‘It’s terrible’: Another family sues builder Action 9 has been investigating

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A South Carolina family says they paid a company to build their dream home, but it never got done.

Chopper 9 flew over the parcel in York County where there are woods, but not the Strohmeyers’ house.

“We put down $102,000 in the beginning and then we were paying additional couple thousand dollars a month,” Rebel Blake Strohmeyer said.

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She says she and her husband paid Constructing Up $140,000 toward the home, but that it never even broke ground.

According to the contract, it was supposed to be done last September.

“We would get excuses. We would set up appointments — there was one day in July of ‘22 that we set up an appointment,” she said. “We got to the office, it was dark. Nobody was there. Wasn’t answering any calls.”

Other families told Action 9 similar stories, such as the Huynh family. They sued Constructing Up and the owner, Christian Novellino, and won $200,000. But as of Tuesday morning, the family’s lawyer said they hadn’t seen any of it.

The Strohmeyers’ sued Constructing Up (but not Novellino) and won as well. They were awarded more than $358,000. But Tuesday, they said the builder still hadn’t paid.

More specifically, they say they’d been living in Airbnbs — they say three in the last 12 months, and they just moved again (to a house they bought).

“It’s terrible. It’s terrible … our kids are going to have to change schools. That’s not the plan we had,” she told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke. “If we could save one family the heartache that we’ve been through, that’s our goal.”

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Despite the legal troubles, Constructing Up still has active licenses in both Carolinas. Christian Novellino’s license lapsed in South Carolina. Stoogenke’s asking whether he can still take on projects there.

Stoogenke has tried for weeks to get in touch with Novellino and a lawyer who represented him at last check, including again on Tuesday, but no one responded in time for this report.

VIDEO: Family claims builder promised them home on land it doesn’t own