Huber Construction

I signed the design contract with Team Huber May 1st. and furnished them with a pdf document that contained our specific house plans with the understanding of working those plans into a format that was acceptable to the village. In order to finalize this permit set of drawings, we needed to decide some final details and this would be combined with the topographical survey and presented as a package with “hard numbers and was to include everything from pulling permits, city review charges, breaking ground costs, to final clean up and walk through, including materials, labor and project management services. “ My involvement was to make a $5000 payment and attend some meetings to work out the many variables and then after this process we would enter into the Construction Contract. Soon after joining Team Huber my wife and I realized that the communication network of doing business here seemed to be broken and reported our specific complaint which was minimized and shrugged off. We attended another meeting asking for status and whether our project was going to fall within budget at which time we received a hastily assembled outline with categories and prices that was $100K or 40% over budget and told that it will all come together once the results of the survey are in.
An invoice showed up for architect services that were NOT consistent with our project as changes were made to the plans that we already liked and approved of, without our involvement, knowledge or consent. Then we got an invoice for the survey that did finally come about and expected the master plan to soon come together, but it did not follow, the momentum stalled. Here it is after 5 months and we still have not so much as seen the permit set of drawings, Team Huber is insisting we pay the additional invoices before they release the master plan package.
I had no idea the initial planning and the work of obtaining a permit set of drawings and coming up with a budget would be costing more money and could be so elusive. I dread the thought of building with this contractor as I was expecting to receive something in exchange for my deposit at the signing of the design contract, yet it is being withheld on the premise that the 5K was spent already with the architect. I do not contest the direct cost of the topographical survey but have protested the architects freedom of expression translating into an overcharge. The contactors defense may be feasible on the surface but it is not professional and dubious if true. Team Huber did not honor the terms of their Design Contract with us or handle our objections very well in the process so for this reason I recommend you shop around.