Local homeowners tell Action News Jax the roofs on their pricey new homes are leaking.
They said the largest home builder in the country, D.R. Horton, won’t honor their warranties.
Action News Jax uncovered that the manufacturer for the roof vents in D.R. Horton homes across the region is right here in Jacksonville.
Every time St. Augustine disabled Navy veteran Roger Carman looks out the window, he’s afraid he’ll see rain clouds.
“My psychiatrist has actually had to triple my dose of Xanax just to keep my anxiety level down,” Carman said.
"This was going to be our final home, our dream home," this disabled @USNavy vet tells me. But now he and other D.R. Horton homeowners tell me they're not getting what they paid for. #ANJaxInvestigates at 5:30 on CBS47 @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/zc6HLPjAd0
— Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) November 20, 2017
Carman said he bought his home for $360,000 in 2016.
Since then, he said he’s had two leaks in his roof.
“I could see a glistening in the ceiling. So I immediately went over and turned on the lights, and that’s when I saw the ceiling was saturated,” Carman said.
His insurance company won’t cover the roof issues, because they say it “was caused by faulty installation.”
Two weeks ago, Action News Jax's Orlando sister station WFTV found Central Florida D.R. Horton homeowners going through the same thing, blaming vent openings cut two or three times larger than the manufacturer's recommendations.
D.R. Horton pins roof leaks & "customer service delays" on Hurricane #Irma, but some homeowners tell me their roofs leaked before the storm hit. #ANJaxInvestigates at 5:30 on CBS47 @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/lLTkACDqx5
— Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) November 20, 2017
“I decided that it was time for me to get up in the attic, which was very difficult because I am disabled and I’ve got a frozen shoulder,” Carman said.
He said he found the width of the vent opening was 14.5 inches.
“That’d be overkill about five times,” said Stampco Inc. owner Jimmy Parmenter, who manufactures roof vents for D.R. Horton homes from Orlando to Atlanta.
He said a hole that size would undoubtedly cause leakage.
Parmenter said he’s been making vents exactly the same way since 1973.
“I think it’s all in the installation,” Parmenter said.
D.R. Horton’s most recent quarterly report to investors acknowledges an increase in claims.
It said the company increased the reserves it sets aside for construction defect legal claims from $423.5 million in Sept. 2016 to $453.5 million in June 2017.
D.R. Horton spokesperson Marissa Awtry pins the blame for the roof leaks and “customer service delays” on Hurricane Irma in the following statement:
"D.R. Horton takes great pride in the quality of our homes and is committed to customer satisfaction. We are aware that some of our homeowners experienced water intrusion as a result of high winds during hurricane Irma, and we understand their desire for timely resolution. Due to the hurricane's vast impact, we have experienced customer service delays and are responding to service requests as quickly as possible. While storm-caused damage is typically outside of standard warranty coverage, if damage resulting from water intrusion is identified during the inspections, D.R. Horton is committed to addressing the necessary repairs as soon as possible."
Carman said his first roof leak happened before Hurricane Irma hit.
“This was going to be our final home, our dream home, this was it for us,” said Carman.
Now all Carman can do is hope D.R. Horton changes its mind, and hope for dry weather.
Cox Media Group
