jeffer from Woodstock

I had Thomasfield design and build a new home for my family in 2013. As a starting point they had a selection of designs to choose from, with the option of modifying anything for only the cost of the modification in time and materials (no additional fee). We made a few relatively minor changes to the floor plan, which included a fair increase in cost due to the scope of the changes requested. Overall the basic floor plan was well done, and we are pleased with the end result. Where the design is flawed is in our kitchen. We worked with their kitchen designer, who created a gorgeous layout for us to review. We didn't realize the island would come out as large as it did however, and as such we now have a very narrow dining area. This is one of those things I would have appreciated more input from the design staff as that's something that is really hard to change now that we're in the house. The kitchen upgrades were also extremely expensive. It seemed as though the items we removed were deducted from the overall cost of the home at cost (mark-up remained) and the new items were added with the mark-up again. Any time I questioned how much I have to spend on the kitchen, or what things removed cost I got the run-around. The kitchen designer did provide a detailed summary of what was added, but nothing about was removed. The electrical and plumbing upgrades were well-done. The contractors called me and set up a time to be at the home to review what we wanted and where. I added a number of outlets and pot-lights which were a little pricey, but look amazing (highly recommend everyone do pot lights in the great room with a dimmer switch). There were a few minor issues with the electrical upgrades, but they were resolved quickly once pointed out. Looking back I should have done the lighting differently, and this is where a good designer should be stepping to make recommendations. We have a big, three-bulb hanging fixture over our island that anyone over 6’ tall smashes their head off of when walking by – It’s too big for the island, but we didn’t have that support to point out that this light isn’t a good fit for that location. The plumbing upgrades were again quite expensive, but we were able to substitute some things with fixtures we purchased on our own which helped with the cost. The plumbing contractor (Zegg Plumbing) was extremely proficient, and I've even used them professionally at work since the house was completed. The A/V installer was painful to work with. He did give me some good pointers about whole-home audio and even persuaded me away from buying the system (which I do appreciate). They did a good job installing all the cable outlets I requested, which was probably a much higher number than most people would install. My issue with them was with my wall-mount TV tubes. I asked him to run conduit behind the wall with 90's on both ends connecting to a wall cover. He wouldn't install the 90's, but didn't tell me this until AFTER the drywall was up. As such, I've now had to break the vapor barrier on the outside wall in my great room to run cables up to the TV - not exactly a good idea. The maintenance crew at the home tore the drywall around the tube out to verify it was there, but didn’t install the 90’s still. I’ll just do it myself later and it’ll be done right – which isn’t how it should be when I’m paying someone else to do it. Outside of that his work looks sloppy and unprofessional, which given the cost of the home is disappointing to say the least. The drywall installers were amazing and you’d be hard pressed to find any flaws in the drywall. The painters were equally amazing and left all the half cans of paint at the house for touch-ups. The flooring guys did a great job. The few grout flaws were corrected within a few months of being in the house. The hardwood floor looked amazing, and the carpet was well laid as well. The major issue I have with Thomasfield is getting things dealt with in a timely fashion after having moved into the house. We moved in October, it’s now July and I still don’t have a proper grade or sod – one of my window wells floods with water every downpour (no water in the basement yet). I reported a window cracked in February, have yet to get it replaced. My neighbors have told me similar stories of having to hound them for weeks or months to get anything done. The build contract is set up to favor Thomasfield, with anything that could remotely be “seasonal” given a full year after occupancy to resolve. The rate we’re going with the sod I’m going to get mid-August sod and have a brown lawn by Labor Day.