Once again we have a problem with our now 3 year old condo built by D.R. Horton in Jacksonville, FL. The first time (2 yrs ago) we had 2 separate issues with water leaking. One bathroom had water pooring from the ceiling vent - D.R. Horton sent out a plumber, two different ones, who told me that even though water was literally pooring (like a faucet) from the vent, and I had collected it in a bucket... It was just condensation from not havint the A/C unit on consistently. He advised me to leave the A/C unit on 100% of time to resolve the issue. 3 weeks later when the same thing happened again, another plumber didn't know what it was but also didn't recommend any repairs. 2 weeks after that I complained again - as they were handling my 2nd leeking wall that had black mold growing in it - they actually checked it out and found that it was brown water from my upstairs neighbor's toilet which had not been properly sealed at construction. The technicians they hire are less than professional and even after they repaired my second room before, the one we all agreed was caused due to their mistake - and A/C in neighbors unit was placed directly on my wall so condensation did cause that black mold in my house - after they removed my neighbor's A/C unit and mine to fix the walls and replace them, the plumbing on my unit was not connected so water was spilling out onto the floor. They also failed to replace the filter with the right size, choosing instead to force one that was too large into the unit. Way to Go, done up to D.R. Horton standars all the way!
So NOW, today as "Don" of their warranty department came to my house to address the issue of a wall we noticed growing darker and darker across the top half over a 3 year period of time I am less patient and expect less from them in the way of good analysis. His comment over the phone as we made the appointment was "well, if it's not coming from the roof, it may not be a warranty issue". I told him, it's probably not the roof since I live on the bottom floor, but the Propert Mgr seems to think that it could be coming from one of the plastic seems you used on the outside to keep water out of the walls. He had no comment for that, and made the appointment anyway. When he arrived he used a small green meter to check for moisture. I told him that the spot was much smaller the first year and we often wondered if it was just a wierd shadow... But as of this summer the darkness spread across the entire wall and is not spreading to the adjacent wall and it's so low that I can now reach it... And it was cold to the touch as compared to the spots surrounding it where the paint isnt' as dark. So that pretty much caused us to call on, realizing at that point that it must be water damage.
He then proceeded to argue with me saying the meter is not wrong. Dryway would stay wet for a long while etc. I told him I didn't know or care what the meter said... Asked him if he heard me tell him it that the darkness was growing over time and spreading to the next wall. He then said "Maybe they used a different paint". I told him we have lived here 3 years... Do you think we wouldn't have notice that when we first moved in? I advised him to ignore the meter and use common sense along with the information I was giving him. I also shared with him my problems in the past with them telling me nothing was wrong - and how they ultimately ended up replacing that ceiling and that this time I would not be put off of using my own common sense. Somethhing is wrong with that wall, and it's darkening due to water getting into it. He proceeded to tell me that if there was water damage it would smell bad... To which I responded we didn't even smell the brown water (toilet water) before, so he was wrong. That had no smell decernable by those professionals. He told me he does this work everyday... To which I responded so did those professional plumbers who were both WRONG. He ended up telling me that he was sorry that I WANTED something to be wrong with my house -to which I responded "get on out of here because now you're just trying to insult me!" I don't trust D.R. Horton as far as I can see them. This is TWICE that they are telling me that what I see and what I am experiencing is not what I think it is. Now I will have to fight to try to get resolution. I told him I don't care if it's the warranty that covers it or the building's insurance, but I will have it resolved. I'm not going to just let it go because it's not wet enough today. He told me to do what I felt I had to do. I intend to. D.R. Horton's goals seem to be to avoid financial responsibility at ever opportunity.
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