Homeowners allege construction defects in lawsuits
The lawsuit says Lewis Homes/KB Home have maintained there are no defects, but nevertheless have performed some repairs that the defendants say have not been adequate to solve the problems. The homeowners claim to have problems with roofs, water and dirt entering through windows, bugs and water entering through their foundations and cracked stucco and drywall.

Homeowners allege construction defects in lawsuits
Steve Green
Fri, Feb 20, 2009

Homeowners at three developments in Summerlin and Silverado have filed lawsuits alleging their properties need to be repaired because of construction defects.

Lewis Homes of Nevada and KB Home Nevada were sued this month in Clark County District Court by 17 homeowners alleging defects in their homes in the Napa Hills by Lewis Homes and Sonoma Hills by Lewis Homes development near the Las Vegas Beltway and Far Hills Avenue in Summerlin.

The plaintiffs, represented by attorneys with the Las Vegas law firm Shinnick, Ryan & Ransavage, are seeking class-action status for the lawsuit involving the development they say consists of 439 homes.

The lawsuit says Lewis Homes/KB Home have maintained there are no defects, but nevertheless have performed some repairs that the defendants say have not been adequate to solve the problems. The homeowners claim to have problems with roofs, water and dirt entering through windows, bugs and water entering through their foundations and cracked stucco and drywall.

Officials at KB Home had no immediate comment on the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages to cover repairs and for an alleged decline in the value of the homes.

Separately, two owners of property in The Huntington development are seeking class-action status for their lawsuit against Del Webb’s Coventry Homes of Nevada.

The suit says the plaintiffs’ properties in the Silverado development, which has 242 homes, also have problems with roofs and have leaking windows, dirt coming through windows, cracks in drywall, cracks and stains in stucco and water and insects intruding through foundation slabs.

Plaintiffs Edith and Loren Johnston are also represented by attorneys with the firm Shinnick, Ryan & Ransavage. The suit says Del Webb has asserted that the homes have no defects and that any repairs it performed were successful in solving problems. The homeowners disagree and claim the alleged defects have not been corrected.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages for the cost of repairs and the alleged loss of market value the homes have sustained.

The development is near Bermuda Road and Silverado Ranch Boulevard. A spokeswoman for Pulte Homes Inc., owner of Del Webb, said the builder had not yet been served with the suit and had no other immediate comment.

Separately, two owners of homes in the area of Pebble Road and Maryland Parkway in Silverado sued William Lyon Homes alleging problems with their roofs, eaves, stucco, concrete flatwork; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and drywall.

The suit, filed by attorneys with the firm Angius & Terry, alleges the builder’s attempts to correct the alleged deficiencies failed to do so.

The properties named in the complaint are owned by James Larocca on Labine Street and Constance Larocca on Newcombe Street.

Their suit seeks damages to cover the cost of repairs and the alleged loss of value the homes have sustained.

William Lyon Homes officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Steve Green can be reached at 990-7714 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/feb/20/homeowners-allege-construction-defects-lawsuits/