Cottages to Castles, Inc.

Called and spoke with a sales associate which requested we send information. We did as requested and never received a response, even after I followed up.nnI saw the response and find it disappointing. Our communications date back more than a mont ago which is well before the COVID spike. I would have thought during the initial conversations we would have been told of the backlog and response time.

We offer this posting as a warning to new potential clients of Cottages to Castles. Here’s what my family has experienced after Brian, the owner of Cottages to Castles, completed our home 5 years ago:nnBrian is a great salesman and a personable man, but he is no “builder.” Brian can sell you a home built by Stratford Homes, and can even beat out the price of building with other area home builders. The problem is that Brian cannot finish the homes once Stratford delivers them to the home site. Here’s what we were left with after our home was “completed.”nnSagging floors - Not one support under the center of the home was actually supporting the floor! So we had to have jack posts installed to properly raise our brand new floors.nnLeaking roof - Brian’s “roofer” nailed on the joint seams all over causing a leaking roof. Doesn’t qualify under warranty and the insurance company wouldn’t cover it, because the roof failed due to improper installation. Our roofing contractor couldn't believe how bad the roof was installed.nnDeck problems - Brian’s crew couldn’t flash the deck properly to a house, leading to another source of leaking. And who builds a deck flush with the front door threshold in snow country?! More money spent fixing “builder” errors.nnPerhaps the biggest slap in the face building with Brian, is that he doesn’t stand behind his finished product, or his crew’s mistakes.nnA builder stands behind his finished product, and acknowledges and fixes his mistakes.nnThis was a dream of ours to build a home in the Northwoods, but our dream became a nightmare.nnREGARDING COTTAGES TO CASTLES’ RESPONSE TO MY FIRST REVIEW:nnThanks for your PC response to my first review. I truly wish you would have posted what you just texted me so people could see how you truly treat your clients!nnActually Brian, I reached out to you twice in the last year while dealing with the roof and entry problems, and you never returned my call or text message. I also made sure to save those messages in case you had difficulty recalling it (as you seem to now).nnFunny how quickly you responded to my review. I wish you would have responded as quickly to my requests for your assistance with the problems at my house.nnI also have to address your response about warranty claims. Unlike you, I actually checked with the roofing manufacturer, door manufacturer and Stratford Homes. Manufacturer’s warranties apply to product failure, NOT YOUR BUILDER’S FAILURES TO PROPERLY INSTALL THE PRODUCTS!nnLastly, why would I ever trust you to fix my house, when you couldn’t get it right the first time?nnI truly felt bad posting a negative review, but that feeling passed after receiving your text message response to my review. Your responses have solidified that it was the right decision.

Actually, I have a signed bid in my hand. We never accepted the bid, but we did have a bid for building from this business.

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