New homes are springing up daily in the metro-area. Each city has building codes. Safeguards, to ensure new homes are built according to plan. Official says things went awry in one Madison neighborhood, leaving several high-priced houses on the block.

The City of Madison is dealing with mortgage fraud, foreclosures, and homes abandoned by builders in upscale neighborhoods. Now code inspectors are scrutinizing details on new home construction. One city inspector preferred not to go on camera.  He pointed out inconsistencies on the approved blueprints from the current stage of construction on one Woods Crossing home. He said, "It has a dormer over the garage, the plans don't have that." Details specified on plans, but in non-compliance when built. Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler said the plans submitted are not what's on the ground."

The inspector says some builders often change plans...cutting corners putting in less expensive  doors and windows than original blueprints specified. Stop work orders are not uncommon.  They happen in all cities. Anything out of sync from a trashy lot to elevation issues can a result in a halt to construction until corrected by the builder. We found something a little out of the ordinary. Construction been shut down on 11 house in Woods Crossing subdivision of Madison.    The Mayor says that's a high number.  Apparently things didn't go according to plan.  We also learned a building inspector is no longer on the job.

The stop work orders were posted on the upscale homes October 6th.  What's left on the ground are exposed rafters at one location, work stopped on a house almost finished and ready to put on the market.  Homes now exposed to the elements because details didn't match up. Inspectors tell us the non-compliance issues should have been caught early on. INSPECTOR: "We do catch it." But apparently one building inspector didn't catch it. The Mayor says the unidentified inspector who signed off on all the homes is now off the job, forced to resign. 

The properties were built by River Heritage Builders. John and Greg Gussio. Our attempts to talk with Mr. Gussio at his Madison home were unsuccessful. We reached Greg Gussio on his cell phone but he hung up, our message went unanswered. 

The State Board of Contractors says 11 complaints have been filed against the builders since 1996. Homeowner complaints that have been corrected.  So what happens next?  "Good question. We are waiting to see," said Mayor Hawkins-Butler.

What recourse do you  new homebuyers have? Experts tell us potential buyers may want to check out home plans themselves, ensuring what's on the ground matches what's on the blueprint. 

Madison officials tell us the 11 houses do not have structural problems, adding all of these issues can be corrected. The City says they have requested the builders to appear before an open Council meeting to address their concerns.  They were not on the agenda Tuesday night.

WLBT News made repeated attempts to contact builders Greg and John Gussio for their side of the story. They did not return our calls.