Throughout this website you will
find evidence of a variety of constructions defects that exist on our
Syncon-built home. In
particular, one fatal defect involves our siding installation v. wall
construction v. foundation problem.
We've shown pictures of the defect
on our house, provided the installation instructions from the
siding manufacturer, presented an evaluation report that
outlines installation requirements so the siding meets
building codes and provided building codes that reasonably apply to the application of the siding. All of it has shown that Syncon Homes'
workmanship has resulted in a construction defect that has already led to
habitability problems and that will significantly increase our maintenance
costs and question the durability of the structure.
For a complete picture of the
construction defect involving the siding, it's best to have read our EIFS, Omega and the Letter
pages. Further evidence can also be found on our Band
Aid page the Right
Way page and others.
What does the
Government of the United States reveal?
We have just discovered a report that's new to us. It comes directly from the Government
of the United States of America. In particular, it's a
Material's Release from the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that addresses the
siding Syncon Homes installed on our house and others in the La Costa
tract, the "Diamond Wall Stucco
System."
Throughout this document, we
have provided a full copy of the HUD Materials Release. It is 7
pages in length.
You will see that some notes
have been made on the document, in red. They were added by us to
bring your attention to certain issues that speak directly to Syncon
Homes' workmanship. Otherwise, the document is presented in full,
without any redactions.
EIFS - External
Insulation Finish System
If you've read this website, you've
witnessed the use of the term "EIFS." It stands for
"Exterior Insulation Finish System." Syncon Homes has
taken exception to the use of this term and has been advising their
homebuyers, with the same defect found on our home, that the siding system they used
is not "EIFS."
What they are doing is using a tactic of
making an issue over the name to draw attention away from their faulty
installation. It's a tactic employed when they simply are unable to refute the evidence we've
presented.
The issue of calling it "EIFS" or
not really doesn't matter. The true issue lies elsewhere. It
lies with their faulty installation and the consequences of their actions.
We'll address that issue in a moment. Until then, let's see what a department of the United States Government has
to say about the name so Syncon's diversion can be put to bed.
What does the US
Government call the Diamond Wall Siding System?
"Insulation
Finish
System
(for the) Exterior"
"Exterior
Insulation
Finish System"
-
It doesn't matter which side of
"IFS" the
"E" is
placed.
-
The
"exterior"
of the wall is the "exterior"
of the wall, no matter how
anyone looks at it.
As with any EIFS product, the
"Diamond Wall Stucco System" used by Syncon Homes has
External
Insulation,
with a Finish
applied to the top, that together with the other components designed to
evacuate water amounts to a System.
It appears that the Government of the United
States of America sees it that way in their official Materials Report
on the product used by Syncon Homes.
The real issue
The real issue is that Syncon Homes'
attempt to misdirect attention to the name is an effort to hide
from the truth and evidence. They're muddying the waters with worthless
diversions and denials over an issue that doesn't matter so that their homebuyers won't see
the elephant in the room - their defective installation in violation of
the manufacturer's instructions, building codes, and the construction
documents. It's a typical tactic used when the
truth and evidence cannot be refuted.
Syncon Homes' defective installation
is something we've already discussed throughout our website.
However, we'll see what the new information from the Government of the
United States of America has to say on this subject on page 2 of their
Materials Release report.
In the meantime, here's the first page of the
Materials Release report for the Diamond Wall Stucco System that contains the sections we've already
quoted:
Installation
Instructions
Next, we come to the installation
requirements for the siding. Elsewhere on our website we've shown that Syncon
Homes was required to follow the siding manufacturer's installation
requirements. However, the evidence we've presented showed that they
failed to do so.
If you haven't read the other pages,
here is a diagram/detail from the installation instructions. It shows
how the siding is to be installed in relation to the wall and the
foundation. Overall, the siding is supposed to be adjacent
to the foundation.
When we look at Syncon Homes'
workmanship on our house, we see something different. We see the
sill plate sitting partially off the foundation so that it pushes the
siding away from the side of the foundation. We also see the shear
panel attached behind the weep screed, exposed to the elements.
Again as a reminder, here are two
pictures showing what we've already described. The first shows the
defective installation/construction of the siding and sill plate.
The second is a view from the
interior of the wall. It shows how the defect creates voids that
cause serious habitability problems.
What does the
Government of the United States reveal?
The question becomes, what does HUD,
an official entity of the Government of the United States of America, have to say
about a situation where they would be involved? It's underlined in red on page 2 of the
HUD Materials Release and it's quite clear as follows:
"Diamond Wall System shall
be installed . . . in accordance with (the manufacturer's) specifications
(and) typical details
. . . ."
"The installation of the
Diamond Wall system shall
be in accordance with manufacturer's installation
instructions."
?
How much more clear can it
be ?
When the "Diamond Wall Siding System" is used,
it has to be applied as directed by the
manufacturer and shown in the detail/diagram that we've provided above.
They are "shall" sections, which leave
no option
to deviate from the instructions,
even by Syncon Homes. However, it's quite clear that the
instructions and diagrams/details were not followed when Syncon Homes
built our house. The pictures provide the proof while the serious
habitability problems we've already experienced show the consequences of
Syncon's failure to comply with the mandated instructions.
What have we seen?
Throughout our website we have
presented:
-
The siding installation
instructions for the product used by Syncon Homes,
-
The siding evaluation report
that confirms the validity of the installation requirements and
requires compliance to ensure the product performs as designed,
-
Code sections that dictate adherence
to the siding installation instructions, and
-
A section from the
construction documents that mandate adherence to the installation
instructions
Now we've added:
It speaks specifically of the siding
used by Syncon Homes and requires adherence to the siding
manufacturer's installation instructions and diagrams/details.
We've also presented photographic
evidence on our website of the workmanship completed by Syncon
Homes. The evidence clearly shows that:
-
Syncon Homes failed to
build the walls/siding of our house as required by the siding manufacturer,
-
They failed to adhere to
the installation instructions when they built our house,
-
They created a structure on
our house that clearly amounts to a significant construction defect, and
-
Now they have been shown to
have built the siding/wall differently than HUD, a department of the
Federal Government, would have required.
Syncon Homes
The question becomes, how often does
Syncon homes need to be told how to do the job right? Let's count:
-
They were told by the
manufacturer (installation instructions) how to install the siding,
yet our evidence shows they failed to do so.
-
They were told by the
product evaluation report how to install the siding so it met
building codes
and performed as designed, yet our evidence shows they failed to do so.
-
They were then told to
follow the manufacturer's instructions by the building code, yet our
evidence shows they failed to do so.
-
Uniquely, they also told
themselves in the construction documents that they were mandated to
comply with the installation instructions, yet our evidence shows
they failed to do so.
-
Finally, the US Federal
Government published a Materials Release that also requires that the
installation instructions and diagrams/details be followed, yet
Syncon Homes did otherwise.
It appears that five sources of
information isn't enough. That's completely unacceptable performance.
Syncon Homes also needs to cease
trying to misdirect attention to issues that don't matter. Instead, Syncon Homes needs to:
-
Own up to their
failures,
-
Acknowledge the existence
of the construction defect they caused,
-
Do the right thing,
and
-
Resolve the problem as
we've presented to them!
Additional Information
Thank you for reading this page and
considering our evidence, but be sure to review our other web pages for a
full perspective of Syncon Homes' performance, history and customer
service actions.
You will also find the remaining
pages (3-7) of the HUD report below. It has been provided for continuity. Feel free to read it for additional
information.
