Do you know what is better than Christmas? You don’t? Well, I will tell you.

(Drum roll, please.)

A NEW FRICKIN DRIVEWAY!

Richmond American is FINALLY fixing our gravel pit!

The other day I was told that I was mean. For about twenty seconds, this bothered me. Then I realized there are some real advantages to being a beeyotch. If you don’t believe me, check out urban dictionary, where it defines beeyotch as “a term of affection or an insult.” Personally, I am going to go with the affection definition.

So, all of my neighbors that are getting brand new driveways due to my meanness- you can call me a beeyotch whenever you like, and I will take it as a compliment.

I was talking to a coworker today, and he said that I am not a true beeyotch, but I can strategically pull the beeyotch card. I really liked this. That conversation was the seed that grew into the following:

Top 3 Reasons to be a Beeyotch

1. You get what you want- most of the time. If you don’t get what you want, step it up.

2. When you are called this word, it is actually a compliment- like when Lindsey Lohan uses it on the guy she likes in “Mean Girls.” So, if someone calls you a beeyotch, really they are saying they have a huge crush on you.

3. Corporations take you seriously. Aren’t I right, Richmond American?

Dear Richmond American,

I was full of accolades for you a couple months ago, but now I am left wondering what happened.

When you were getting bad press and negative social media coverage you were my best friends. Now your silence is deafening.

My driveway still looks like a gravel pit. No matter how many flowers I plant in my yard, the focal point is still my crumbling driveway. I was told you were going to fix the driveways in the spring, but I haven’t heard another word since.

I forgot to mention that my outdoor water faucets are so loose, I think they are going to break completely off and my garage door sensors have never worked during the summers. I guess I forgot these items because it was winter when we did the walk through.

Also, my back porch has not been painted and the fireplace was not finished.

Where are you Poli Peters? Did you forget about me?

Signed,

Abandoned and Confused

Related posts: ABC4 Frickin Reporting on Richmond American, Frickin Richmond American Taking Accountability, Frickin Richmond American, Mending Their Ways?, Richmond American, Frickin Criminals, Frickin Richmond American

Well, here we go! Below is the investigative report by Kelli O’Hara with ABC4.

In Richmond’s defense (who knew I would ever start a sentence that way!) the following items have now been fixed:

- Insulation. Apparently there was insulation between the garage and our floor, but there was a large portion of the attic above our master bedroom with ZERO insulation. Richmond American took care of this problem yesterday. Below is a picture of the contractor blowing in the needed insulation. (Thank you!) They also increased the amount of insulation (brought it up to code) above the entire 2nd floor. I am excited to report that our home was so warm last night! We didn’t even need the space heater in our room. WOW, What a difference!

- Garage ceiling. The drywall on our garage ceiling has been replaced, so there are no obvious signs of water damage from our leaky roof, now. Yes!

Today we are expecting:

- Fireplace repair
- Window seal repair
- Back porch repair
- Laundry room repair

UPDATE:  2:00 p.m.

What an amazing day! Our window seals have been repaired. Apparently there was an issue with a lack of weather stripping. (Read Richmond’s response to our leaking window request three years ago. They have a very different attitude now.) Richmond American went the extra mile and inspected/repaired every window in our home -not just the three we mentioned earlier. NICE WORK!

The fireplace was serviced, as well. There is no more plastic covering our fireplace, and I don’t feel a breeze anymore. They are also going the extra mile on our fireplace and are going to add insulation up in our eaves where there are some unintended vents. (Richmond, feel free to correct me if I explained that incorrectly.)

Our back porch is as good as new. It no longer sags. I don’t believe this item was mentioned earlier on the blog, but it was a safety concern. They replaced the steps and the support system, and even offered to paint it.

Finally, I have a normal laundry room! My washer and dryer both fit in the room comfortably now. In addition to having a professional contractor work on the vent, Kevin Jensen personally addressed this issue and worked some additional magic. End result- the problem was rectified and it looks fantastic. Thank you!

The only item left to be fixed is our driveway. I am pleased to report that Richmond American is going to fix every RA driveway in our neighborhood that is spalling. (Attention neighbors–  submit the request immediately. They are measuring the driveways next week.) Way to go the distance, Richmond! I am no longer hopeful; I am ecstatic and appreciative. Poli and Kevin, you two are frickin awesome. Thank you.

Good news!

I just got a call from Kelli O’Hara at ABC4. The story on Richmond American will air tonight at 10:00 p.m. Mountain Time. I am so appreciative to utahscams.com for making this happen. If you are aware of a scam in Utah, submit it to utahscams. It was this action that brought us the press of ABC4, and the attention of Richmond American.

Great news!

Richmond American is following through on their promises. Right now, Superior Insulation is busy insulating our home. They found a large portion of our attic (above our master bedroom) that did not have any insulation at all. Apparently there was no access to the attic above our room, so when the home was insulated, this entire space was neglected. Also, the rest of the attic was not at code, so they blew-in insulation to rectify the issue.

I was going through some old emails, and found correspondence from my husband to Richmond American over three years ago regarding the temperature of our home:

From:	Tim Gilson (timothygilson@hotmail.com)
Sent:	Wed 1/17/07 9:32 PM
To:	XXXX.XXXX@mdch.com

Thank you for your response.  I understand your explanation on the windows,
however, I feel that the cold air coming in through a couple of them is more
than a small amount.  I've lived in several houses, apartments, and condos;
new and old, and this is the first house where I've had to set my thermostat
at 78 just to keep the house at 68.  As you can imagine, it's taking a toll
on the gas bill.  On three of the windows (1 in the kitchen and 2 in the
master bedroom), you can place your hand in front of the window and feel the
cold air streaming in.  More particularly on windy days of course, but also
when there is no wind.  In any case, we'd appreciate you checking it out for
us.  The best time to stop by would be on Thursday morning around 8:30am or
Saturday (if you work on Saturday's?) in the mornings.  Let me know what
would work best for you.  If you cannot make it either of these times, let
me know and we can arrange our schedule.

Thanks again!

(Below is the email from Richmond American to Tim)

It is an expected finding to feel a small amount of around the windows.  The
windows have weep seals built into the frame to permit any condensation
build up to exit to the outside of the house.  The weep seals also allow a
small amount of air in and out.  Single hung and vent windows are sealed
with a dual felt and rubber seal.  The felt seal cannot keep out 100% of the
air, but is necessary to permit opening and closing of the window.

I will have to come and take a look.  Let me know when you are available.

--XXXXX

At the time, we did not know we had an insulation problem- we just knew our house was BEYOND cold and our windows were leaky. It is interesting to me that neither issue was ever addressed by Richmond. Our windows still leak (leaking is probably an understatement. The wind BLOWS through.) Instead of getting results, we received an email telling us why we shouldn’t be concerned. Absolutely ridiculous, if you ask me. It wasn’t until we had our insulation evaluated by SunRoc (about a year later) that we found it was significantly below code.

My question is, was it a policy for Richmond to ignore or dismiss warranty requests at that time?

What is their policy now? Poli Peters is delivering on his promises to us. Will he deliver to other home owners?

A bigger question may be related to Eagle Mountain City. How did our home even pass inspection?

As a reminder, if you have outstanding warranty issues, submit a request on their website, and reference frickinmom.com. AND- tune in tonight for the ABC4 Richmond American Investigation at 10:00 p.m. It should be really interesting (and you get to see my smiling face. What is better than that?)

ALSO- they are measuring driveways between now and March 12. If your driveway needs replacing, contact Richmond American ASAP so you can be included in this group of repairs. To submit warranty issues, go to RichmondAmerican.com/homecare, and submit a customer service request, or call 801-743-7440. The Home Care Specialist for our division is Kevin Jensen. You can also ask for Poli Peters, who is the Director of Construction for Richmond American Homes. Again, for some extra leverage, be sure to mention that you were referred by frickinmom.com.

So, it is hard being the amazing star that I am, but I will try to not let it go to my head. The paparazzi, the interviews, my phone ringing off the hook, the fans…

OK, so maybe it isn’t that hard.

In all reality, we are making some serious headway exposing Richmond American. Kelli O’Hara and her producer spent over two hours with us last night. I have to tell you, if you need to rant, nothing beats being given a microphone, camera and undivided attention. I could have gone on for hours and hours. Wait a minute, I did.

I gave them a tour of my home and pointed out all the construction and installation problems. After they were done with my house, they interviewed a number of my neighbors, and then visited another development in Lehi. The crazy thing is, every single Richmond American house they knocked on had considerable issues.

Kelli called me tonight. The ABC4 Investigative Team is planning on flying to Denver (Richmond American headquarters) early next week. They have found hundreds of lawsuits filed by unhappy homeowners. I conducted a quick search myself and found lawsuits in multiple states regarding plumbing, driveway concrete, radon, and mold.

Really Richmond American? Really? Frickin criminals!