ROANOKE, Va. – Many local homeowners and subcontractors have been left reeling, with lots of questions, after a Roanoke-based home builder filed for bankruptcy.
As 10 News reported in July, David James Homes has closed for good, citing "bad business decisions."
NBC 29 reporter CJ Paschall caught up with some of these customers and subcontractors.
"I want to know where my money went, because obviously it didn't end up here," said Faith Pugh, a homeowner.
Pugh signed a contract with David James Homes in July 2018 and was promised that she could move into her new home in Scottsville by December.
When December came, crews had just dug out a 9-foot basement and removed the dirt.
"They built the rest of the house. Once the house, the shell of the house, anyway, was done, they needed to backfill, but there was no dirt. The dirt that they had dug the basement with was gone. Where it went, I don't know, but they wanted more money from me, thousands of dollars to fix that," Pugh said.
When her contract was up in May, Pugh fired the company.
Pugh and her ex-husband are finishing the home by themselves, after their day jobs.
Subcontractors who were supposed to be paid by David James Homes were left hanging as well.
Now, some have filed mechanic's liens against the affected homeowners, including the Pughs.
Those contractors say it's the only way they might get some of their money back.
"The ones that aren't finished, aren't closed? They can't title their house, close their house, until those are paid," said Jeff Richardson of Wolftown Electric. "I don't plan to get it, but it would be nice to get some of it back. If not, you've got to write it off and keep on going."
Richardson said he worked on dozens of homes for David James Homes and its owner, Merle Heckman.
Payment did not stop until this year.
"From January, they were all due. We finished 'em all up by the end of January ... within a couple of months of each other," Richardson said.
Three other central Virginia families said they have similar stories of delayed build times, subcontractors unpaid and homes unfinished.
Now, all they're left with is more questions.