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Although the units are finished nicely and look OK, the buildings are of poor quality with poor insulation (for sound and heat/cold) and the mechanical components are poorly installed and of questionable quality. Java/Tartan Homes often does not answer their phones or return calls. Expect a run-around if you need anything done. Often there is nobody in their offices on Friday afternoons. I was once told that the entire staff went to a golf tournament and that's why no one would answer my requests for a service call. There isn't anything about these condos that could make up for the headaches and disappointment of living here. I will never again live in or purchase any building from Tartan Homes.

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Java Condo

Java Condo - Tartan Homes...total disappointment with the workmanship and after sales service. Entrance doors had to be replaced due to ice/condensation on the interior in cold weather. Ongoing problem with condensation/frost build-up on bottom of HVAC unit. Roof leaks in several units.

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WE LOVE OUR TARTAN ASPEN MODEL

Tartan was great. The sales staff and front line service reps were terrific to work with. They helped make the whole experinece fun and stress free. I found the departments all worked together to make sure we were happy in our new ASPEN home! We would definatly purchase another Tartan Home.

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Tartan Homes After Sales Service is Deplorable

9 months ago we took possession of our semi-detached home. We did the Pre Delivery Inspection and found quite a few "workmanship issues" IE things not being painted properly, scratches on floors, etc. When we moved in and inspected the house about 50 % of the items we listed were fixed, to top it all off two days after we are in the house the ensuite shower drain on the second floor is leaking into the kitchen light fixture! Plumber called, fixes original plumbers mistake on installing the drain and the rest of the items we noted go on the 30 day report to Tarion. Then our Customer Service nightmare began! They schedule an appointment for them to go over our list (first day off work required). All goes fine, they say that all the items on the list will be fixed and they will call to arrange a date. The date arrives for the trades to come in and fix all their respective items, half of them show on the date arranged the remainder don't show at all (a scheduling mistake I was told). Of the one's that showed half were ready to repair the issues they were sent for, one the garage door company came and looked that the door and said "yup, needs to be replaced" and drove off!! Total time off work required for to repair most (not all ) the 30 day list - 4 days! A few months go by and we find ourselves back in the "scheduling nightmare" when the ensuite shower drain leaks yet again! This time it is a really big mess, developed holes in the kitchen ceiling. Turns out when they get a plumber in to look at it that the original plumber who screwed up the drain installation didn't stop there, he just didn't glue any of the pipe joints to the drain either! The plumber's comment went like this " I'm surprised it lasted this long!!". Call customer service to find out how many days it is going to take to repair and am told two for the drywall and one for painting, total 4 more days! So we get the drywallers and stipplers in to do their thing and I book a day for the painters. Customer service department gives me a day and time, my wife takes the day off work and no one shows! She calls to find out where the painter is and is told that there isn't one scheduled to be here at all! She gets told we will have to reschedule another day (here we go one more day off work!). Total days off work required for repairs that shouldn't have to be done in the first place in a new home 10 @ a conservative $35.00 per hour ( I work in the IT field) for $2800.00 in wages lost! The sad part is that friends recommended Tartan to us based on their experience from 10 yrs ago, and the fact that they have lived in Ottawa for a long time. I will admit, Tartan has some nice communities, nice home designs, reasonable prices and great sales staff. BUT, where they are sadly lacking is in a quality product (due to poor workmanship from the sub contractors they hire) and good after sales customer service. They treat the customer as if they are lying and trying to cheat Tartan in some way. I paid a fair chunk of money for this house and I believe that I am entitled to a reasonable amount of customer service. Bottom Line - don't buy a Tartan home unless you have a lot of time you can spend away from work waiting for things to get repaired that by all intents and purposes shouldn't have to be repaired in the first place if it was built right.

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Customer Service and professionalism non-existent.

This builder takes the cheapest route with "band-aid" repairs, bottom-of-the-barrel contractors, and absolutely no after sales customer service. They provided inconsistent information about how, and when, the deficiencies would be repaired. They simply ignore homeowners that ask too many questions. This builder dealt with deficiencies as slow as possible in the hopes that homeowners would be tired of waiting and make the repairs themselves. There is obviously very little communication between the builder and the contractors. The contractors would either not show up for appointments, arrive too early and leave because the homeowner wasn't at home, show up time after time with improper parts / products to make repairs, and arrive without the proper information as to what required repair work.

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Do not buy Tartan

We are not happy with Tartan at all. We purchased a semi-detached model in Jackson Trails. The craftsmanship on all aspects of our house is terrible. Our roof is leaking and has dammaged all the drywall on the kitchen cieling. Parts of our siding is falling off. All of our cabinets were wrong. After living in the house for 4 months the house is still not complete as far as exterior painting goes. What they have painted is terrible and I had to fix it myself. All windows were installed incorrectly. The list goes on and on. Contact me for more info if you would like or come by and see for yourself. I would hate for someone to get ripped off the way we have been ripped off. davdbrown2003@yahoo.ca

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Do your research before buying a Tartan home!!!!

I will never buy a Tartan home again. I am extremely disappointed with the service we have received, the lack of respect the staff have provided to us as the home buyer, the quality of the home and so much more. There really is not much good I can say. But I can say that it was an experience, and we have learnt alot about buying a new home. We obviously did not do our research well enough. I do know for a fact now that there are alot of other people that are very disappointed and dissatisfied with Tartan, and I wish I would have known before buying my home.

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I moved into my Java condominium in the summer of 2005, 15 months after putting a deposit on the unit. The occupancy date was changed three times, including one delay to improve soundproofing between the units. Despite these "improvements" I can hear talking from the unit below me. During construction, I was notified that there was not enough clearance inside the front entranceway of the loft units to close the door without stepping up on the stairs. I was given a choice to leave the entranceway as is or to have the stairs moved back to enlarge the entranceway. Since we have winter in this country, I felt I had no choice but to select the revised entranceway so as not to ruin the carpeted stairs. By selecting the revised entranceway, the hall closet, which was originally located at the top of the stairs, would now be turned around and accessed from the laundry area. The landing at the top of the stairs also required a change from a landing to steps winding at the top. No compensation was made for this major change to the look of the unit. After I had moved in, minor repairs were completed in a timely manner; however, there are 2 SERIOUS problems that have not been corrected. The first serious problem is the front doors are only partially insulated, resulting in ice, frost and condensation on the INTERIOR door frame in the winter. The door hinges rusted after only 5 months of occupancy and daylight can be seen around the door if the lock is not engaged. The second serious problem is the furnace was not properly installed and insulated resulting in ice and frost on the drywall inside the mechanical room in the winter. Tartan has done nothing to fix these problems.

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I have been in living in a Java condo since August 2005. The builder, Tartan, has been back several times to repair minor deficiencies; however, when it comes to major issues, this builder has certainly let me down. One of those major issues is my front entrance door. I had frost and ice accumulation on the inside of the door all winter. Cold air seeped through the door continuously and some of the locks on the door froze to the point where you needed a blowdryer to melt the ice inside of it. Despite several complaints, to date, Tartan has done nothing to fix the problem. A letter from Tartan back in January, acknowledged the problem with the front door and listed steps they were going to take to fix them. It is now May 1st, 2006 and we continue to wait. We haven?t had any official correspondence from Tartan since January 2006. To say that this builder is slow in fixing problems is definitely an understatement.

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I love my Java condominium! I?ve been in it almost a year. I found both sales and service staff to be very knowledgeable, any questions or concerns were always taken care of in a timely manner. I would recommend Tartan as a builder.

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I moved into my new Java condominium in the summer of 2005. The occupancy date had been changed 3 times. Sales Center staff were pleasant. After sales service does not keep owners sufficiently informed and each owner gets a different story from after sales serivce. SEVERE PROBLEMS-- the doors to the units (each unit has their own exterior door) meet the "fire code" but are only partially insulated. There are "fully-insulated" fire-rated doors available with the same door manufacturer as the installed doors( no doubt more expensive than the installed doors). This is resulting in the following problems on the inside of the exterior door & door frame: constant moisture which freezes along the door sill and frame; mold growing in the drywall and / or the metal frame; rust on the door, door frame, hinges and door lock; door lock freezing; wet drywall on both sides of the door frame. Tartan Crestway Developments has known about these problems since mid-November. The homeowners have been told that foam insulation will be sprayed into the frame and door, when the weather is warm enough, as the foam will not set in cold weather. The owners are being told that we are a "priority", however nothing has been done to date. Their service department tells owners "what they want to hear" and not what is actually taking place. A builder has the responsibility to ensure a properly built home, one that does not include FROZEN DOORS, ICE ON THE DOOR FRAMES AND MOLD ON THE DRYWALL.