Keystone Custom Homes
reviews and complaints

Update on property in Ivy Ridge after 1 Year.
Yard took thousands of dollars to fix Keystones lousy preparation and landscaping. Yard had huge water problems prior to building and was pointed out to keystone who said not to worry grass will fix it. They did not fix the problem other than garbage fixes that did little to fix the problems. With 3 stories of homes above us where did they expect the water to run off too? Swale lines were never done correctly and than used as excuses when a fence and pool were installed even though the water was running in the same exact place as it was prior to building. Only after I installed a 10x10 pit with rocks did this problem get fixed. The whole line of homes on my side of the street have the same water runoff problems and keystone will not address the issue. Plenty of excuses. Fact is land was never developed properly for the hill runoff from the homes above. Keystone is well aware of it as so many homeowner's are affected. Keystones District/Regional overall manager was no help at all in fixing this problem, made excuse after excuse and was arrogant at times. Fact is again that Keystone has sold homes here with land water problems and refuses to address the issues except to blame the homeowners. Interesting that there are 10 homeowners that complain about the same issues and have been left to fix Keystones lousy and improperly developed land.
Advice on Yard: Do your own if you can get a good price on the home. Don't plan on good landscaping unless you love weeds, rocks, and allot of water problems.
HOUSE:
Here the problems were much less. Keystone built a well built and constructed Home. At the one year point I have had only very minor problems, namely some minor caulking do to settling. I am Happy with the House. One problem that I did have was the garage floor which had about 30 sections in it that chipped off from the surface cement. Obviously poorly prepared cement work. Keystone did patch these spots in a timely manor, though the garage floor does look like a patchwork quilt now. I painted and epoxied the floor and it looks better. The local overall home warranty manager has handled house repairs in a timely manner.
Overall Advice:
Keystone seems to build good homes. Options are expensive and very limited. Design Galley is the only place that you can select from and does not have much in selection and you are forced to use them. Stay as far away from the landscaping as possible and make sure you check the yard after rain prior to closing. Do not believe in landscaping promises if you have problems after closing, get it fixed before closing.
One other comment:
Certain sale program was wonderful for us and worked very well. Look at all options, and get any promises in writing.

We are in the process of getting out of contract... we were told that we could get out until they started digging.. well that was a lie.. they were to have our house built by March and nothing yet... so I have requested to sign release papers.. I was told by the woman who sold us the house she would send it over.. then she called me and threatened that they were gonna build my house wether I liked it or not ... so I told her I didn't want it to release it ... after waiting a week with nothing I contacted her and she contacted my agent and told her she didn't understand me but would get it over.. well its been a month now so I contacted the man in charge of the releases now they are threatening me they said if I will sign the release they will keep the money I put down and still possibly come after me... the stress they have caused me since the first of the year is now causing me health issues and they don't seem to care... I have called several times and emailed several times to resolve this and never hear from them... who wants to purchase a house from people who will lie to you and not even care

Keystone built my home in 2015 June, Home had drainage problems from day one. Keystone knew about the water problems in the yard prior to starting building and did absolutely nothing except to make excuses improper drainage for various puddling in the yard which was all clay and rocks. No decent topsoil was brought in in the yard was mud and weeds. Talking to the regional manager who incidentally was an arrogant person accomplished nothing but more excuses. Beware because Keystone landscaping personnel are terrible in their landscaping is just a big rip off as is there landscaping warranty. Do anything to the yard and they will tell you that you changed the swell lines even though there was a river running in the backyard prior to building. Stay away from Keystone as they are arrogant and lie to you.

does anyone have info and how they feel about the IVY Ridge community. How Is Keystone doing with building there? Any complaints with the homes they are building? Service afterwards?

New to the area/being relocated. Thinking of buying in the Stonehenge Reserve community. Anyone live there or have any newer feedback on the builder? We were also looking into Charter Homes, but understand they have had many lawsuits against them too! Need help!

need a car to go back to school

We are in negotiations with Keystone at Sweetbrier Creek in Manheim, PA. Has anyone had an experience at this community? They seem to paint a good picture so far, but after reading all these comments, I'm really second guessing myself. Throwing up a 3, 200 sq. ft. house in 49 days seems a bit too fast but they keep saying that the price is so low for what you get and all the comparables cost much more other places than what they charge. Any info on this community?

We bought a Keystone Custom home in 2011, and our house has been falling apart ever since. Our shingles blew off, water in our basement (we purchased the foundation liner), creaks in floors, pipes leaking, and an improperly installed gas fireplace. I would never recommend Keystone to anyone! Poor quality for sure!

As a warning to future homebuyers, Keystone is being sued by an entire
development:

Hopewell Ridge homeowners file lawsuit against developer and homebuilder

 18 Sep 12:44, Published by ACL, Categories:  In Print News

http://www.chestercounty.com/2013/09/18/hopewell-ridge-homeowners-file-lawsuit-against-developer-and-homebuilder
By Steven Hoffman

Staff Writer

Twenty-three homeowners in the Hopewell Ridge community in East
Nottingham Township have filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District
Court against the developer and homebuilder of the 29-lot subdivision
as long-simmering sewage issues continue to be unresolved more than
five years after residents started moving into the homes.

The defendants named in the filing include the developer, Wilmer and
Joyce Hostetter, and builder, Keystone Custom Homes, as well as Willow
Creek Holdings, LLC., which is a subsidiary of Keystone Custom Homes.

The plaintiffs are all represented by the law firm of Feldman Shepherd
Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock & Dodig, LLP.

Keystone Custom Homes entered into an agreement with Hostetter to buy
lots in Hopewell Ridge and then sell the lots with homes built on
them. All the plaintiffs except for one are original purchasers of the
homes in Hopewell Ridge. The one plaintiff who is not an original
purchaser bought the home from the original purchaser.

When the community was being planned, the Hostetters prepared a Sewage
Planning Narrative that stated that all lots will be serviced by
on-lot sewage disposal and water wells.

The lawsuit asserts that Hostetter and Keystone Custom Homes “had long
been aware that serious issues existed with the feasibility of using
on-lot sewage systems and private on-lot wells.”

According to the filing, “The Sewage Planning Narrative further noted
that 20 of the 29 lots in Hopewell Ridge were unsuitable for standard
septic systems due to groundwater nitrogen plume migration off-site
and that a workable solution proposes the use of individual on-lot
nitrogen control treatment systems on these 20 lots.”

Instead of standard septic systems, the developer or homebuilder
proposed using individual on-lot nitrogen control treatment systems
called MicroSepTec EnviroServer wastewater treatment systems on 20
lots.

The homeowners contend that the nitrogen control treatment systems
have not worked. High levels of nitrates in drinking water pose
various health risks, including being a contributing factor to
methemoglobinemia, also known as blue baby syndrome, a condition that
children under the age of six months can be susceptible to. The
lawsuit notes that pregnant women, adults with reduced stomach
acidity, and people deficient in the enzyme that changes methemoglobin
back to normal hemoglobin are all susceptible to nitrate-induced
methemoglobinemia. Prolonged intake of high levels of nitrates is also
linked to gastric problems. Nitrates are tasteless, colorless, and
odorless compounds and can't be detected unless the water is
chemically analyzed.

The Sewage Planning Narrative further states that the EnviroServer
technology had not been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) for nitrogen control, and consequently
an Experimental Water Quality Management Part II permit would be
needed, as well as another backup alternative if the systems failed.

According to the lawsuit, the Hostetters reached an installation and
maintenance agreement for on-lot sewage disposal systems with East
Nottingham Township in October of 2005. It was noted at that time that
the Chester County Health Department required Hostetter “to maintain
repair and replace the system in perpetuity, at their sole cost and
expense, in good and adequate condition and repair, so that the system
functions at all times hereafter in accordance with its intended
purpose and in accordance with the regulations of the {DEP and Chester
County Health Department}.”

The DEP subsequently approved a revision to the Township Official
Sewage Facilities Plan regarding the Hopewell Ridge community, and the
state agency noted at the time that “The DEP considers the
EnviroServer to be experimental technology for this use. Therefore, a
conventional backup sewage disposal method is required. The department
acknowledges that the subdivision will be connected to public sewage
facilities tributary to the Oxford Area Sewer Authority, in the event
the experiment is deemed a failure.”

According to the lawsuit, on or about March 2007, the Hostetters began
conveying the lots in Hopewell Ridge to Willow Creek, LLC. Willow
Creek acted as a seller of the homes to third parties. The Public
Offering Statement filed by Hostetter did not disclose either the
existence or the role of Willow Creek, LLC, and did not mention the
entity at all.

In April of 2008, representatives from the Department of Environmental
Protection conducted an inspection of the Hopewell Ridge sewage
systems. During this inspection, several areas of concern were
identified, according to the lawsuit. They included the following:

“Several of the systems showed evidence of erosion problems resulting
in soil deposits around treatment unit risers and across drain
fields.”

“There was unauthorized access to the treatment units and several of
the lids were secured on the treatment unit risers with standard
screws allowing unauthorized access.”

“To date, the DEP has not received any sampling results from the
functioning units. However, it was learned that five of the units that
are operational have reverse osmosis units on the house water supply.
The units appeared to be unexpected and have the complicating effect
of removing the alkalinity from the water. Alkalinity is essential to
allow the treatment process to occur properly.”

Then, on July 23, 2009, the DEP notified Hostetter that they had
received the influent and effluent sampling data associated with the
EnviroServer units in the Hopewell Ridge Subdivision and, according to
the data, the EnviroServers were not consistently meeting the effluent
limit of 10 milligrams per liter.

According to the lawsuit, prior to closing on their homes, the
plaintiffs were told that the EnviroServers were “state-of-the-art, ”
“green, ” and “no maintenance.” At or just prior to the pre-closing
walk-through on the homes, many plaintiffs discovered an additional
faucet in their kitchens and were told by Keystone employees that it
was a “free upgrade” for filtered water.

In truth, the additional faucet in the kitchen was actually a reverse
osmosis system required by the Chester County Health Department due to
elevated nitrate levels in the well water. These elevated nitrate
levels in the water were not disclosed to the plaintiffs, the lawsuit
contends.

Furthermore, the plaintiffs were not told that the experimental
EnviroServers were required in an attempt to reduce nitrate levels or
that there were inadequate funds for a backup system for public sewer
and water in place.

On Feb. 28, 2012, the DEP sent correspondence to Hostetter and the
township advising that it received a report indicating that the
EnviroServers had demonstrated continued non-compliance with the
nitrogen limit contained in the sewage permit and, as required by the
Special Conditions in the permit, public sewers must be extended to
serve the residences in Hopewell Ridge.

The lawsuit notes that there is no connection to public water or sewer
systems readily available for Hopewell Ridge, and that homeowners
depend on well water. The cost to connect the plaintiffs' homes to
public sewers and water is believed to be in excess of $10 million.
The township does not have enough money held in escrow to pay for the
cost of getting public sewers and water to Hopewell Ridge.

The lawsuit says that “The defendants knew no later than 2008 that the
EnviroServers were not performing as required by the Sewage Permit.
Despite this knowledge, the defendants caused declarant control to be
turned over to the Homeowners Association of Hopewell Ridge, and the
executive board of the homeowners association—comprised of Keystone
Custom Homes employees—resigned, effectively leaving the residents of
Hopewell Ridge with drinking water that has elevated nitrates. There
are no properly functioning septic systems, no access to public water
and sewer systems, and insufficient funding held in escrow to connect
to public water and sewer systems. Without being connected to public
water and sewer systems, residents can't sell their homes, and the
home values have fallen.

“As a direct and proximate result of the defendants' conduct as
described throughout this complaint, the plaintiffs have suffered the
diminution in value of their homes, the loss of marketability of their
homes, and expenses related to high nitrates in their water, including
adding maintenance costs in order to achieve functioning septic
systems, and plaintiffs will continue to incur damages indefinitely
into the future.”

The Hopewell Ridge community is now known as Wyndham Creek. In August,
the East Nottingham Township Board of Supervisors approved a
feasibility study to look at possible options to address the
unresolved sewage and water issues in the Wyndham Creek community. One
resident responded that a feasibility study at this point is too
little, too late. The lawsuit was filed a few weeks later.

@ I love keystone, is this the Angelsea community?