An Engineer's View

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When we bought at Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina in May 2004, I had no reason to believe other than that Pulte Homes, being a national homebuilder, knows how to build and that they know how to take care of their customers. I also assumed that Beaufort County and the State of South Carolina know construction, and that they know how to take care of their customers too. The last four years have been quite an education.
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Through an engineer’s eyes, this is shocking! This is a roof truss-to-roof truss connection. The building code says that our roofs must withstand a 130 mph wind. How could a competent roof framer walk away from this? How could this have gotten by Pulte’s inspection? How could this have gotten by Beaufort County’s inspections? How could have Beaufort County issued an occupancy permit for this house?

When I saw this, the first thing that I thought was “how many other houses are like this?” I knew that I had to warn my neighbors that they were in danger of losing their roofs in a hurricane. When I tried to talk with Pulte about this, they wouldn’t talk with me, because this isn’t my house (it's my neighbor's). The resident Board of Directors of the Sun City Hilton Head Community Association wouldn’t get involved. Beaufort County did nothing for months. It was only after I went to our local newspaper, The Island Packet, that things started to happen.

Before 2004 Pulte installed hurricane clips at these connections, which are widely used in hurricane-prone areas. They are widely available, and retail for about 50 cents apiece. In 2004 Pulte decided that they’d use two, 3.5-inch long, 16d nails at these connections, instead of hurricane clips, contrary to industry recommendations. (Note that there is only one nail in this connection, and that it doesn't hold anything. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE! There were MANY connections with one nail, no nails, nails that missed their target, nails that were too short, split wood, etc.) Prior to 2004 construction drawings for SCHH houses included a Truswal drawing that showed hurricane clips at these connections. In 2004, that drawing disappeared from the drawing set.

As a result of The Island Packet’s stories, more than 2,500 homes here were re-inspected. But, instead of installing hurricane clips, Pulte and Beaufort County decided that wood screws would be good enough. As a civil engineer, I find this appalling. More surprises followed.

I learned that there is a widespread stucco problem here. Much of it doesn’t meet minimum manufacturer requirements (mixed with too much water, not enough cement), and therefore, doesn’t meet minimum building code requirements. Again, where was Pulte when this stucco was being mixed? Where was Beaufort County? (for more information, see http://www.suncityblufftonhomedefectclaims.com/index.asp)

Then there’s this:
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This is my roof. How could this not leak? The roofing paper is cut and nails are driven in the valley. Again, where was Pulte when this, and others like it, were being built? How is it that Pulte hires subcontractors that don’t know the basics? While this was happening in many roofs here, where was Beaufort County?

Then, there are stormwater detention, or water quality treatment, ponds, or “lagoons”, as they call them here. During my career I designed many of them. I know how they’re supposed to look and work. But, some here don’t look right. There’s no freeboard or defined spillway. Water runs out of them over long stretches. Some are full of silt. Pulte won’t address the problem. Neither will Beaufort County or the State. Sound familiar?

Then, there are the wetlands that the stormwater detention ponds discharge into. Several acres of trees in the wetland just to the east of the Hidden Cypress Center are dead. Inlets taking untreated runoff from the Hidden Cypress parking lot discharge directly into this wetland. Where is/was Beaufort County? Where is/was the South Carolina Department of Environmental Control (DHEC)?

For this civil engineer, the education that I’ve received over the past years about Pulte, Beaufort County, and the State of South Carolina has been both alarming and sad.
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