Having been involved in litigation in the past I think suing people is a waste of time, effort and money and ultimately gets you nowhere. The last time I had to sue someone it was black and white that I was owed $10,000. The judge agreed but allowed the person to pay me $75 a month for the next 14 months. Of course out of that I have to pay legal fees of almost $6,000.
In my opinion anyone that suggests that you sue is doing you a disservice.
That said, I agree that the situation sounds pretty ridiculous. I've built 3 homes recently and I find it pretty common for the cost to be 20% or 30% over budget. 2 or 3 times the budget is insane.
I know most of the architects in the area and I'm not really aware of any of them being unethical. I suggest you call the firm and insist on speaking with the senior most person. Explain reasonably and rationally exactly what happened and why you are so disappointed. I'd be very surprised if they won't try and work out a reasonable solution with you.
That said, if it turns out that they are jackasses I say go ahead and post there name on the forum!!! If they are screwing people over you owe it to your fellow forum folks to let us know so we don't taken advantage of!
Finally, if you are interested PM me and I will give you the name of the people who have designed and built my homes. They are amazing, have a great reputation and are really good about working around a budget.
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