Contact Reporter Chris Saldaña.

The largest construction defect lawsuit in the State of Nevada is pitting hundreds of homeowners against a well-known developer.

Residents of Sun City Summerlin are suing the neighborhood's developer -- Del Webb -- claiming it failed to install metal strips that protect a home's foundation against water damage.

It is this community in Summerlin where frustration and concern among homeowners is common. They say a small 5-inch piece of metal called a "weepscreed" was not put in place by Del Webb when these homes were built.

Weepscreeds help keep moisture out of dry wall paneling. And now more than 1,400 homeowners have filed a lawsuit.

Glenn Hayward showed Eyewitness News what his home and others in the neighborhood built by Del Webb are missing. The problem was discovered by a building inspector when Hayward was adding on to his home.

Hayward said, "He told me I'm going to have a problem as is everyone in Sun City because of faulty construction."

Attorney Barry Mitidiere says the homes were not built to code. Mitidiere, who is representing homeowners, said, "We discovered that there were no weepscreeds on any of the buildings. In the uniform building code throughout the country weepscreeds are required in plastered houses."

Glenn Hayward is one of the original nine residents who filed suit against Del Webb. During a remodeling project at Hayward's home, a building inspector discovered the problem.

Glenn Hayward said, "It soaked up into the stucco and mold was growing into the wall. I didn't know that until they put this addition on. Mold was there."

Mold is a big concern for Hayward and his neighbors. "If there is toxic mold, this is an elderly community. We're more subjected to those spores that are growing than the younger group," Hayward said.

Del Webb would not comment on camera, but provided this statement: "For almost two decades we've been building homes in Las Vegas. During that time, we've established a reputation for quality and customer satisfaction, and we stand firmly behind the homes that we build."

But in this Summerlin neighborhood, Hayward says there's not much customer satisfaction. Frustrated, not angry, he said, "I just think Del Webb cut corners that they shouldn't have cut."

Nine homeowners filed the initial lawsuit two years ago. But this winter's heavy rain drew more homeowners to realize there was a problem adding them to the list.