In some cases, construction never began, while in others, work was left unfinished. (AI image)
A woman in Roseville, California, who paid more than $40,000 in January 2023 to have a small home built in her backyard, was left without the house after the company failed to begin construction within the promised 12 months. Three years later, brothers Austin and Colton Paulhus, founders of Anchored Tiny Homes, are facing 35 felony charges each following an investigation into more than 200 complaints across 18 California counties. Jan Truelock is a retired nurse from Roseville who had hired the company to build a 450-square-foot home behind her house, as per a report by Realtor. Truelock expected her new home to be ready in 12 months, as the company had promised. She eventually reached a settlement for $25,000, which still left her short of the amount she had originally paid. She paid $168,000 to Anchored Tiny Homes, but construction never started.
Homeowners alleged that they had paid for houses that were either left unfinished or never built. Such homes are known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are smaller residential units built on the same property as an existing house. But the months went by without any construction. With no home and no full refund, Truelock hired a lawyer and sued the company for breach of contract. She later hired another company, Imkat, to build the home. This time, the work was completed. But while Truelock finally got the additional living space she wanted, she learned that several other customers had been left in much more difficult situations. One of those customers awaiting her home was Katie Lucas, who wanted to build a separate home for her mother-in-law and grandmother in San Leandro, California. Another customer, Renee Kumamoto, had hoped to build a home for her father, who was battling cancer.