When the house was purchased my wife and I opted to buy the 5 year craftsmanship warranty to cover any physical problems with the home itself. Immediately after the house was finished with construction it was noticed that the front door had a 1 inch gap in the screen door and the security door had a 1/2 inch gap. We called to have the issue resolved and the technician that came out said that in order to fix the problem the entire house would have to be releveled to correct the one door but would then screw up the rest of the doors in the house. The other alternative was to rehang the entire door and he wasn't going to do it.
After a year had gone by in the house we noticed that the house was beginning to settle and had requested that the home be checked for level. The technicians came out and said the home was still level despite the fact that there were indications from within the house contrary to that statement. There were gaps in the seam where the two halves of the house were joined, doors were no longer closing and latching shut, windows were no longer opening with ease as they did when we first moved in, and the porches were no longer level to the stoop.
After complaining to deaf ears to palm harbor where we purchased the house and getting no response we finally decided to give the house back and risk forclosure. The house was no longer livable, it was a death trap to try and get into and out of the house on porches that were seperating from the house. Also when we can no longer close the door and count on it to latch properly, it was a risk that someone could easily walk right into our home at night and murder us in our sleep. The deadbolt was no longer lined up with the door jam so we couldn't lock the front door at all.
Another issue that was never solved was that the hot water was always a dingy sort of yellow-orange in color from the time we moved into the house. The techs said it was due to the sediment that was likely in the lines when the house was installed. I drained the heater at least once a month for the first several months but the color never disappeared. It was most prevalent when the hot water began to get low in capacity within the heater.
Upon our vacating of the property a few other issues were coming to a head. The septic tank was no longer pumping as it should, but we could not get through to the septic company to renew our contract after it expired at the end of the second year so we were unable to get it serviced. The system was an aerobic and the sprinkler system was no longer functioning as it should have at the end. Also the plumbing was beginning to back up into the house.
In the second bathroom the bathtub never drained correctly as it always took well over an hour for the tub to drain when the plug was pulled. The sink seemed to have a similar dislike to emptying. This was a trait that was apparent from the very start and never was remedied. We complained on several occassions and nothing was ever done about it.
Having signed a 5 year warranty for the house and not getting any repairs made in accordance to that warranty makes me think that palm harbor is selling lip service rather than customer service. I strongly recommend NEVER purchasing a home through this company for any reason unless you are equipped to do the job yourself.
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