Customer ReviewsforSouthern Draw Design+Build LLC

When we signed up with Mack we thought we had the right architect and builder. We chose the right architect, but we clearly chose the wrong builder. What we will always remember about Mack is him telling us outright lies, him making promises that he did not keep, him going AWOL with no explanation for his frequent absences, and contractors not willing to work with him because he was not paying them. We paid him everything that he asked for, yet contractors have placed liens on our house because he took our money and used it elsewhere. The explanations he gave us for why the delays were happening are all suspect now and we confirmed with many contractors that he was telling them outright lies too. Our house was supposed to be perfect when we took possession. It was far from perfect and we're having to fix so many things on our own. The house was riddled with faulty workmanship that Mack should have been aware of and taken responsibility for correcting. Instead, they were ignored and eventually abandoned by Mack. The house was contracted to be completed in 10 months (unrealistically), but should have been realistically completed in 18 months. IT TOOK 36 MONTHS TO COMPLETE due to his lack of proper management and his use of substandard contractors. Mack failed not only us, but many others. The house was GROSSLY over budget and is still costing us tens of thousands of dollars to correct faulty workmanship and a host of other problems. Mack abandoned his obligations and left us to fend for ourselves. Our house and the amount of time it was under construction became the laughing stock of the community. Based on this awful experience, we've nicknamed the house, "The Nightmare on Mack Street." His name is infamously known within the community. Mack shattered a lot of people's dreams, Mack took a lot of people's money in the process. He brought this all on himself. We hope Mack can live with himself, because we can't. Do not count on us for a positive reference.

We hired Mack ****** (Southern Draw Design+Build) to construct our modern-styled home. He gave a good first impression and seemed to care about our project, but came to exhibit an appalling lack of oversight and adherence to the schedule. Mack was rarely on-site and did not appear to supervise the subcontractors or validate their work. I found many obvious problems with work I was told was "complete". When attempting to meet with him he would very frequently (often the day before our meeting) remember some other happening he felt took precedence. Many items needing a timely response took many days to get a reply or were ignored. And many such requests I provided to him in written format, AND verbally, I still had to communicate to the subs and vendors since they had not been informed. I felt put in an awkward situation since Mack was MIA, yet would chide me for telling the workers what we wanted.

We almost defaulted on our construction loan twice due to Mack's breaking of deadlines and promises. Many times I had to inform vendors the house was ready for installing flooring, or cabinets or whatever because Mack wasn't aware of or not thinking about the next step. Thus our 10 month build took 22 months and that was even pre-Covid.

For many work items we didn't truly know the cost until presented with a bill, either because SDDB didn't inform us or the amount they told us was way off. We were frequently asked to pay subs' bills as though they were late and urgent, even though several of them had never received (and upon inquiry they couldn't produce any evidence they were ever sent).

A builder's job is to get materials and people on site and keep them working. Mack failed in this regard, and unfortunately we didn't discover until too late we had hired the wrong person as our contractor and would have to do so many aspects of his job for him. What a mess. I hope this review serves as a warning to others, to look elsewhere when finding someone for your project.