Quote:
Originally Posted by canabiz
Story in Ottawa Citizen now. On my phone so can't copy & paste easily.
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Ottawa condos' developer vows to remedy every 'deficiency,' as owners complain
Hugh Adami, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: May 11, 2015, Last Updated: May 11, 2015 4:37 PM EDT
Arvind Sharma and David Orr (front right) with a group of Gotham condo owners in Ottawa who say they're frustrated with the build quality and delays of the expensive units they purchased.
Besieged by complaints from customers who purchased units in the $100-million Gotham condominium highrise at Lyon and Gloucester streets, Lamb Development Corp. is promising action on “every single, solitary deficiency” brought to the company’s attention.
But Brad Lamb, principal owner of the Toronto-based company, disputes owners’ suggestions that deficiencies and defects in units are “quality” issues and so numerous that pre-delivery inspections and occupancy should have been delayed.
Lamb says what needs to be repaired or replaced are typical defects in work and materials found in every new home, and that the average number of work orders per unit at Gotham is about 20 — “which is pretty good.”
The Public Citizen spoke to various owners after David Orr, who purchased a $457,000 two-bedroom unit with parking, contacted the newspaper last month with his complaints. He says he has been in contact with more than 20 owners like him who were surprised at the number of defects when they recently did pre-delivery inspections of their units and then were even more surprised when city inspectors approved occupancy.
The city says occupancy is permitted “provided the completed construction meets the minimum occupancy requirements as set out in the (Ontario Building Code). … (Occupancy) does not certify or warrant the quality of work or workmanship.”
Orr questioned whether Lamb Development rushed to get occupancy for as many units as it could in order to secure the monthly fees from owners.
In Orr’s case, that’s almost $1,900, including condo fees, taxes and rent (the latter until the project is complete and Gotham falls under the authority of a condo corporation). As of last week, there were only three floors of the 240-unit, 17-storey highrise that were entirely vacant.
The owners say not only are they disappointed with problems in their units and the failure to address the issues quickly, they have been frustrated over the past several months by the company’s cancelling and rescheduling pre-delivery inspections and anticipated occupancy dates at what owners say was the last minute.
One couple, who does not want to be identified, said they expected to be in their $611,000 penthouse last December.
They sold and moved out of their home and planned to stay in a hotel for a couple of weeks while they awaited occupancy. They are still living in a hotel suite, despite being promised occupancy several times over the past few months. Their new date to take possession is Wednesday, even though what is supposed to be their bathroom was still an empty shell Friday, and their flooring had not yet been installed. Their hotel costs are already well over the $7,500 limit that Ontario’s new home buyer warranty will cover.
Owners have a wide range of complaints:
- Scratched wood floors. In Orr’s case, his floors are not only scratched, there are noticeable gaps between the edge of the flooring and walls. Owners also complain of uneven or spongy floors;
- Damaged kitchen and bathroom cabinets. In the case of Byung Park and another owner, Mark Doucet, there was so little clearance between the bottom of the main kitchen cabinet and the island sink that their cabinets were removed. They say they were told that the problem was a design flaw and that a new cabinet could not be installed elsewhere in their kitchens. Both owners, who plan to rent their units, say they were told to come up with solutions;
- Missing doors in bedrooms, closets and dens;
- Awkward access to some balconies as patio doors open on the wrong side;
- Poor paint and drywall work;
- Significant gaps between drywall and windows/doors simply addressed with caulking;
- Subpar tile work in bathrooms;
- Appliances damaged, missing or not hooked up. In some units, washers and dryers were parked in the living room. Arvind Sharma’s stove was not connected to gas, and his clothes washer and dryer had not been delivered, which meant he lost a couple of prospective tenants at the beginning of April;
- Construction debris not cleaned up, although Moe Shirazi says at least that’s his biggest complaint.
Lamb says owners have really only been frustrated by “scheduling problems” for the company to do repairs. He blames that on some construction delays that began hampering the project last September. But he acknowledges the company communicated poorly with owners, which only aggravated the situation.
Lamb says work at the building was proceeding fairly smoothly until Gotham’s plumbing contractor announced it was filing for bankruptcy. That alone added a month’s delay to the building’s construction schedule, he says.
Lamb says the project was also slowed by two contracting firms he eventually fired. He says they got way behind in their work, causing a domino effect in delays for other contractors waiting in line. In turn, affected contractors put work orders on the back burner so they could concentrate on unfinished units.
He says there were also problems with two or three suppliers.
Lamb was in Ottawa last Wednesday and said he had plans to inspect every unit at Gotham — whether it was occupied, empty, not sold or still under construction. He promises every complaint will be addressed by the end of June by a team of four company employees who have been sent to Ottawa to help tackle scores of work orders. He also says owners will receive credits on their monthly occupancy fees if they went any time without appliances, hot water or natural gas.
By the end of June, when common areas are expected to be completed, Lamb predicts most owners will be delighted with their purchase.
“From the standpoint of quality, this building stands out as one of the best buildings I have ever done … if you compare this building to any other condo in the city, you’ll be blown away by the quality.”
Is something bothering you? Please contact:
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http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/developer-of-anticipated-gotham-condo-building
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. But we've already had people over (for the hockey game last Sunday) and really, all we have are a few items left to receive as mentioned above and the balcony space to work on (we have a plan and we're heading to the patio store probably Thursday).
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