Suggested Questions for the Builder

Here are some suggested questions for you to ask the builder before you sign a contract for a new home to be built on Eric Shaefer Way....

• Q: Tell me the number of outstanding punch list items for Phase I purchasers at the time that the builder turned over responsibility for remediation to BB&T (the seller of those lots). 
• Follow-up Q:  How long did the builder know about those items before the turn-over to BB&T?  How many have been outstanding for more than one year since the owner's closing?
• Q: Please tell me the number of Phase I homes that have experienced in-home water incursions, whether from upper floor bathrooms to living areas below, from a burst pipe through drywall, from decks into sunrooms and/or exterior walls; whether due to sump pump malfunction, faulty gutters, faulty plumbing fixtures, improperly installed windows and/or doors, ground water inundation, or Acts of God?
• Follow-Up Q:  How many of these water incursion issues remain unresolved?
• Follow-Up Q2: How many of these issues required the replacement of substantially all of an owner's wood flooring on the floor where there was water incursion?
• Follow-Up Q3: Did any homes require this replacement more than once?
• Q: How many Phase I owners currently have damaged wood flooring in their homes, whether from improper installation or poor product quality?
•  Q: How many Phase I owners have currently or have had in the past issues with standing water in their yards?  
• F-U Q: How many have had or are in the process of seeking private contractors to install landscaping and functioning drainage due to the length of time that their yards are/were unusable due to unresolved standing water issues?
• Q: Can the builder show me current architectural drawings, to scale, for the new homes?  
• F-U Q: Can he provide me with a timeline for the process by which plans were submitted to and approved by the city?  
• F-U Q2: Were those permits sought/obtained before or after the current construction began in January 2013?
• F-U Q3: Can the builder provide me with some level of comfort regarding the engineering soundness of the excavation and foundations on Eric Shaefer Way, which are adjacent to a small tributary of the Jones Falls and include an additional walk-out basement level that has not previously been built in any Overlook home?
• F-U Q4: Has the architect completed plans for the new 4-level model, which were not complete at the time that the Baltimore City Planning Commission approved the 4-level model in a "minor PUD amendment" on March, 21, 2013?
• Q: Has the builder ever answered a question about the 1-foot difference between the planned length and width of a foundation, and the actual size of a built room, with an explanation that the plans reflected the exterior dimensions of the room?
• F-U Q: Do any of the Overlook homes actually have 1-foot thick walls?
• F-U Q2: If so, is this for defensive purposes?  Can I get a moat? [refer to earlier question regarding standing water]
• Q: What number of trees/plantings that are part of the currently approved PUD landscaping plans did Phase I purchasers actually have planted in their yards?
• F-U Q: If not all as planned, why not? 
• F-U Q2:  How many of the plantings/trees included in the current landscaping plan can  I expect to have planted in my yard? 
• Q: Did the builder attend a neighborhood meeting in order to address the substantial objections of his neighbors regarding the height and scale of the new homes planned for Eric Shaefer Way?
• F-U Q: Was a compromise reached on those issues?
• F-U Q2:  Did the builder bring his lawyer to that meeting?
• F-U Q3:  Did any of the other neighbors bring their lawyer(s) to that meeting?
• F-U Q4:  Will I need a lawyer to come to neighborhood meetings with me if I buy a house in this neighborhood?
• F-U Q5:  How about social events?  Is my lawyer expected/welcome at those as well?