PE, retired

Calling all law firms

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 07:59:00 +0000

.
Are you interested in a potential class action suit against a builder/developer with DEEP pockets?

At Sun City Hilton Head, SC builder/developer Pulte Homes has built thousands of houses that don’t meet the SC building code. Documented in this blogsite, http://peretired.blogspot.com/, are numerous newspaper articles that detail deficient roof truss connections, stucco, foundation slabs, etc.

Basically, the basis for the class action suit is that thousands of homeowners (including me) at SCHH signed contracts with Pulte Homes for constructing a new house. We expected that the houses would be built according to the SC building code. They were not. The resulting damages to homeowners include costs for remedial construction (replacing stucco, installing hurricane clips at roof truss connections, installing roof bracing, etc.) and the loss in value that has resulted from Pulte delivering a shoddily constructed house instead of the one that we contracted for (that meets minimum requirements of the SC building code). Some defects are probably hidden. Other defects, such as defective stucco and cracked foundation slabs, are VERY expensive to fix.

Beaufort County, SC may also be liable for damages in that they issued certificates of occupancy for houses with known defects. Recent newspaper stories contained in this blogsite (http://peretired.blogspot.com/) tell how deficient roof truss connections and bracing, which were first made public in 2007, are still occurring today.

Further details are contained in http://peretired.blogspot.com/.
.
.

Dishonest, reckless, and arrogant Pulte Homes

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 07:59:00 +0000

.
When I retired and moved to Sun City Hilton Head, SC five years ago, I expected that the new house that I bought from Pulte Homes would be built to the normal standard of care. It wasn’t; and, MANY others weren’t either. Roof trusses are barely attached. Roofs leaked. Stucco was improperly mixed and applied. Pulte also did a poor job building community infrastructure—a collapsed retaining wall and stormwater lagoons that are poorly constructed, and an eyesore. All of this shoddy construction is well-documented herein.

I expected that Pulte would treat its customers well, as respected senior citizens. Instead, we’ve been treated like children. Pulte controls information that is given to residents through the community's slick publication, Sunsations, through emails, and by restricting information that is placed in lower mailboxes to only what Pulte approves. Pulte tells us what we should think on such issues as construction of our houses and community infrastructure, wetlands and other environmental concerns, incorporation of the community, golf course management, assessment fees, CC&Rs, etc. Pulte unilaterally changes CC&Rs without community input. Pulte fires chairmen of community committees and replaces duly-elected resident representatives on the community association board of directors with Pulte employees. The way that Pulte has run this community is an insult to the senior citizens who live here.

Needless to say, my retirement house and community haven’t turned out to be what I expected them to be. I have found Pulte Homes to be dishonest, reckless, and arrogant in their dealings here.

And, your government doesn’t protect you against shoddy construction, or dishonest, reckless, and arrogant builders.

I’m doing what I can to warn others, and, for change, so that others, including my children and grandchildren, won’t be subject to shoddy construction, and to dishonest, reckless, and arrogant builders.

Read on.
.

HOW THIS BLOGSITE WORKS

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:01:00 +0000

.
For the ROOF TRUSS CONNECTION STORY: in "Blog Archive" to the left, click on "2007".

For RETAINING WALL FAILURE, ROOF LEAK, COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION, AND LAGOONS: in "Blog Archive" to the left, click on on "2008" and "2009".

You can also post your comments on http://citizensrevoltagainstpulte.blogspot.com/ .

Thank you.
.

Do you think that this is an isolated case?

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 06:55:00 +0000

.
Google "Pulte shoddy".
.
.

Weep screeds

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:43:00 +0000

.
Sun City homeowners ask: "What about weep screeds at the base of my stucco walls? Are they needed? Will my stucco walls 'work' if my weep screeds are all covered up with stucco?"

Check it out for yourselves. About 10 minutes on the internet and all your questions will be answered.

You can start by checking out http://peretired.blogspot.com/2009/03/pulte-stucco-propaganda.html

Some Master Builder!
.
.

Incremental house construction

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:40:00 +0000

.
I believe that we will be finding defects in our Pulte houses at Sun City Hilton Head for years to come. Yesterday, Tony Kunich, SC Certified Safe Home Wind Inspector, found another one. Mr. Kunich performed a wind mitigation inspection, and reported the following:

"There are 28 overhead garage door hinge bolts missing from the door hinges. The manufacturer’s specifications (Clopay #75W5, Wind Code 140 mph rated) show 4 bolts in each hinge leaf; needed to meet the design wind load (140 mph)."

Let’s see now:

several trips to fix the garage door
several trips to the attic for framing inspections and repairs
1 of 4 incorrectly shingled valleys fixed
One trip to bring missing hurricane shutters and hardware
One trip to fix grading and drainage (I fixed some drainage problems myself)
I installed a missing irrigation line myself
stucco?
other?

Pulte's strategy seems clear: build an incomplete, defective house, and hope that the customer either doesn't discover all of the defects, or, out of frustration, decides to correct the deficiencies themselves. Some strategy, Pulte! Your customers thank you!

Incrementally, this Pulte house may be finished one day (it's more than 5 years old); but, I’m not holding my breath. At this rate (1-discover another defect; 2-get it fixed; 3-back to 1), it could take a LONG time.

.Some Master Builder!

Facts & advice for Pulte & SCHH Community Association

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:45:00 +0000

.
1. Building code violations and shoddy construction here are FACTS (roof valley truss connections, stucco, lagoons, wood floor). Search The Island Packet for details.

A. Pulte wouldn’t talk with me when I discovered defective valley truss connections here.
B. Pulte’s SOP seems to be: deny, deny, deny.
C. Pulte impugns those who report shoddy construction.
D. The proper response is: “we’ll look into it”.

2. Shabby treatment of residents here is a FACT (Propfes, small American flag magnet on garage door, Wes Grady, volunteer resident committee chairpersons, incorporation, etc.). Search The Island Packet and Bluffton Today for details.

3. Gratuitous advice:
A. Pulte should concentrate on serving their customers. Pulte should build a good house for their customers that meets the building code and the normal standard of care.
1) The FACTS show that this is an area that Pulte can improve on.
B. JUST concentrating on building a good house ALONE gives Pulte PLENTY to do; so, forget the rest:
1) Pulte should stop impugning those who know what they’re talking about, who speak the TRUTH, and have the FACTS to back them up.
2) Pulte/CA should stop debating with their customers, ESPECIALLY when their customers have FACTS.
3) When confronted with the FACTS, Pulte shouldn’t deny, deny, deny. When the FACTS come out, Pulte’s denials make them look FOOLISH.
4) Pulte/CA should get out of people’s lives
a) Pulte/CA should get out of the propaganda business
b) Pulte/CA should stop telling people what they should and shouldn’t think.
c) Americans LOVE their freedom: free speech, right of assembly, etc. Pulte/CA shouldn’t mess with these basic freedoms. People resent it.
C. Pulte/CA should LISTEN to their customers. They just may know what they’re talking about.
D. SUMMARY:
1) Pulte/CA should:
a) build a good house that meets code and the normal standard of care.
b) listen to their customers
c) get out of their customers’ lives; don’t mess with their basic freedoms
.
.

another roof problem

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:21:00 +0000

.
Carl Lehmann writes a weekly column for Bluffton Today:

Sunnyside Up for Dec 10, 2009

Recently the truss problem in Sun City reared its head once more. My readers may recall that a couple of years ago one of our residents, an engineer, alerted building officials and Pulte that the fastenings of valley trusses to the underlying trusses were improper. It took a while but the county finally decided to investigate and found that trusses were indeed attached incorrectly. The county hired independent inspectors who checked over 2,000 homes and found that about 25% needed repair. Those of us with homes built before 2004 were assured that all of our trusses met the building codes. We all thought that this would settle the problem.

It now turns out that new homes being built in the Reflection section of Sun City also have problems. A private house inspector discovered them. Of course, Pulte’s immediate reaction was to deny any problems exist. The county also called the inspector’s report incorrect. Subsequently, the county, Pulte and the inspector met and determined that there was a problem again.

Up to this point, I had really ignored this whole thing. When it first came up, I took a quick look in the attic and saw plenty of hurricane clips holding truss to truss. Obviously, I didn’t have a problem.

Then came the new allegations. I decided to take advantage of being in the attic getting our Christmas decorations and took another look. As before, there were plenty of hurricane clips. Instead of valley trusses improperly fastened to trusses I found a much different problem. The main roof trusses were fastened to a rafter right near the little storage platform in the attic. What I saw scared the living daylights out of me. Each truss was held in place by a metal hanger. Each hanger was securely nailed to the rafter. The trusses should have fitted so that they would butt up against the rafter and then be nailed to the hanger. This is where the problem comes in. Every rafter was between one inch to one and a quarter inches too short. None of the nails that were supposed to nail the truss to the hanger even touched the truss or went into the rafter. (See the picture)

What did this really mean. Would my roof fly off during the next storm? What should I do to fix it? I didn’t know and so I asked an expert who came over and took a look. Although he had inspected numerous truss problems in Sun City, this one was new to him. He suggested several possibilities of fixing this mess. None will be easy to do.

He finally concluded that it would probably take a major hurricane to produce enough upward pressure to lift the entire roof up. However all bets would be off if the garage door was compromised and the wind could exert both pressure and pull on the roof.

I think Ray Koenig, a Sun City resident, deserves a big great thank you for initially finding the problems and keeping the pressure up until something was done by the county and by Pulte.

As for me, I nominate Pulte for the “Quality Homebuilders Award of the Year”

Carl Lehmann is a Sun City resident. You can reach him at Carfle@sc.rr.com.

The photo in Carl’s column shows one of about 20 trusses supporting a section of his garage roof. All 20 or so are the same as the one in the photo.

Another name for hurricane strap or hurricane clip is “tie down”. It doesn’t take an expert to tell that the ends of these trusses aren’t “tied down”.

Questions:

Why didn't the subcontractor's roof framer who did this do it right?
Why didn’t the roof framer’s foreman require that it be done correctly?
Why didn’t the Developer/General Contractor require that these trusses be tied down?
Why didn’t Beaufort County’s building inspector require the Developer/General Contractor to tie down the trusses in Carl’s garage?
How many homeowners here (including me) have been sold shoddily constructed houses that don't meet the state building code, because of the reckless actions of Pulte Homes, Pulte's subcontractors, and the Beaufort County Office of Building Code Enforcement?

Some Master Builder!

.
.

the truth

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:05:00 +0000

.
Yes, Sun City, there ARE CONTINUING PROBLEMS WITH ROOF TRUSS CONNECTIONS AND ROOF BRACING (at least according to The Island Packet and Beaufort County).

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1060334.html

“He (Kubic) wants to focus on physical evidence.”

It’s about time! Having seen some of some of the physical evidence personally, and photos of other, I can tell you that it is quite compelling.

The bottom line to me is this: how many people (including me) bought houses here between 2004 and today not realizing that their houses didn’t meet the SC building code? How many assumed that the issuance of an Occupancy Permit meant that all was OK?

Shame on you, Beaufort County! Shame on you, Pulte Homes!

Some Master Builder!
.
.

Try me

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:05:00 +0000

.
How far will Pulte Homes and Beaufort County go in denying that there are CONTINUING problems with roof truss connections and roof bracing in SCHH homes?

I have NO idea; but, I will tell Pulte and Beaufort County that there is PROOF that there are CONTINUING problems with roof truss connections and roof bracing in SCHH homes.

Whether it comes to roofs, stucco, lagoons, wetlands, failed retaining wall, incorporation, golf course management, etc., you can count on Pulte’s response: deny, deny, deny.

The appropriate response from a responsible company is really quite simple: "We'll check it out". But, not Pulte.

The latest revelation that construction problems with roofs are STILL occurring MORE THAN TWO YEARS after they were first discovered, and supposedly fixed, illustrates perfectly Pulte’s dishonesty, recklessness, and arrogance.

Deny, deny. deny. And, discredit the private home inspector while you’re at it.

This is the kind of response that you expect from a little kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar: "I didn’t do it, Mommy."

Grow up, Pulte.

Enough is enough. If the denials continue, then the PROOF will be made public.
.
.

Can Pulte and Beaufort Co. read plans?

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:32:00 +0000

.
(my) posts on http://schhresidents.forumco.com/:

I understand that more Pulte/CA/Beaufort County propaganda may be forthcoming.

Some time ago on the message board on the old website, in answer to someone who incessantly questioned my postings on roof truss connection and roof bracing warnings, Wes made the comment (and I’m paraphrasing) "I doubt that Ray gives a rat’s behind whether you believe him or not."

Some people believe what they want to believe, regardless of the facts. For what it’s worth, here’s a brief review of the facts:

Two years ago 668 homes of more than 2,700 that were re-inspected required roof truss connection and roof bracing repairs.
Recently, it’s been reported that new houses here are being built without hurricane clips and roof bracing THAT ARE SHOWN ON THE PLANS.
Tony Kunich is a licensed SC builder, a licensed SC home inspector, and a licensed SC safe home wind inspector. Mr. Kunich compares WHAT HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED with WHAT IS ON THE PLANS, and notes where what’s built is NOT WHAT IS ON THE PLANS. Mr. Kunich does not comment on the adequacy of what’s built, or on the adequacy of the design. He simply notes where WHAT’S BUILT IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT’S ON THE PLANS.
Normally I don’t discuss my qualifications; however, qualifications are pertinent to the issue at hand. Accordingly, I have a degree in civil engineering, 40+ years experience practicing civil engineering, and held licenses to practice civil engineering in SC and in other states, until I retired a few years ago.

Those who don’t already have their minds made up on this may want to consider the qualifications of those who say that there is nothing wrong with the roof truss connections or roof bracing here. Are they licensed builders, licensed inspectors, licensed safe home wind inspectors, or licensed engineers? If they are licensed engineers, are they commenting on WHAT'S ON PAPER (the DESIGN; theoretical world), or ON WHAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN BUILT (the REAL world). If they're commenting on WHAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN BUILT, then what are they basing their statements on, i.e. which COMPLETED houses did they actually inspect?

The recent article in The Island Packet stated:

"A private building inspector says that of about 80 new homes he has inspected this year, he's found problems with the way roof trusses are installed in almost all of them…

He complimented Pulte for promptly responding to homeowners who ask the company to correct problems that he has found. 'If we write up problems in our reports, our clients say Pulte gets on them and fixes them,' he said. (Pulte's spokesman said the company's 'service logs do not show customer calls related to roof systems.')"

Ask yourself these questions:

If there weren’t truss connection and bracing problems with the houses that Pulte recently built, and Mr. Kunich recently inspected, then why would Pulte fix them?
Considering what we know about roof truss connections, bracing, stucco, lagoons, etc., how credible are Pulte, SCHH CA, and Beaufort County in continuing to deny these problems?

In the end some people will believe what they want to believe, regardless of the facts.

**********************************************************************

also from The Island Packet (http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036436.html):

"DEVELOPER'S VIEW

Pulte Homes, the developer of Sun City, said it is 'confident that our building practices meet applicable building codes and are in compliance with manufacturers guidelines. We appreciate the importance of this issue and are prepared to respond to customer service inquiries,' corporate spokesman Eric Younan said in a brief statement. Younan criticized Kunich's use of 'generic drawings' for checking truss installations, rather than more detailed 'engineered drawings.'

Building inspectors often check the actual workmanship in homes against diagrams showing how it's supposed to be done.

Kunich said flatly the diagrams he used 'are not generic.' 'They are current truss plans that we got directly from Pulte,' he said. 'If there are more current plans, they should have been given to me.'

He also said bracing problems cited in his reports are easy to avoid. 'The company that makes the trusses puts green stickers on them that say lateral bracing is required. Neon green stickers. They tell you what to do,' he said. 'It's a no-brainer. Even if a truss doesn't have a sticker, the diagrams say that the brace is needed."'

Kunich said he is not looking for a fight with Beaufort County or Pulte. He decided to speak up, he said, after reading a story in The Island Packet about the building codes department seeking accreditation. 'Why didn't (International Accreditation Services) ask to look at any of the reports we've done?' Kunich said."

"Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!"

Sir Walter Scott,
Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.
Scottish author & novelist
(1771 - 1832)

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."
Abraham Lincoln, (attributed)
16th president of US
(1809 - 1865)

****************************************************************

On Thursday (12/3) Pulte (DM) tells NRs that Pulte is going to put out a TYSK on Friday (12/4) showing that "Tony Kunich doesn’t know what he’s talking about"; and, that Kubic will defend the County in the newspaper. On Friday (12/3) Pulte says that they’re holding off on the TYSK. Wes, is there a "mole"?

This looks like a couple of 5 yr. olds (Pulte and Beaufort County) caught with their hands in the candy jar saying: “Mommy, I didn’t do it!” Or, maybe neither one (Pulte or Beaufort County) knows how to read plans.
.
.

What's wrong with this picture?

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:41:00 +0000

.
Three entities are charged with the same job; only one does their job.

Mr. & Ms. Smith sign a contract with Pulte Homes for the construction of a new house. Mr. & Ms. Smith expect that Pulte will build the house according to government-approved plans. But, the Smith’s new house isn’t built according to County-approved construction plans.

Beaufort County, SC inspects the Smith’s house and issues a Certificate of Occupancy certifying that the house meets minimum requirements of the SC building code. But, the Smith’s new house doesn’t meet minimum requirements of SC’s building code.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith hire a private home inspector who compares the Smith’s finished house with County-approved construction plans, something that BOTH Pulte and Beaufort County SHOULD have done beforehand. The private home inspector finds that Mr. and Ms. Smith’s house doesn’t conform to County-approved construction plans.

Three entities charged with the same job; only one does their job. What’s wrong with this picture? Pulte Homes and Beaufort County.

Two years ago this problem was identified when 668 houses of more than 2,700 re-inspected houses needed repairs to bring their roofs up to code. Two years later the problem has not been fixed. What’s wrong with this picture? Pulte Homes and Beaufort County.

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036436.html
http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/story/1048369.html
.
.

Pulte and Beaufort County, SC building inspectors

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:50:00 +0000

.
http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/story/1048369.html

"Kubic should bring together Kunich; Arthur Cummings, the head of the county building codes department; someone from the accreditation group; and representatives of Sun City developer Pulte to get this matter resolved."

Good luck, Mr. Kunich. If the meeting happens, then you (and possibly the person from the accreditation group) will be the only one there who knows how roof trusses should be fastened and braced. Master builder Pulte and the Beaufort County Office of Building Code Enforcement have shown conclusively that they don't have a clue.
.
.

Another expert opinion on roof trusses

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:21:00 +0000

.
Editor
Island Packet
November 19, 2009
Hilton Head Island, SC 29938

I have followed reports by the Island Packet about defects with roof trusses in Sun City. As a professional engineer (licensed NJ, PA, MD) with 32 years experience, I often evaluate roof trusses for new construction and existing buildings.

After the 2007 articles, about inadequate valley truss connections, I posted extensive comments on the Island Packet web site. I can no longer find those comments online. However, one key point was that the valley truss connection defect is an indication of additional deficiencies with design and construction of the roof truss installation. I have posted new comments along with the new article published Sunday (11-15-09). However, it is difficult to find the article on the web site now (http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036437.html). If you search using “Archive”, the new comments are actually missing.

A separate article also published Sunday (11-15-09) describes problems recently discovered with lack of web bracing. Reasons for this typical, widespread defect are described in comments I have posted online (http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036436.html).

Concerned homeowners should hire an independent, qualified professional engineer, licensed in South Carolina, to evaluate design and construction of the entire roof truss system. The most important issue is whether or not proper tiedown connectors have been installed at the ends of the main (long) roof trusses, to resist large uplift forces that will occur during a hurricane. Proper connections must also be provided within support walls so that wind uplift forces from main roof trusses are distributed down to foundations.

John F Mann, PE
1212 Main Street
Belmar NJ 07719
732-556-6080
.
.

Pulte & gov't inspectors...will they EVER get it right?

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:41:00 +0000

.
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036436.html

"Just as before, Beaufort County building inspectors apparently missed the problems spotted later by Kunich -- trusses that weren't fastened together or braced according to specifications. Despite the problems, county building inspectors issued certificates of occupancy for the homes, declaring them in compliance with construction guidelines and ready to live in."

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036437.html

"Kunich, a private home inspector whose work includes checking homes in Sun City, says he has found deficiencies there.

'At some of the homes I have looked at, they have no nails and no strapping,' he said. 'At one house almost every connection had no nails.'

Each home where he has found problems had been inspected months earlier by a county inspector and issued a certificate of occupancy, a document essentially saying the home is built properly.

'At all these houses, a county inspector had been there and CO'd them,' Kunich said."
.
.

roof bracing

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:07:00 +0000

.
.
On Friday I went with a friend to his framing inspection for his house in Sun City Reflections (Okatie, South Carolina). This is what I wrote to my friend in an email afterwards:

Subject: gable end bracing
Date: 11/13/2009 11:39:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
From: Rkoenigsc
To: ********,

At the framing inspection of your house today I noticed that the gable end on the north side of your house is braced with several lines of 2 by 4 bracing. This is what I would expect, given the height of the gable end, which was reported by Pulte's man to be 14 ft.

The gable end on the opposite south side of the house has only a single line of 2 by 4 bracing. It is curious to me why the bracing on the south side of the house would be so much less than the bracing on the opposite north side of the house.

None of the other gable ends in the front or back (west and east) are braced. While the gable ends in the front and back (west and east) are not as high as the gable ends on the sides (north and south), I would expect there to be some bracing at these gable ends.

The state building code requires that your house be capable of resisting a 130 mph (hurricane) wind. On the north and south gable ends this equates to a wind force of several tons, which must be resisted by bracing.

If you google "roof bracing gable end" you'll find much information on bracing gable ends, including the attached 2-page FEMA publication.

I hope that this is helpful.

Ray

From my previous experience with roof trusses and bracing in houses on this side of US 278, I found that often what is built doesn’t match what is specified. In particular, in the roof truss connections, where two nails were specified as a substitute for a hurricane clip, in MANY cases there was only one nail or no nails or nails that missed their target completely or nails in split wood that were ineffective.

In the Phase 5 lagoons, what was built didn’t match what was on the construction plans.

The fact that what’s constructed doesn’t match what’s specified seems to be a common thread with Pulte here.

Pulte’s man told my friend and I that his house had passed framing inspection the day before (Thursday). Another common thread is that the government inspectors aren’t picking this stuff up. Sun City Reflections (across the street) is in a different local jurisdiction than the original Sun City (not Beaufort County).

I pointed out to Pulte’s man that the wind blows the same on both sides of the house, therefore, the bracing on the gable end of one side of the house should be the same as the gable bracing on the other end. He argued "The engineer says...". I told him that I am an engineer. Didn’t make any difference. He continued to argue.

The bottom line is that my friend, like many others here, has decided that he will have the bracing installed at his own expense. It’s simply not worth the grief to argue it further with Pulte or the local government.

It is a sad commentary on Pulte Homes and the local governments that homeowners here have to reach into their own pockets to bring their houses up to (building) code.

PS The link to the FEMA publication is http://www.fema.gov/library/file?type=publishedFile&file=how2018_1__gable_end_roof.pdf&fileid=0a694bf0-0d5f-11dd-aeb1-001185636a87
.
.

Lagoon report card

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:05:00 +0000

.
Pulte = F - - -
for building the Phase 5 lagoons wrong in the first place, for denying that they had built them wrong for 3 YEARS, and for fixing only SOME, not ALL, of them.

Beaufort County = F - -
for their TOTAL lack of participation in resolving these matters. Check out Stormwater Management Utility Department on bcgov.net. Measure their vision statement, mission statement and program elements against what they did, which was NOTHING.

DHEC/OCRM = F - - -
as the lead state agency for protecting the environment, for failing to do so, for failing to know that the lagoons weren’t built according to plans, for failing to do anything about it for MONTHS and MONTHS after being told, for not requiring Pulte to fix ALL of the problems, and for dealing poorly with resident citizens and their concerns.

US Army Corps of Engineers = F - -
for interacting poorly with resident citizens and for failing to address environmental violations.

SCHH residents = D
except for a relative few, for failing to recognize that shoddy construction of lagoons negatively impacts the environment, the aesthetics of our community, and our pocketbooks. For letting Pulte ALMOST get away with another one (had it not been for the INCREDIBLE LONG AND HARD work of a VERY few).
.
.

Class action lawsuit

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:43:00 +0000

.
Download the actual court filing from the following link: http://ow.ly/wYGy

The lawsuit filing details allegations of Pulte's dishonest, reckless, and deliberate manipulation of the housing market. It's a "MUST READ" for those considering purchasing from Pulte, and those serious students of the causes of the housing market collapse.

From the court filing:
"Defendants acts and practices as described herein constitute unlawful, fraudulent, and unfair business acts and practices, in that (1) Defendants' conduct is unlawful; (2) Defendants' conduct is immoral, unfair, unethical, oppressive, unscrupulous, unconscionable, or substantially injurious to Plaintiff and members of the Class, and/or (3) the uniform conduct of Defendants has a tendency to deceive Plaintiff and the members of the Class."

.

SC Dept. of Health & Environmental Control

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

.
Today's (Sunday, October 25) editorial in The Island Packet entitled "Reforming DHEC gets tougher as time goes by, Political will to make meaningful changes is waning" states in part:

"...change must come. DHEC officials are too timid and too quick to compromise in favor of business interests. Those business interests too often have the ear of state legislators who pressure agency regulators and control the agency's purse strings. The agency also spends too much time 'working with' businesses who have violated the law, dragging out a process that should respond quickly to threats to public health and the environment."

NEVER has this been more clear as with the Phase 5 lagoon fiasco here (which is discussed in detail in earlier posts to this blog).
.
.

because they can

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:13:00 +0000

.
Pulte builds lousy houses because they can. Unless more people speak out publicly, this will continue.

There are MANY websites where you can tell your story: HOBB, HADD, poorlybuiltbypulte.com, http://citizensrevoltagainstpulte.blogspot.com/, etc. Google “Pulte shoddy” and you’ll see more.

If enough people tell their stories PUBLICLY, then maybe some day shoddy builders and inept (or corrupt) government building inspectors will be put out of business.

Tell your story PUBLICLY, on as many websites as you can find. Tell others who you know who are victims of Pulte's shoddy construction to do the same.
.
.

Twitter

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:50:00 +0000

.
Pulte, Pulte subcontractors, Pulte vendors, realtors, etc. use Twitter to advertise Pulte houses, and to pat Pulte on the back for their JD Power’s awards and their "wonderful" houses.

I use Twitter to voice the “other” side. I provide links to this blog (http://peretired.blogspot.com/), and to other sources that document Pulte’s shoddy construction.

You can too. Simply include "#Pulte" in all of your tweets. Include links to your blog and to other websites that document Pulte’s shoddy construction. You can create your own FREE blog by going to blogger.com and following the instructions.

Be sure to include "#Pulte" in all of your tweets. The hash mark (#) marks “Pulte”, so that when someone does a Twitter search for "Pulte", your tweet will be listed with all the other “Pulte” tweets.
.
.

Do they REALLY think that we're THAT stupid?

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:31:00 +0000

.
Two items of interest this week:

1- The SC Legislature voted this week to reject the proposal to place DHEC under the governor. The legislator from Richland County was quoted in the newspaper as saying “I don’t hear that anything is wrong with DHEC.” C’MON! The Columbia newspapers ran an ENTIRE SERIES of articles on inept DHEC. Then there's the Phase 5 lagoon fiasco here. SC Legislature, do you REALLY think that we’re THAT stupid?

2- The Island Packet reported that 668 SCHH houses had roofs that needed repair as a result of the re-inspections here two years ago. I’m reminded of a statement that Arthur Cummings, Director of the Beaufort County, SC Office of Building Code Enforcement, made at the time, which was quoted in Bluffton Today, that “a few bad connections had been found". Two years later and it’s still the status quo in the Beaufort County Office of Building Code Enforcement. C’MON, Mr. Cummings, Gary Kubic, County Executive, Beaufort County Council, and the local delegation to the SC Legislature that is WELL aware of the facts, do you REALLY think that we’re THAT stupid?

Maybe we REALLY are that stupid if we let government officials and elected representatives get away with this kind of stuff. Will ANYBODY (besides me) remember this come local election time?
.
.

Who do I trust?

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:21:00 +0000

.
With one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, purchases that I will make in my life? THAT is the question.

The fact is that to a large extent you have to trust the builder when you purchase a new home. There are MANY opportunities and MANY places to hide shoddy construction when building a new house. You, or your representative, can’t be at all places where and at all times when work is being done on your new house. You’re at the mercy of the builder. Is the builder worthy of your trust?

What about third parties, like JD Power, that gives awards based on customer satisfaction? What about the Better Business Bureau? Can JD Power or the BBB assure you that your new house will be built well?

What about the internet? The internet has LOTS of information from MANY sources. Can information obtained from the internet be trusted?

What about experts? Home inspectors? Engineers? Other experts? Can they be trusted?

Friends? Even family? Can they be trusted to tell you whether or not you can trust the builder?

Who can you trust? Perhaps, in the end, only YOURSELF. BEFORE you make the biggest purchase of your life, get ALL the information that you can, sort through it the best that you can, and trust YOURSELF. There is NO substitute for due diligence.
.
.

How true!

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:44:00 +0000

.
“You can’t tell a book by looking at its cover.”
“Beauty is only skin deep.”
“Put lipstick on a pig.”
“I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in.”
“A good house needs a good foundation.”
“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

We’ve heard them ALL before. Some of these sayings have been around FOREVER.

Pulte houses look good at first glance; but, you can’t build a good house:

with a poor foundation
with lousy subcontractors
without supervision
without quality control
if all that you're concerned with is "the bottom line"

Google “Pulte shoddy” and see for yourself.
.

Beaufort County, SC takes its time

rkoenigsc@aol.com (PE, retired) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:12:00 +0000

.
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/995919.html

"...County Administrator Gary Kubic brought in IAS in late 2007 to review the building department after news surfaced several months earlier that trusses...were defective. The trusses weren't fastened together securely enough with metal plates and nails or they had too few wooden cross beams to provide adequate bracing. Such defects could have allowed the roofs to fly off in extreme winds, experts said.

Some of the problems that IAS turned up in Beaufort County's building department were house-keeping matters, but others were substantive. For example:

• Two of the three employees who inspect plans for homes lack the proper certification.
• The building department does not have a schedule for appraising its employees, nor do appraisals include performance goals.
• There are no policies and procedures specifying how new employees are trained, nor is training documented.
• Although employees sign statements saying that they are aware of the county's conflict-of-interest regulations, "there is no evidence that department employees have received training" on conflict of interest issues.
• Audits to determine whether the building department is adhering to policies and procedures are not conducted.

IAS reviewers interviewed employees and supervisors in the building department and also spent time with them in the field, Archer said. Contractors and homebuilders were interviewed to get their impressions of the building department. The evaluation is expected to cost the county about $15,000, county officials said.

"Our program is very thorough," Archer said. Evaluating a building department typically takes 9 to 14 months, but in Beaufort County's case it's expected to take more than two years.

One reason it took so long is that the building department spent nine months gathering some of the data IAS requested. "
.
.