digging The Ditch! Their PM told my daughter it is the homeowners responsibility to dig this ditch. Well we all know that's bull ###. I've been in the construction business all my life. The only reason I did not contract this house myself is that I to busy building commercial buildings for my company. With my hindsight I would have made the time. Anyone thinking about hiring these clowns...Don't Do It. Especially the Round Rock branch.

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dkjackson3
Fischer, US
Sep 10, 2013 1:08 pm EDT
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Really sad. Has a house built by them in 1994 in central Texas. Customized home and was great. Never one problem. Just now having to put on new roof. No problems with foundation, wall, etc. I was think of having them build another home for me but guess will have to check more. The company must have changed hands.

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BRiddles
Ardmore, US
Jul 29, 2013 10:02 pm EDT

Wow! We just called them this week about building a home for us. Thank goodness I found these reviews! Thanks so much to all who took the time to write a review. You saved us from a nightmare!

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MS Ft Worth
Fort Worth, US
Jul 07, 2013 3:15 pm EDT

07/07/2013-We were really considering using UBH to build our house on the 40 acres that we are closing on this coming Thursday. We visited their office just to look at the models and also received some pictures of homes with the floor plans that peaked our interest and met our needs. We then decided on the house/floor plan and were going to set up appointment to get the cost and other financing guidelines etc... However, I wanted to do my research and get the pros and cons of this particular company. Some of the negatives were old (2004). Was trying to be objective but then we found more recent complaints. I'm sure some of the issues are lack of communication between homeowner and builder; however there seem to be many regarding poor workmanship and quality. So unfortunately we probably won't be taking this avenue and will continue to shop around for a homebuilder that is closer to the area of our new property.

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Amerilla
Pierce City, US
Apr 04, 2013 4:29 pm EDT

I completely agree with the complaints. We are a young couple who worked full time and wanted to be close to my husbands farms so we chose to built. I thought by going with UBH I had someone speaking for me since their company's reputation Was on the line. I was naïve about building and construction work. The project manager and his hired contractors understood this as well. They understood how to get the house by within their warranty period. Now we are having to replace our windows, James Hardy siding and having to do repairs throughout the house. Do not believe the lies. I have pictures if you would like to see what could happen after just a few years of having a UBH.

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tvelazqu
Princeton, US
Mar 15, 2013 5:00 pm EDT
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I've spent the last 2 weeks trying to build a home from the Sherman office, the salesman, doesn't show up for appointments, doesn't even call and its now going to be week 3 and not sure if they are even going to build the home because can't get the lousy salesman to response without complaining. The Lancaster office was so rude when I called for pricing and how they handle the 6 month no payments, is that before or after they break ground? When you close, so is that before or after you break ground. We don't have the funds to build our own home or we would not have tried to work with them. Worse customer service to deal with, better yet no customer service. To show up 4 hours late, yawn through the interview and not have any back up or paperwork to go thru is horrific. After reading this I think we will forget about building a house. Very bad start and can only image it getting worse. Also because of lack of service missed out on the $5k bonus to upgrade on house. To bad Jim Walters went out of business, every other company only builds the shell and you have to pay cash up front.

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Allen mckee
Wickes, US
Feb 21, 2013 3:07 pm EST

I would not recommend Ubh to build anything, have no pride in there work, my sheetrock is terrible u can see lines and blemish's everywhere, they sent another crew in and sanded it off and made a mess, sprayed mud on everything and left it. wished i knew the name of the first crew that screwed everything up so i could tell ya'll, because they suck, all i no is that there from arkadelphia, they ruint my house, and i have to live with it! because Ubh of texarkana(Tim) is not going to fix it right, havent even herd from him since! Im telling anyone whos building a new home, do not use Ubh of texarkana!

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UBH sucks
Little rock, US
Dec 11, 2012 6:07 pm EST

I would never recommend United Built Homes to anyone! We have lived in our home for 6 weeks now and their is already mild growing by our windows due to the cheap windows they put in. They condensate so bad that their are putters of water we have to soak up with a rag everyday! They say its because get built such a quality house that all the condensation goes to the window? That's what the air is supposed to do suck in the air and the condensation goes out in a drain that goes outside, right beside your air unit. Awful business with people who don't care about you or your family. I have a 9 week old baby who has to breath in this mold!

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United-Bilt_homes_watcher
Purmela, US
Oct 14, 2011 1:18 am EDT

One thing consistent about United-Bilt Homes is the lying. They don't know when to stop especially when they are being recorded on video.

mc12, note the information you have provided is not accurate. You claim there were only 12 complaints regarding United-Bilt Homes in the last 7 years.
Per the BBB that accredited United-Bilt Homes as of 10/13/2011 they have had 25 complaints filed withing the last 3 years. I'm positive that there are even more in years 4 through 7 that have dropped off the BBB report since the BBB only goes back 3 years instead of 7.

Source: http://www.bbb.org/arkansas/business-reviews/home-builders/united-bilt-homes-in-springdale-ar-10039

United-Bilt Homes lied to us when their Regional Construction Manager entered into a verbal agreement to resolve the Major Structural Issues. He even said they would have to destroy the house to fix it. However, the response they filed with the Better Business Bureau on 5/13/2011: "During my visit I did not say that we were going to tear out drywall and repair. I said that we would repair any areas that were not within performance standards and I wanted to seek advice of the correct way to measure the bows in the drywall. I returned on 4/20/11 and measured the drywall against performance standards and found no areas that were out of the agreed standard. The most bow that was measured was 3/16 inch."

Don't take my word for it that he lied. Watch the YouTube video of this verbal contract at the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA-PJ8Vc-tQ

We have concerns about their honesty regarding the Completion Statement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIfCgRoj5OI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0jUwUsuzQI

The house is not wired to the local applicable code:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkO8kpKr_jE

Electric coop identifies multiple NEC / IRC code violations with wiring of house built by United-Bilt Homes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85HXxff2TIw

Additional video regarding United-Bilt Homes may be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BBBandBadBuilder#p/u

I would strongly recommend watching the above videos before even thinking about having United-Bilt Homes build you a structure.

I have posted the above videos on YouTube to prevent others from being ripped off by United-Bilt Homes like we and others have been.

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Emily I.
, US
Oct 08, 2019 6:02 am EDT

Can you please email me? I’d like to speak to you about a similar situation.
Estauffer@ymail.com

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mark cover
Little Rock, US
Sep 15, 2011 6:54 pm EDT
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i have a united built home 3 years old. and everything i read about united is true, lies, very poor workmanship, and the higher up will side with the local office and if they get someone in sales trying to do a good job and the rite thing by the customer. they fire them, because its going to cut into their profit. i have major issues with my house. wireing spliced, foundation problems, sideing they used the wrong nails and now they are backing out. cracking on sheetrock joints. i wouldn't tell anyone to use united built as their contractor.

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BBBandBadBuilder
, US
Jun 19, 2011 2:29 pm EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA-PJ8Vc-tQ&feature=related

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4mackster
Dayton, US
May 30, 2011 10:52 pm EDT
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Sound like the person making the comment works for United-Bilt Homes. I have had the same expierence that the person making the complaint had! We signed the "Contract" on December 4, 2010 and now is June 1, 2011 and the house is not even close to being finish. We have heard the same lies! The best advise I can give someone about signing the "Contract" is have an attorney read over it and advise! If it's in the "Contract" it will not happen.

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mc12
Tyler, US
Apr 25, 2011 8:45 pm EDT

this person didnt finish their part of the contract and now that their payment is due they are fishing for free stuff. By the way Jim Walters IS out of business. United Bilt builds roughly 400 houses a year and in the last 7 years only has about 12 complaints. 2800 houses, 12 complaints. Sounds pretty good to me. Some people just like to cry.

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Teresa S. Rogers
, US
Jul 18, 2020 1:28 pm EDT
Replying to comment of mc12

My family and I have had nothing but issues with United Built Homes(UBH). In our opinion, anyone who does any future business with this company is extremely foolish. If issues come up and they most likely will, UBH will not accept any responsibility and you will get screwed in the end. Of course, that is only our opinion. We are willing to share our nightmarish story with you and then you will absolutely understand why we have such a negative opinion of this unscrupulous company.

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Tim Baldy
, US
Aug 01, 2020 12:55 pm EDT
Replying to comment of mc12

WOW... this sounds like the same script we got from UBH Project Manager named Paul. Maybe they are handed cards with comments and phrases they need to use every time someone points out an issue or has a complaint. The line about building 400 homes a year and only had 12 complaints is the same blah blah blah they told me on numerous occasions; as if that's supposed to make me feel better about the issues I have. They have ZERO customer service skills and do not know how to politely help resolver an issue. They would rather demean and talk down to a customer because it makes them feel in charge and ensures the customer will not get what he is asking for. These guys would never last in a business that relies on real customer service. Can you imagine if you went to a hotel and complained to the front desk that you don't have warm water in the shower and the answer was 'we have about 400 customers a week and only 12 complained'. But unfortunately, having heard that line more than once from UBH representatives makes me wonder if their entire customer service training is based on defending their piss poor actions and making the customer feel like they are wrong to complain.

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Dylan Bowsher
perrin, US
Feb 28, 2023 11:13 am EST
Replying to comment of mc12

Sounds like your a paid employee of ubh. They are doing the exact same thing 23 years later.

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Kristi Bunnell Wenzel
, US
Mar 01, 2023 12:30 pm EST

We have also had many issues that still have not been resolved. We will go to their arbitration but will file a lawsuit and are hoping for a class action lawsuit to include many people they have wronged with their inability to be the custom builder they claim to be. They are a sorry excuse for a builder. We are making our complete list of issues from the beginning to take them to task. Please contact me if you wish.