new home problems

12 years ago

Help! We bought our first new home (9/2011) and found many problems. We are in our 60's and wanted this to be our dream and final home. It has been a disaster since moving in. First Irene blew through and since our yard had not been finished landscaping (was told it was too dry to finish before we moved in) it flooded and stunk! The landscapers have been back twice and they always say (again) too dry to do right, even though it was flooded again since the hurricane. I want to address the SMELL of our yard (a full acre). This seems such a crazy problem to have!!! We cannot open the windows as the dirt smells of sewage or fertilizer or BOTH! We asked the contractor since we were concerned having a "septic" maybe it had been damaged somehow? We were told this is a common smell for the local dirt? We are not local so we could not dispute this. Not being avid gardner's we could not figure this out either. They planted grass seed, finally, but since we have had another flooding rain part of it got washed away! I understand that "mother nature" is messing with us but the smell is still bad and we have noted many other flaws in our new dream home ....such as siding falling off, tubs separating from the walls, paint so thin you can see through it and if bumped comes off. None of the grout has been sealed and tile man has admitted this was not part of the deal he made with the contractor but would provide us with sealer ...:( I have a serious lung disease(COPD and EMPYH) and my hubby has leukemia. We have NO clue as to how we are supposed to seal the grout since it covers all the kitchen and three baths including one huge master double shower. We dare not use this shower! The paint issue is another huge problem and one of the reasons we bought a new home so we would not have to paint OR live in a home being painted since we both have health problems! The wood floors are being marked even with bare-feet. We are thinking of buying carpet to cover and protect our investment in them. This house was NOT cheap!!! It seems every reason we had for buying a new home has been tested! We hate to sound so negative but we are wondering what to do now. We hate confronting the people that built this home as it is stressful for us but we have to do something as we cannot afford to hire out this work to be done for a brand new home and shouldn't have to do this! HELP! Lee

Comments (3)

texasredhead
12 years ago
Lets see, you signed on last Friday to tell us your tale of woe. You both have serious medical problems, you purchased a new home that sounds like its a case for Mike Holms, and you don't want to confront the builder because it's stressful. You don't seem to be able to do any of this work yourselves, so what would you like us to tell you? The tile grout sealer comes in a can or bottle and can be applied with an old toothbrush or a small paint brush. Ask the tile man what he would charge to seal the grout. The purpose of the sealer is to keep the grout from becoming dirty. I'm not sure I understand the shower problem.

How are the wood floors being marked? What type of wood?
nycefarm_gw
12 years ago
Soil that isn't disturbed a lot can put off an odor that smells, almost like sewer stink. It eventually will fade. It has been a few years since we have been in our house, but remember that odor when the first dug the footings...
You should not have to confront the builder about your issues, but the sad truth is if YOU don't, they won't fix it. Make your list and document the items with photos.
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carolssis
12 years ago
You can write letters to your builder, make sure you keep a copy, and date it. Keep any replies in writing. Take notes of telephone calls, and what is said by whom, date these notes also. If the builder is not going to make repairs, contact the Better Business Bureau. They will not handle these issues for you, only you can do that. Document any problems with paint, flooring and yard, with photos. Keep them all together in a file. Good luck, you have to depend on yourself to fix this one.