Other builders can do
it right . . .
Why couldn't Syncon
Homes
when they built our
house?
We've written about different
problems with our house that was built by Syncon
Homes. One of the most severe of the problems involves the relationship
between siding, wall, and foundation. It's been discussed in-depth
on our EIFS,
Omega
Siding, and Syncon
letter pages. We encourage you to review those pages to provide
some perspective.
The manufacturer's
instructions, building codes and County-approved construction documents show and dictate the right way to assemble
the foundation, wall and siding structure. We've always wondered why
Syncon Homes had simply ignored, refused to follow or failed to comply
with the codes and instructions that they had no right whatsoever to not
fully implement when they built our house.
We tried to think of some excuses
that they might offer to justify their actions. We just tried to put
ourselves in their shoes, so we began to wonder
if they would eventually claim that:
-
It was impossible for them to pour a
square foundation,
-
It was impossible for them to
align a sole plate with the foundation edge,
-
The requirements dictated by the siding manufacturer and/or the
building code were so strict that they were impossible to meet, and/or
-
They were simply following
building conventions in Douglas County, Nevada.
Note: Let
us be perfectly clear, nobody from Syncon
Homes has made any of these statements to us.
To see if such excuses would be
defensible, we
went into the community to investigate.
The Answer!
We found our
answer in an actual foundation of a house that is currently under
construction by a builder other than Syncon Homes. This is a home
that is similarly priced to the house we bought from Syncon Homes and is
being built within just a few miles of the La Costa tract.
Here
are the photos of what we found:
Sole plate is even with
the sides of the foundation
The
sole plate remains even on every side of the foundation
Each
of these photos show the sole plate sitting fully and consistently on top
of the concrete foundation. This builder will be able to install
their siding flush against the foundation in contrast to Syncon who was
unable to accomplish the task.
The
builder's workmanship proves that:
-
It is possible, without
question, to pour a
square foundation,
-
It is possible, without
question, to
align a sole plate with the foundation edge,
-
The requirements dictated by the siding manufacturer and/or the
building code are not impossible to meet, and
-
Syncon Homes is not following convention in Douglas County,
Nevada, since other homebuilders do not hang their sole plates over the
outside edge of the foundation.
As a reminder, here is a diagram
that shows the way Syncon was and is required to build their foundation,
wall and siding. They show various installation requirements for the
siding that include, in part, the placement of the sill plate fully on the
foundation as seen in the non-Syncon pictures.
We've also included a picture
of Syncon's failure to meet the required standards as another
reminder. When compared against the diagram and the pictures of the
properly built foundation and sill plate, Syncon Homes' construction
defects become quite apparent.
Sill plate hanging over the
edge of the foundation
Inside the wall showing light
coming from under the improperly installed siding
Why?
Questions remain about how the
siding ended up being improperly installed by Syncon Homes on our house:
-
Was the
foundation not poured square, requiring the sill plate to be installed
improperly to compensate for the mistake?
-
Was the sill plate simply
installed wrong for some unknown reason?
-
Was the problem a
combination of such construction defects?
We really don't know where
the problem begins. We simply know that Syncon's construction
defect begins somewhere and that it's a code violation. It results in improperly installed siding,
which cause serious habitability, safety, and durability problems.
We also have a few other questions:
-
If other builders can do it right, why
couldn't Syncon do it right on our house?
-
If other builders can
comply with the building code and component installation
instructions, why couldn't Syncon do the same for us?
-
Why has Syncon Homes denied the true extent
of the problem and tried to cover the construction defect with "Band
Aid" repairs?
-
Why
won't Syncon Homes take responsibility for their failure and fix the
problem the right way on our house?
-
Why hasn't Syncon built our
house as they describe and advertised . . . "superior"
and of the "highest quality?'
-
Why?
These are all questions that any prospective Syncon homebuyer
might want to consider before they make their final decision. They
are also questions that Syncon Homes should be asking themselves.
