Karsten Homes

[Barbara Huber]

We are shopping for a home and have just discovered a dealer for Kasten Homes which we like but know nothing about. These are built in Or. do you have any info on them other than they have on their web site?

[jgn]

www.thekarstenco.com/ They are a high end home which are very nice. They have plants in OR and NM. The only two concerns are the decking, Novadeck or Cresdeck is standard but you can get plywood and the longitudinal flooring (but I really don't know if that is a problem).

[mac]

I have a Karsten triple built in Stayton. It has been excellent. I bought it through Santiam Homes. They were also excellent. The only issues I have had since we moved in last year were a couple of sheetrock cracks, roof that didn't quite line up perfectly. If you have kids, hammer on them to do a plywood subfloor rather than the Cresdek waxed particle board that's standard.
If you stop by Santiam in Aumsville, they'll make an appointment for you to tour, or you can just call them. Their factory is on Wilco Rd. in Stayton.
We've been very pleased.

[Martha]

We purchased a Karsten home 6-2003 from the California plant and have had nothing but problems getting the dealer and the manufacture to make repairs to items that are covered under their warranty. We have had a leak in the fireplace since October. The chimney cylinder inside the wall is detached and smoke does not rise, it fills the house with smoke setting off the smoke alarms. One of the workmen that came out to fix the leak (4 times someone has been out and still not fixed) walked across the carpet with roofing tar on his shoe and left tar tracks on the carpet, then tried to clean it off with gasoline (my seventeen year old daughter was here not me). Karsten agreed in February to have the carpet cleaned yet it still has not been done. The retailer is suppose to add additional shingle to the roof (not done properly during set up). After sending emails back and forth to the customer service people at Karsten, they are now telling me that they have no control over "Mike" (the retailers contractor) and can not force him to make required repairs to our house. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the manufacture is responsible to insure that the retailers provide warranty coverage.
There is also a small soft spot in the master bathtub that is needing repair. Karsten has been telling me since January that a fiberglass company will be out to fix it. Still not fixed. I never even received a call from a fiberglass company regarding the repairs even though Karsten has told me in several emails that the company has been contacted regarding the repairs and will be calling to schedule an appointment.

I have not only been in contact with Karsten's customer service department but have also been cc the plants general managers but still my requested for service has been ignored. Because of Karsten's lack of response to my request for repairs I am filing complaints with the FTC, BBB, HUD and any other agency I can think of, for help in getting my repairs completed. It should have never gotten to this point. Karsten has agreed that these items are covered under the warranty, but has not fixed them. What good is a warranty if items are never repaired?
This is only a small sample of the issues that I have had with my new Karsten home. I really like my new house but Karsten's customer service sucks. If we had known that we would have had the problems we have had, we would have spent a lot less money and bought a Fleetwood. Remember you don't always get more by paying more.