Homeless Family Living in Car

A couple living in Rutherford County gave a home builder a check for $165,000, and have nothing to show for it.

The husband and wife reached out to NewsChannel 5 for some help. They said the whole ordeal — which has been going on for more than a year — has now forced them to move into their car.

Right now, Kimberly and Joseph Story are living in a Chevy Mailbu with three small dogs. Over the last year, the couple has stayed in a hotel a few times, but with pets, that's expensive.

Despite paying UBuildIt Nashville in August 2022, their 1,650 sq. ft. home is no where close to being built. Supposedly, it will be built on a plot in the Lakewood Park Subdivision in Beechgrove.

According to UBuildIt's owner, it costs about $40,000 to do things like land clearing and foundation work on the Beechgrove property. The owner said there have been delays and attributed those to their budget, wishlist and difficulty getting sub-contractors to work at the location.

"It hasn't been anything like he said," said Joseph. "It's just been more headache than anything."

"And suffering," added Kimberly.

"Him making me feel like a fool, really," Joseph said.

On the company's website, UBuildIt is described as a custom home builder. It goes on to say, "with UBuildIt - YOU will be in charge."

"He knows we're staying in the car and all that, and he hasn't shown no sympathy," Joseph said.

The couple sold their house in La Vergne to pay for their custom build.

The Storys said UBuildIt used some of their money to put them up in a hotel earlier in the year. At one point, they said the builder said not to keep staying in a hotel because it was depleting their funds.