Or—at the very least—treat every home as though it belongs to a member of the media, like me.
Why do I say this? Because my family just moved into our new home, built in 2022, in Elkhorn, Neb., (read the backstory about our move in the Summer issue) and we have been gravely disappointed in the number of construction defects we have encountered. In the first month after closing, we uncovered one water-main leak and two additional leaks behind walls/ceilings, which required two holes in new drywall, patches and painting. Then, after only six days of actually living in the home, we encountered another leak, which required four more holes in our drywall to properly diagnose and repair. We also have dealt with a frozen HVAC system, resulting in our home being 87 F for several days when it was 90 F outside; poorly wired electrical in our daughter’s room; two defunct ceiling fans (the third replacement was the charm); and several other problems.
My husband and I demanded a meeting with the highest-ranking member of the builder’s company. The vice president of operations showed up on our doorstep and defended himself, saying his firm builds 300 houses per year. He then blamed everything on the labor pool. “Labor is hard to find,” he said. “All the builders in this area use the same trades.”
I’m not ashamed to admit, I got angry. “Where is your oversight?” I demanded. “Who ensures the electrician doesn’t drill a hole in a wastewater pipe and walk away [as happened in our new house]? Your name is on the homes in this neighborhood; if the subs are doing a poor job, it’s a reflection on your company.”
We pointed out to Mr. VP that we’ve met a few neighbors whose homes also were constructed by his firm and who are grumbling about defects in their new homes. His response? “People always talk about the negative. Nobody ever shares the things they love.”
He’s right: Why would anyone complain about multiple leaks when the cabinets look so nice?!
Unfortunately, this is not my first experience with construction defects. My condo in Chicago was a gut-rehab of an old brick building in the Albany Park neighborhood. It had so many problems, we—as an association—hired an attorney to go after the developer. Our attorney finally advised us to stop paying him and start paying people to repair our building. I imagined that developer, sitting on a beach with a cocktail in hand, while I tried to figure out how to pay all the unexpected special assessments that came with my new homeownership.
My husband and I also encountered some issues during the remodel of our Iowa lake house.
Now, here I am, in a brand-new home—in a third state—wondering what will go wrong behind our walls next.
Is my experience the norm? Are projects completed so quickly nobody pays attention to the quality of their work? In the end, doesn’t poor workmanship cost you money when your work is under warranty? I REALLY want to hear from you. Please tell me about your quality control. If you have a great oversight program, I’ll share it with our readers so they can emulate you—and so fewer homeowners end up like me: so very disappointed in (and worried about) my new home.