We bought a home from Sarefa Ltd in February of 2014. There were a few issues we had after moving in that when informed, they were quick to repair such as frozen water pipes in laundry area (it was missing some insulation and vapour barrier) and exterior flashing that came off after strong winds. They were very quick to respond and had the problems fixed within a few days. Where our troubles began was with 2 issues of water accumulation in the basement. During backfilling of one of the window wells the weeping tile drain was knocked down and it was not backfilled with rocks to allow proper drainage. During the spring melt we had a large flood in the basement around this window well. It took some convincing, since the one year warranty had lapsed, but Sarefa did agree to pay for the cost of the repair (hydrovac and refill with rocks) since this was a problem that was obviously present before we had taken possession of the home. Unfortunately we've also had moisture accumulation around some floor plates in the basement. At first they thought it was due to the basement windows not being sealed and then they asked us to get a dehumidifier for the basement, both of which did not fix the problem. They tried a 3rd time to fix it by pouring new cement on top of existing cement and re-leveling, which also did not fix the problem. We ourselves brought in 2 structural engineers to assess the problem. Both agreed that it was not an issue that was against current code, but was also not a normal problem to have in a new basement. One engineer even stated that the moisture would eventually rot the floor plate if not properly repaired. Sarefa has been unwilling to cover the cost of a proper repair stating that the one year warranty had lapsed, despite the fact that we first brought the problem to their attention well within the first year and none of their solutions fixed the problem. The rest of the house had a few minor things that we didn't bother to bring to their attention (we understand no house is ever 100% perfect, new or old) but, all in all, the rest of the home has beautiful finishes and appears to be built quite well. It is in my opinion that a newly built basement should be at the level where it is ready for development, and unfortunately we've had to delay development for a year and a half while waiting for a proper repair of the defect. I feel Sarefa Ltd is being unreasonable in refusing to pay for the repair of the area where moisture has been collecting since we first moved in.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $473,500.00