Mr. Cartret,
We have been able to research your complaint and have found that Mr. Westbrooks did apparently misrepresent himself to obtain permits for construction activities at 2610 Oleander Drive.
In response we have taken two courses of action. First, we immediately voided the permit for construction obtained by Mr. Westbrooks. A new permit will need to be obtained to continue with this project. This should not be difficult.By copy of this email, I would ask that you work with Mr. Roberts, our supervisor for Code Enforcement Services. He is familiar with your situation and will be happy to assist you so that you are not unnecessarily delayed. He may be reached at 910-798-7103.
The second action we have taken was to turn Mr. Westbrooks in to the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors for violation of the general contracting laws of the State of North Carolina. I have attached the letter that we sent to the State Investigator, Mr. Joel Macon, for your records. You may contact Mr. Macon at 910-458-8899.
As you move forward with any action in this matter we will be available to assist you with data and testimony to support you. Please don't hesitate to contact us.
Best regards,
Jonathan B. Graham, III, AIA
NHC Director of Inspections
230 Government Center Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 798-7172 Phone
(910) 279-5359 CellMark Cartret
739 Washington Street
Whiteville, North Carolina 28472
(910) 642-1116/Fax (910) 642-1079
[email protected]
May 26
New Hanover County
Code Enforcement Services
230 Market Place Drive, Suite 110
Wilmington, North Carolina 28403
Re: 2610 Oleander Drive, Matt Westbrooks and Alan Shuping
To Whom It May Concern:
As a cover letter to the enclosed affidavit, it should be noted that once I began to question the permits and work that was going on, other questionable bills started to flow in. For example, almost 9 months after the installation of the cabinets, I have discovered that the original contractor's estimate was disregarded. It was for $5350.instead of utilizing the $5350 estimate which is enclosed, Matt Westbrooks chose to go with the "Cabinet Gallery" which charged a much higher amount of $16,876.86."Wanda" attempting to collect the so-called "remainder" of this alleged debt after nearly 9 months openly stated to me via a telephone conversation that Mr. Westbrooks and her boss (the owner of the Cabinet Gallery) were in fact close friends. There were other issues involving Lomax Builders who eventually obtained a $14,000 lien against the property. Letters from me attempting to get copies of the contract between Carolina Southern Homes, LLC and Lomax Builders have all but gone unanswered. Lomax Builders is the contractor that Alan Shuping and Matt Westbrooks originally brought in and used throughout the duration of the project. I have documents showing where Lomax Builders was paid in the tens of thousands of dollars at 2610 Oleander. Towards the end of the project, Matt Westbrooks alleged that there were problems with certain jobs that were done by Lomax not being done to code. When I attempted to get a more detailed explanation and spoke with Lomax, a labor lien arrived with their final billing, which was in dispute. I subsequently received an "anonymous" phone call that said if I attempted to question any more bills or if I attempted to contact the Inspections Department, there would be so many judgments that I would never be able to sell this property. Despite the threat, I unquestionably elected to do what was right.
If Carolina Southern Homes, LLC and its partners had complied with the New Hanover County Zoning requirements and the North Carolina building code by obtaining a proper permit pursuant to N.C.G.S. 87-13 and 14, I would not have been placed in the position that I am today. An investment conveyed to me at over 4000 square feet turned out to be just over 2600 square feet. This same property was shown by Mr. Westbrooks to be 3300 square feet in his application to the New Hanover County Inspections office.incidentally Mr. Westbrooks, a banker, also signed that he was the "home owner" and attested that he had intentions of living at 2610 Oleander. He further went on to claim that the total amount of renovations would not exceed $30000. I have attached documents given to me by Mr. Westbrooks that clearly prove he intended otherwise. Everything that Mr. Westbrooks stated in his application for a permit to renovate 2610 was in fact a blatant lie.
At this point I do not know if this matter was the result of an incompetent general contractor and his "unlicensed" partner or if I have been wronged by a criminal enterprise that conspired to beat me out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The end results I believe, unfortunately feel the same.
Sincerely,
Mark
Whiteville, North Carolina
U.S.A.
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