Log Home dream... turns into nightmare...
turns into a new vision!
by Carrie Knoblett
(Williamsport, Indiana)
Starting our dream home
My husband and I had wanted to build our Dream Log home for the last 10 years. We had found a design/plan that we liked and modified into our perfect home through Amerlink - In The Woods
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We researched the company and found only good reviews about them so we started our construction loan 7/25/08 and made a down payment of $30,000+ for all the materials ($27,592.00) and also included $2,417.80 as a deposit for the construction labor costs.
The materials were to be delivered on 9/10/08 at which time we would pay the remaining scheduled payments for the labor as it was completed to be weathertite. Then we would have our own local carpenters finish the home.
Getting concerned
September 10th came and went, we contacted Amerlink concerning the delivery timeline for the materials and were told that there was a slight problem with the vendors, but that we would be back on schedule soon.
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Meanwhile we had already completed the construction of the walkout basement and were ready for the construction of our home to begin before any bad winter weather was to set in here in Indiana.
We were continually told that our materials would be arriving the next week and would be starting our construction A.S.A.P. This continued until we started seeing complaints on the internet from other Amerlink customers awaiting their materials as well.
We were able to speak with a rep from Amerlink for the last time on 12/3/08 and he said for us not to worry that the company had the finances available for our material order and that he would have a definite answer for us regarding our delivery date on the next Monday 12/8/08.
Of course when we called back on 12/8/08 we were told that our rep was no longer employed there and we received a voice message on our home answering machine stating that Amerlink had closed their doors and that no one would be available to help us.
From bad to worse
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Per our signed agreement with Amerlink, they were to have contacted us in writing if our materials were not going to be shipped according the delivery time given to us and that we would be entitled to a full refund otherwise.
Double mortgage
We never received anything in writing from Amerlink only told lies over the phone every time we contacted them. It was wintertime, our basement was sitting out in the exposed weather and our construction was at a stand still. Meanwhile we were paying an extra $560 a month to cover the interest payments on our construction loan, with only a set of blue prints to show for our money, that's on top of our current mortgage that we would not have now if our home had been completed as promised.
As of April 21, 2009 we are now paying $790 extra per month and the only documentation that we have received is a few notices that Amerlink had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2009 and that we now are required to send in proof of the $30,000+ owed to us.
Back to square one
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We began construction on our own in Jan. 2009.
Due to the set back it is now 8 months later and we are still paying for two homes -- the one we reside in and our new log home under construction -- trying to complete the log home so that we can finally move in and sell our present one, meanwhile working with a budget that has a $30,000 deficit.
We were contacted last week by our previous rep at Amerlink, stating that the company had received a substantial loan and wanted to know if we were ready to receive the materials and start construction on our home. I could not believe that they actually thought that we were just going to give up and not start construction ourselves, since they had been 8+ months late in satisfying our contract.
We just want our deposit returned in full to us so that we can finish our Dream home as originally planned.
We have not heard anything from Amerlink or the bankruptcy court in N.C. regarding our deposit refund and can only hope and pray that they will do the right thing in the end.
Making sacrifices
Due to the $30,000 deficit in our budget, I will probably have to give up several finishing touches that I had planned for our home like the beautiful Australian Cypress and Brazilian Koa flooring, Copper sinks, old fashioned pull chain toilet in the master bath and the log style pool table in the game room for my husband.
We will try to keep these by completing more of the labor ourselves though, this is our one and only Dream home and we want to complete it as close to our vision as possible.
On a positive note, we are continuing to complete the home ourselves, the house is weathertite and the basement and upstairs walls are ready for
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They are turning out beautifully, and really not hard to make at all.
On the home stretch!
We hope to be finished & moved in by July/Aug. 2009. Our Dream Log home has definitely been an experience so far, but it is coming together beautifully and we have loved helping in the process.
Keep your fingers crossed for us... hopefully we will get our deposit back and everything will work out in the end. I have a few pics now and will forward finished pics later this year.
Our best to all of you,
Sincerely,
Michael & Carrie Knoblett
Williamsport, Indiana
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