Council discusses construction issues in Hutto Parke
Ways to help residents get their houses fixed and how to improve the image of the neighborhood were broached two weeks ago during a city council workshop in city hall. Dan McDowell, chief building official for the City of Hutto, said the city was notified last March about nails popping out of walls in several Lennar homes. The city subsequently received calls that framing on the some houses had not been completed properly. Some homeowners have said the expansive soil where the subdivision is located is to blame for problems they have with their houses.

Council discusses construction issues in Hutto Parke
 

By NANCY ROYDEN
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 7:11 AM CST

Sometimes bad things happen in life and folks just want to get past them and move on. This is what is happening to some people who live in Lennar-built houses in the Hutto Parke subdivision.

Some say they never had any problems, while others are suing the Miami, Fla.-based firm.

Ways to help residents get their houses fixed and how to improve the image of the neighborhood were broached two weeks ago during a city council workshop in city hall.

Dan McDowell, chief building official for the City of Hutto, said the city was notified last March about nails popping out of walls in several Lennar homes. The city subsequently received calls that framing on the some houses had not been completed properly.

McDowell told council members that Lennar repaired 110 houses and was working on 10 more of them last week.

He said it seems like overall communication between Lennar and the homeowners of the reportedly defective houses is improving.

“We started facilitating dialogue between Lennar and the homeowners,” he said.

Some homeowners have said the expansive soil where the subdivision is located is to blame for problems they have with their houses.

The city has started educating people about the soil, but there is no quick fix for the affected houses. Each situation must be looked at on an individual basis, McDowell said.

Mayor Ken Love and Councilwoman Ronnie Quintanilla-Perez both live in houses built by Lennar and have not experienced problems with their houses, as is the case with others in Hutto Parke.

Councilwoman Tina Slayton said her house was built by Centex and she has had similar problems. She said Lennar would have to be held to city construction ordinances.

“I just don't think that we should ask them to stop building,” she said.

Quintanilla-Perez said most of the people who are in the affected houses do not want to leave Hutto; they want their houses to be fixed the right way. She said things appear very bad concerning the houses, but this is not a complete picture.

Love said some residents who picket Lennar just outside the neighborhood's entrance give the impression to people that the neighborhood is not a good place to live.

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