Some Live Oak residents say their new homes are falling apart
Homeowners in a Live Oak subdivision are hopping mad over troubles with new homes, and they said the homebuilder is to blame. Bridlewood Park homeowners living at the top of a hill say their homes are falling apart, while those living at the bottom said they're going to be flooded, and a few of them say they just want out. "It's literally falling on our head," homeowner Ron Jech said, pointing to his ceiling. To hear Jech tell it and show it, his home, built about 18 months ago by Ryland Homes, is just splitting apart. View: photos
Some Live Oak residents say their new homes are falling apart
06/06/2007
Drew Roesgen
KENS 5 Eyewitness News
Homeowners in a Live Oak subdivision are hopping mad over troubles with new homes, and they said the homebuilder is to blame.
Bridlewood Park homeowners living at the top of a hill say their homes are falling apart, while those living at the bottom said they're going to be flooded, and a few of them say they just want out.
"It's literally falling on our head," homeowner Ron Jech said, pointing to his ceiling.
To hear Jech tell it and show it, his home, built about 18 months ago by Ryland Homes, is just splitting apart.
"We've had three different engineer companies (look at the home). Everyone's pointing fingers at the framers, and the framers point at the slab," Jech said.
Down the hill in the subdivision, Todd Ferguson said his problem is the water that he has videotaped flowing over retaining walls in his and his neighbor's backyards.
A county Web site said Ferguson and his neighbors live in a flood plain, although a letter he got from Ryland last year assured him that he didn't.
"I would have never have bought this house, if I had known it was in a flood plain," he said.
"We were given to understand from the representatives from Ryland Home that they would do the best they could to make everybody happy out there," Live Oak City Manager Scott Wayman said.
Wayman has been playing referee in this dispute, but Ryland said it's getting fearful of the neighbors.
"There has been some threats possibly made out there, and all the parties involved, we tried to let them know that we're hopeful they can just reach some type of amicable agreement," Wayman said.
A Ryland spokesman said the company has been in contact with the homeowners, and is offering to repair anything.
"We will do what needs to be done to make those repairs," Ryland Homes' Richard Schroeder said in a written statement.
However, some of the homeowners said it's too little, too late.
"I want my house bought back," Ferguson said.
Schroeder said he wasn't aware of the flood plain issue, but work on some of the home problems could begin in three to five days.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/realestate/stories/MYSA060507.liveoakhomes.KENS.1d45b59c.html |