Construction Defects

HOME ENGINEERING

Where Quality Counts and Honesty Matters

The more comprehensive list of actual consumer construction defects are at www.drhortonsucks.info. Within this site you will find the reader's digest version. Developments across the nation are finding themselves in class action lawsuits for defective and cracked stucco, foundation and slab shifting, and improperly bolted foundations. D R Horton has gone as far as forging inspection documents to get construction moving along at top speed. Speed translates to shoddy construction. The following link explains why D R Horton's attention to the bottom line can be dangerous. "Value engineering" takes the factor of safety out of residential construction and leads at least to major structural damage. http://cbs13.com/seenon/local_story_033001529.html Investigations into construction defects at my own D R Horton home have resulted in an 18 item fix it list from the State Contractor's Board. The Building Dept. issued a Notice to Correct "settlement" of roof trusses causing ceiling intrusion and drywall cracking, and broken unattached truss webbing. Some of the other very common code violations include:

1. Unpainted, unsealed out of sight surfaces which eventually warp such as door tops and bottoms, built in plant and pottery shelves.
2. Exterior door trim which is oriented horizontally and not bias cut to shed water.
3. Stucco cracks greater than 1/8 inch.

Investigations throughout the communities have also yielded the following results:

1. Insufficiently supported fiberglass tubs and jaccuzzi pumps.
2. Thinly applied stucco, particularly at patio ceilings.
3. Stucco so soft that it can be rubbed away with a fingertip.
4. Sheetrock cracks primarily at the ceiling.
5. Electrical code violations, many of which are literally shocking.

Others' reported defects include uninsulated pex piping subjected to freezing temperatures, incorrectly installed bath fixtures, damaged truss webbing and chords which have not been properly reinforced or had repairs certified by qualified engineers, slab cracking and upheaval and a myriad of other defects.

ALL OF THESE ARE WARRANTABLE ITEMS- CONTACT THE CONTRACTOR'S BOARD FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION. Contact me for further details on how to go about getting these quickly and correctly repaired.

Please see below and to the right for an example of D R Horton's method for passing structural inspections. Who needs the building department to protect consumers? Houses, pancakes -whats the difference?

The structural defects my home at 1353 Romanesca in the Anthem Heights subdivision are:
1. Settlement of trusses over my western wall.
2. Settlement and loading of truss over a non load bearing partition wall.
3. 3/8-5/8" northern lean of both my west and north walls.
4. A structural component which is likely within my walls and has exceeded its designed load bearing capacity.

The engineering firm for my property has reviewed the plans (that I am not privileged to) and their preliminary investigations are that there is no shear wall within 12.5 feet of the corner as is required by the IRC building code. The nearest shear wall is down the ways a bit, approximately 34 feet. No wonder the twenty overhead tons have shifted the structure towards the North by 5/8 inch. A good strong wind and the house is pancaked -along with whomever might be at home at the time. See this link for more information. http://cbs13.com/seenon/local_story_033001529.html

Building and Contractors' Board statements regarding settlement of 20 overhead tons over 60 linear feet of my cracking western wall.