WAYNE
COUNTY, N.C. -- A recent report from the North Carolina Public Interest
Research Group (PIRG) highlights what it calls "deficiencies" in the
system that keep homeowners from protecting themselves. PIRG said
contracts often take away the buyer's right to sue. They also claim
government agencies do not do enough to protect consumers. One Wayne
County couple knows about these problems first-hand.
Lisa
and Paul Daniels thought they did everything right when they hired
their builder. He was licensed, recommended, and president of the Wayne
County Builders' Association, but in the end, none of that mattered.
From
the outside, Lisa and Paul Daniels' three-bedroom brick home looks like
any other new home, except for the "No Trespassing" sign on the front
door.
"The estimates to repair are greater than the cost of building the home," said Paul Daniel.
The
home has been empty for 6½ years. The first sign of trouble was a
crooked vinyl floor. Paul Daniel soon found out the builder Jeff G.
Moore did not measure correctly. In fact, opposite walls of the same
room are not the same lengths.
The
magnitude of the problem was not clear until the Daniels hired an
engineer to assess it. He noted 31 code violations, many of which he
said affect "structural integrity."
"The front of the house is 7 inches longer than the back," Lisa said.
The Daniels questioned Moore, who blamed the problem on human error.
The
engineer said because of that mistake, the house sits unevenly on the
concrete foundation, so it does not have enough support.
"I
never expected for him to come out from under the foundation and say
it's going to be cheaper to tear this whole house down," Lisa said.
"It kind of leaves you with a sick feeling," Paul said.
Especially
because despite five inspections, Wayne County inspector Joe Nassef
didn't notice the problems until after the engineer's report. Nassef
would only tell Five On Your Side he never did a final inspection. But
no one could verify that because when the controversy arose, the
inspection reports disappeared.
County
Manager Lee Smith did not return messages from Five On Your Side. Moore
will not talk with Five On Your Side either. The Daniels believe they
are protecting each other, and nobody is protecting them or other
homebuyers from serious construction problems.
"They're
hidden. They're behind the walls, above the ceilings, below the
floors," Linda said. "How many people go look through a house and crawl
under the house?"
With
no one accepting responsibility, the Daniels sued. The county settled
for more than $94,000. Last month, a judge ordered Jeff Moore to pay
them $696,000. Also, Moore's license is revoked.
As
for Nassef, he was promoted to Chief Building Inspector, then retired
last year although he still inspects for the county part-time.
Experts
tell Five On Your Side these situations are not rare. If you have a
house built, it might help to hire your own inspector to check things
throughout the process.
