Comments and Notes:
2007-12-10 [anonymous customer complaint]
[anonymous customer complaint regarding roofing. Note, no additional anonymous complaints will be posted here. If you have additional different complaints to add please provide a name and phone number. Thank you. --Ed.] --guest
2007-10-23 great home builder [anonymous poster]
I love the home I had Casas Bonitas built for me. The "extras" that were included in the price make the home really special. Casas Bonitas was very easy and professional to deal with. " --guest
2007-09-04 Excellent Builder
I live in the same sub division as the people who have made the negative comments. Let me tell you that these people have nothing good to say about anyone or anything; they complain about everything and are not happy people. My home is beautiful and I had an excellent relationship with Casas Bonitas. I have done a lot of research regarding my home, and I know I could not have purchased as nice or as well built a home for the same price in Tucson. Also, if you look on the registar of contractors page, you will see yourself that the complainers are not telling the truth. --guest
2007-06-02 Terrible Experience
Dealing with this builder has been a terrible experience: constant harassment, repeated threats, and no respect for someone who is using your money to build YOUR home. There have to be more responsible builders who really want to provide quality service with a more professiona attitude. --casa1bldr
2007-05-29
As a past employee of casas bonitas I would like to point out a couple of things about the comments listed here by one person. I was responsible for seeing that this house was built correctly, I challenge anyone to find a comparably built house at a price 50% more than this person paid. Also the lies about being threatened or bullied are not true as I was the one directly in charge of this contract and am witness to the fact that if this person did not get something for nothing they would cry foul or attempt to get what they wanted by lying about anything that might get them their way. This person has also attempted to get their way thru a lawyer, who told them to give it up and thru the registrar of contractors, who also told them there was nothing wrong. Now this, maybe they should tell the public that the builder offered to buy back the home prior to them moving in if they were not happy with it and they would have no part of that, as they know what kind of value they got. The driveway is alright, its the driver thats from hell. If this person is so knowledgeable about construction why have the builder build the house." --guest
2007-05-29 REALITY
DOES THE PERSON WRITING ALL THESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS BUILDER, EXPECT ANYBODY TO BELIEVE SHE THOUGHT THIS WAS A CUSTOM HOME WHEN IT WAS ONE OF 40 IDENTICAL HOMES BUILT IN THE SUB DIVISION. IF THIS IS THE CASE I ASSUME SHE BELIEVES SHE DRIVES A LINCOLN BECAUSE SHE BOUGHT THE PLYMOUTH FROM A LINCOLN DEALER." --guest
2007-05-01 Exploding Plumbing and Death Ride Driveway
Alex Ross, owner of Casas Bonitas, will promise anything to get a signed contract then, blame every problem or delay on the subcontractors or the city. Although the contract says everything must be written, Alex Ross is careful to answer you only with spoken words. Use a tape recorder if you have any conversations with him, his son, or his building superintendents.
What to expect:
Lies, threats, bullying!
If you complain to Alex Ross, you get retaliatory construction delays. Delays cause extra banking fees to extend the construction loan!
If you suggest a solution to one of his screw-ups, you get invoiced for a change order.
You will be told that talking to a subcontractor is a contract violation and not allowed.
The city of Tucson is blamed for permitting delays when, in fact, they issued my building permit in 4 days. Alex Ross did not apply for my permit until 8 months after I signed a contract with him – all the while I’m paying interest on a construction loan.
Unqualified subcontractors:
Prepare for plumbing that explodes, leaks, or isn’t connected to any main pipes in the house or to the sewer; sinks that come unglued after a week.
Prepare for electrical wiring that is connected improperly, switches that aren’t there, light fixtures installed upside down.
Prepare for squatters and subcontractors living in your unfinished home (sanctioned by Alex Ross) and a screaming match when you ask to have your house locked or watchmen posted to prevent the theft of all your appliances.
Prepare for trainees to do the remedial work on your punch list after your house is supposedly completed. They do as much damage as they repair, for example, paint on your new drapes and screens.
I performed due diligence before signing my contract and only one complaint was on file with the AZ Registrar of Contractors on Casas Bonitas for a 12 month construction delay. My 6 page complaint is now on file with them, and I hope anyone considering Casas Bonitas and Alex Ross as a builder will read it. It barely skims the surface of problems with this house. Yesterday, I went to a Tucson City Council meeting and asked to have my driveway and walk condemned and petitioned the city to pass legislation requiring permits of safety and usability for driveways and walkways. My house is 4 months old and I have been able to get the car in the garage once – and it was a lay rubber, death ride. Casas Bonitas has refused to make any repairs.
I withheld a final payment of $2600 until the driveway is fixed and Alex Ross refuses to perform any warranty work until I release it.
Last week, he ordered the plumbing subcontractors out of my house when they came to repair a major leak from the master bath that damaged the ceiling of the room below. I had been out of town for the Easter holiday so I didn’t cause this leaking. Now, I live with plastic bags protecting the ceiling fan and saw cuts in the ceiling. The Registrar of Contractors says not to get another plumber in to make repairs.
I was told by Alex Ross’ son I was not part of this subdivision so Casas Bonitas would not paint or plaster the street side of my walls according to the site plan. I have been paying HOA fees for the entire 2 plus years it took to build this house.
This has been a most stressful and expensive experience!
" --guest
2007-05-01 Custom Home Builder? Not!
Alex and Michael Ross call themselves “custom” home builders, yet they whine and grumble when a client asks them to make a change from their standard “custom” design. (If it’s standard, it isn’t custom or even semi-custom.) They say the changes can’t be made because of city/county codes, yet city/county codes in no way prohibit the requested changes. (I checked.) They say that requested changes are what caused them to take two years to build my little, tiny house. Are they “custom” home builders or not? It doesn’t take a lot of skill to add or delete a window to or from a wall. It does, however, take some PLANNING—a word with which these two characters are unfamiliar—to install plumbing BEFORE a slab is poured or to schedule the painters to show up AFTER the drywall has been finished and not before or to hook up the sewer lift station BEFORE the client takes occupancy and not after the house has been flooded with sewage." --guest
2007-05-01 Ditto
After a 12-month delay on starting our home, we couldn’t get Alex Ross’s attention until AFTER we’d hired an attorney. Even then, he requested that our realtor not bother him with our concerns about construction delays and even ignored our attorney until the Registrar of Contractors threatened to suspend his license." --guest
2007-04-29 Disreputable Builder
This builder, also doing business as Good Realty Group and Casas Bonitas Development, failed to perform to his contractual obligations. For months, building on my house didn't progress. It took him nearly two years to complete the structure. Even then, plumbing drains weren't connected, which resulted in damage to my house. He billed for change orders that weren't requested and when questioned about them, issued threats against me. He hired inexperienced "day laborers" to do work that only qualified professionals should do. [....] He built approximately 30 homes in this development, and every one of the owners has had issues with Mr. Ross, his building standards, his failure to perform, and his lacke of experience. Beware!" --guest
2007-04-17 Terrible Experience
Dealing with this builder has been a terrible experience; constant harassment, repeated threats, and no respect for someone who is using your money to build YOUR home. There have to be more responsible builders who really want to provide quality service with a more professional attitude." --guest
Information above is from a privately purchased database and/or unverified user submissions. Please verify all information before depending on it for anything critical. We welcome corrections!