We’re building our first (and hopefully, last) house. The site is on a mild slope, resulting in roughly 7-8′ piers at the lowest point. We were under the impression that the foundation curtain wall would be brick all the way around, as the contract says “brick foundation”. Our builder says that we don’t want brick all the way and wants to put in a siding “pony wall” on top of the short wall of bricks. We are concerned that the back of the house will look really screwy with a stair step siding. The curtain wall at the front of the house is all even. Why wouldn’t we want to have it all brick to the bottom of the house?View ImageView ImageView Image
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You've seemingly submitted a rhetorical question and also answered it (albeit subjectively) in the same post. Since you're the client, that's actually all that matters.
What's in the contract?
It's impossible to judge whether this solution 'will look really screwy' - it's so subjective. As for the misunderstanding, it's also impossible to who's at fault from the information you've provided.
It's all about the contract... Hopefully you have drawings and specifications for the house attached to the contract that dictate exactly what the house is to look like and a description of all the materials to be used. If the contract is written by the Contractor/Builder, they've got a duty to be clear on all these issues. You, as the Owner, have an obligation to make sure that you understand them. This kind of misunderstanding should never happen - it's inconceivable that you don't know what the house looks like before the contract was signed.. If the Builder has presented you with documents that don't represent the actual house being built, they are in a tough position to defend their decisions and open themselves up to distrust that can drive a wedge between themselves and the Owner thru the rest of the job. If the Owner has not done their 'homework' to thoroughly examine the documents before signing the contract, then surprises like this will result... If you have drawings - specifically, exterior elevations - it would help.
It's all about the contract. The walls can be raised...the question is who will pay. If it's not in the contract, the Owner pays. If it's in the contract, the Builder will need to make it right at their expense.