Warranties...who is responsible for the warranty on your home?
Readers, please carefully read the wording in this amendment to a law that will affect your rights as a homeowner. In this case, 'exciting' is not a good thing."A builder shall assign to the homeowner, without recourse, the manufacturer's warranty for all manufactured products that are covered by a manufacturer's warranty." ..."Any rights that inure to the homeowner provided under a manufacturer's warranty are the obligation of the manufacturer. The builder does not assume any of the obligations of the manufacturer resulting from a manufacturer's warranty, but shall coordinate with the manufacturer, suppliers, or agents to achieve compliance with the performance standard."... As far as I can tell, there are no 'rights' given to the homeowner by this amendment. All this amendment does is give the shoddy builder, who buys and utilizes underperforming and defective manufactured products, another dilatory tactic. All it does is make the homeowner have to labor to have their home repaired in a timely fashion.

Express-News: Foundation Failures...Why so many in Texas?
How is it that for over a century contractors have built skyscrapers and massive structures that span acres, and millions of homes that have withstood decades of rain and drought, yet Texas Homebuilders have such a dismal record when it comes to constructing foundations that properly support the walls, ceilings, and other superstructure components? Simply put, why are there so many houses in Texas with foundations that have failed or are otherwise in need of foundation repairs/stabilization? The favorite excuse that shoddy builders use when explaining away yet another failed foundation is 'Texas soils'. Somehow we are expected to believe that the soils in Texas occur nowhere else in the world. While quality homebuilders are busy building homes with solid, properly engineered foundations that will last for 100 or more years, shoddy builders are busy petitioning the Texas legislature to continue to allow them to build substandard houses.

House OKs Homebuilder Restrictions
It would require licensing of homebuilders, requiring regular continued education and would strengthen the inspection process..."This bill is a good patch job, but there is still a long way to go to ensure that homeowners are fully protected from shoddy homebuilders," said Alex Winslow, executive director of the watchdog group Texas Watch. Winslow praised the bill for giving homeowners a choice whether to enter the TRCC's inspection process or go to mediation; requiring new builders to face bonding and exams; and for making the dispute resolution process expedited and free for homeowners.

New homebuyers stand to gain some protection, builders to be licensed
The much-maligned Texas Residential Construction Commission (TRCC) was given new life after the Sunset Commission unanimously rejected its own staff's recommendation that it be allowed to die. But the TRCC, scorned by one state official as the "builder protection agency," will be a changed outfit if a reform bill that passed a House committee last week becomes law. "Establishing at least a minimum standard for what it means to be a builder in this state; requiring them to hold a bond in case they've done something wrong - they have to be accountable for that; that's good," noted Winslow. "It's a real improvement."

Bill to Save TRCC From Sun Setting on the Builders Agency Moves
HB 2295 – the TRCC Sunset bill – was substituted and voted out of committee last Friday with a unanimous vote.  The bill and a summary are attached. The bill now refers to builders as "Licensed" rather than "Registered," with a surety bond for some builders and educational requirements, are some of the features included in the bill.   After this bill is voted out of the House, it’ll move to the Senate for a hearing.

 Substitute Bill 2295  - Summary of TRCC Sunset Bill HB 2295