Syncon has begun to do
things differently
Throughout our website we've shown
the various construction defects found in our Syncon Homes-built La Costa house. One of the most serious of the
problems we discussed is the siding/wall/foundation construction defect on
our house with its consequences of safety, habitability, and durability
problems. In particular, it was shown that the defect flew directly
in the face of Syncon's promise that they build "superior" and
high "quality" houses.
The
evidence of what we discovered has been presented in photos, documents, and
references to the building
code sections. For review, they can be seen on our
EIFS, Omega
Siding, Syncon
Letter, and Band-Aid
Repair web pages.
In
summary, Syncon's lack of good workmanship has not only resulted in a
structure that contributes to air, water, and vermin intrusion but also
raises structural questions. It creates a situation where the 2x6
wall is not fully supported on the foundation. They have effectively sold us something
less than they promised, less than they advertised, and less than we agreed to
buy.
Does Syncon know of
the defect?
Syncon
Homes has been made well aware of the defect and the evidence we
discovered in our house. We've formally advised them of the problem
and the appropriate resolution, they've thoroughly read our website
countless times and
we've seen other homeowners identify and demand repairs of a similar defect
in their La Costa homes.
What
we haven't seen is the building of any new houses since our
identification and publication of the problem. As such, there's been
no evidence to indicate whether they would continue to build the
foundation v. wall v. siding structure in the same fashion as they did on
our house - with the sill plate hanging off the side of the foundation.
Until Now .
. . !
Here is the
house they've just begun to build:
Both can't be right
Syncon
has begun the construction of a new house in their Monterra
neighborhood. It is an existing development within walking distance
of their La Costa tract that's built on the same exact foundation-type
(post-tension slab) and uses the same exact siding system as the ones used
on our house. It's the
siding shown and described on our Omega
siding page with the same exact installation requirements.
Here is the key . . .
-
If they built the new
foundation & wall of the Monterra tract house in the same manner
found in our house, with the wall hanging off the foundation, it would indicate
that they believed they did not violate building codes or installation
instructions on our house.
-
However, if they changed the way
that they built the foundation & wall of the Monterra house,
beginning with the wall not hanging off the foundation, it would show that
they in fact violated the building codes and installation instructions
applicalbe to our house.
Both ways can't be the right way to
build the structure. One has to be right and the other has to be wrong.
It's that simple so let's
see what we found . . .
Syncon's actions speak louder
than words!
How did Syncon
Homes build the first wall they have erected in Douglas County since we
notified them of the serious defect they built into our house? Which
way did they choose to go?
They
chose the method that complies with the building codes and installation
instructions! In other words, they stopped hanging the
wall off the side of the foundation, like they did on our house, and chose
to begin building it the right way in the Monterra house. It's
completely different than the way they put the wall on the foundation in
our house and many other in the La Costa tract.
In the end,
actions speak louder than words and Syncon's actions are speaking clearly
in this instance.
Their actions confirm that they were wrong in the way they built our
house and that there's no defense for it.
Had they not been wrong, they would
not have done it differently with the
Monterra house.
It's a revealing
development!
This is how
they changed
After pouring the new foundation,
they placed the
bottom of the wall (sole plate) fully on it without hanging it
over the edge like they did on our house. They've built it parallel
to the foundation's edge along the entire length of the wall, which will
allow them to assemble the shear panel and the siding system correctly as
long as they continue the assembly in compliance with the installation
instructions.
In evidence, here's the diagram showing the
correct assembly of the foundation, wall structure, and siding from the
instructions Syncon is required to follow. The remaining photos
are close-up shots showing the wall they've erected on the new
Monterra house. Notice how the bottom of the wall is sitting exactly
as shown in the diagram.
It's just the
first step towards Syncon's compliance with the building codes and the
siding instructions. However, Syncon will need to continue with the
proper placement of the siding so that they are
able to avoid the fatal problem we've encountered in our La Costa house.
Can Syncon make our
house right?
Since their actions show
the construction of our wall v. foundation v. siding is defective, the questions become:
-
How can Syncon
Homes make their defective foundation/wall/siding
installation on our La Costa house comply with the building codes, installation
instructions, and construction documents?
-
How can the wall
become fully supported and the load properly transferred into the
ground after the foundation has already been poured and the walls
have already been defectively attached?
-
How can it be done
to stop weather, wind, water and vermin intrusion into the wall structure?
-
How can it be done
without tearing our house down and making it completely
uninhabitable?
-
How can it be done
so that it does not increase the maintenance costs for the us?
In other words, how can Syncon Homes
make defects such as these:
Look and perform the
right way, like these:
The answer is
that they can't do it.
The problem may begin with a
foundation that wasn't built properly or it may begin with framing
that wasn't installed according to code causing the siding to be installed
far from the foundation. We really don't know where it begins, but
it really doesn't matter. No matter what the initial cause turns out
to be, it will require that:
The structure be
demolished
since the defect originates so far and so severely into the basic structure of the
house. That's the only way we can see it being properly repaired,
rather than being covered up with an inappropriate and insufficient
Band-Aid as they've offered others.
Such a house is not the home Syncon
promised us and it is not the home we would have bought
had such defects and consequences been properly disclosed. It also something
entirely different than they advertised and it's a situation that we do
not deserve, so:
Syncon
knows
what needs to be done . . . without further delay.
Syncon's actions speak
loudly, again
We just presented evidence that
Syncon Homes corrected their siding vs. sill plate vs. foundation defect in the first
nearby house they built since we brought the defect to light.
However, it would validate our position even more if they made the same
correction on any new houses they began to build in our tract of homes (La
Costa). That wasn't possible . . . until
now.
Syncon Homes just began the
construction of three new houses in our tract in August 2008. The question remains,
would they hang the sill plate off the side of the foundation, like they
did on our house, or would they comply with the various building codes and
siding installation instructions by placing it directly on the
foundation?
As a reminder, if they continued
to hang the sill plate off the foundation, it would speak directly to
their belief that they had properly built our foundation and sill
plate. However, if they constructed it differently by ensuring
the sill plate was completely on and parallel to the foundation, it
would confirm that our house was defectively constructed. Had
there been no defect, there would have been no reason to change the
way they built it. Both ways could not be right.
Let's see the evidence of what they
have done on the newest houses to be built in our tract:
Just as on the newly constructed
house in the Monterra tract, Syncon Homes is no longer building them with
the construction defect found in our house. They are now placing the
sill plate fully on the foundation with the edge not hanging off the side.
We are still left with the question
of, Why? Since Syncon Homes' latest actions have confirmed that a
defect exists in our house:
-
Why do they still insist
that a defect does not exist in our house?
-
Why do they refuse to
acknowledge their violations of the building codes in our house?
-
Why do they continue to
refuse to resolve a problem that has obviously contributed to our
various habitability problems?
-
Why have they failed to honor
their warranty with us as required under the law?
-
Why does a company conduct
itself in such a fashion?
We think the answers to those
questions are quite obvious and that they speak clearly about Syncon
Homes.
In the meantime, Syncon Homes still
knows what they need to do, and it doesn't happen to be their continued
refusal to acknowledge the defective construction in our house. They
need to live up to the promises they made to us, comply with the various
laws and mandates, and resolve the situation as we have already presented
to them.
