Help with code inforcement (NickZ.)

nick z.

People who are both custmers and freinds of mine are haveing a house built by a large home building company.The township there building has only recenrtly adopted building codes and inspections.(thank god)The permit for the house was pulled before the new codes took affect,so they have no inspections during construction.
The foundation work is terrible,the footings were left to sit uncovered and the frost cracked and heaved them and the block were is just as bad.I told the h.o. to advise the bank.They have also hired a home inspector.
Is there any govt. agency to go to when the local municapalty has no insp.? I really feel soory for these people.

kevin coppinger_4

what State.....

is this? kpc

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Firedragon_4

The state Building Inspector

or the Attorney General.

jackchips_2

Did you advise

them to take pictures?

Maybe their, hmmmmm, oh yeah, "Legal Representative" should be contacted. Sometimes we actually need them.

Matt_25

My advice

It's good that they have hired a home inspector. Since this is a large home building company, I would start by going up the chain of command with the builder. My position would be that I am going to walk away from this contract, and I would demand that my deposit be refunded. If they refuse, let them know that you and your home inspector are prepared to prove in court that they were not honoring their end of the contract by using shoddy building practices. Also let them know that the bank has been contacted, and they will not finance the house if the builder does not make it right.

If it is as bad as you say, the builder is going to have to make it right, and it would be cheaper for them to redo the foundation work now, than to complete the house and try and fix the problems later.

I know it sucks for your friends, to be this far along in the building process, but if the builder is this bad, I would seriously consider getting out of the contract with them. The documentation via the home inspector should go a long way towards forcing the builder to refund any deposit they have put down.

It also might be worth getting a lawyer involved sooner rather than later.

Weezbo

line upon line.

one solid foundation,first.forget lawyers.get it straight from the gate.

nick z.

Sorry

forgot to say its Penna.

John Shea

I generally don't like lawyers either, however...

The way they word things is usually pretty powerful, not to mention it immediately 'documents' the problem.

A little letterhead may go a long way with the builder. Let's hope that's all a lawyer is needed for; to draw up a letter.

Rudy

codes

anything goes in the poconos

Bob Harper

Pa Bldg Code

Uh, there has been a Code in Pa--BOCA. They adopted the I-Codes, which took effect statewide 9April04. You can always default to BOCA. Even i the total absence of certain codes locally, there are also national standards they can point to that a "reasonably prudent person under similar circumstances" would follow.

Codes aside, there is always "a workmanlike manner" concept, which must be argued in court, which is where this is headed. I'd get an engineer to document the hell out of this case and get a good attorney known for construction defects litigation--not some contracts lawyer. They're gonna need him.