THE BIG DIG

many folks were starting their annual trek into christmas debt with the strategic sales campaigns of the large scale brick shipping areas across the nation. As many others were sitting in from of mobile phones, iPads , desktops, and laptops avoiding the long lines but still treking into this season of building debt. I happened unpo an article in the USA Today that was directed at the home builder that I chose to build my dream home in the spring of 2000, Ryan Homes. Funny thing the very first line of the article; "Toilets left unconnected to the sewer flushing waste under a new home for nearly a year in South Carolina".

I thought that besides the fact that the home was in South Carolina they were talking about my experience with the builder Ryan Homes. You see when we had settled into our home and had been in the home nearly six months my wife and I noticed that our front year was bubbling with water around the base of the front of our home. We simply didn't understand why this water was bubbling from no seemingly no where. We initially thought maybe a water pipe had burst. So we called in our Home Warranty Company, American Shield to investigate where the water was coming from. There was no evidence of a burst pipe in our basement. The plumber who was called in was quite perplexed. He told my wife and I to notify the builder because it was obvious the leak was coming from outside the interior of the home.  

We called Ryan Homes but were initially stonewalled saying that maybe our installation of our new washing machine was the cause of the leak. You know blame the new homeowner especially while you are still selling units in a not completely unsold Ryan Home community. My new door neighbor had already had problems with Ryan Homes they had forgot to put a front facing window in the master bedroom.

However, it seemed that all our problems were minor compared to his. Until that day when they started the Big Dig. They dug a hole that was the deepest hole I had ever seen dug. Each time that shovel came up from the ground the smell was so pronounced that neither my wife or any of our guest who were over helping us with our new baby daughter could stand it. It eem that the hole was almost 12 feet or more deep. The tractor operator thought he had seared the sewer line and maybe the sewer line was clogged. Neither was the case it seemed that Ryan Home never connected our home to the main sewer line when they supposedly closed the ground around the foundation. So needless to say for almost 6 months all the sewage that left our home was simply flooding into our front yard. Besides the obvious incompetancy of the builder we were blessed with greenest grass in our development. The builder didn't offer us any relief for the smell or the permanent damage that may have occurred as a result of the BIg Dig.

So I can honestly say that I sympatize with that couple in South Carolina. That however was not the only problem we had with our home but the most recent problem was revealed when we were selling our home. It seemed that Ryan Homes left untreated mold in our garage. We never really noticed the dark spot in the garage ceiling until after a period of time. My wife told me about it and I called Ryan Homes about the spot nearly 18 years ago. They sent a home inspector out and simply said the shading in the ceiling was nothing to worry about. We thought it was a leakage from our whirlpool tub but that wasn't the case at least that was what we were told in 2002.  

Now fast forward to 2019. That same dark shaded spot revealed a case of nearly 20 year old untreated mold. Ryan Homes sold us the home knowing that mold existed but never treated the mold because it meant tearing the entire garage ceiling down and also the master bathroom and bedroom floors. If Ryan Homes had immediately treated the moisture  leak rather than ignoring it would've cost them pennies on the dollar. You know what that shaded spot cost me in terms of the devaluation of my home? Well, in addition to the fact that wood spoilage that started almost immediately after we moved in on our backdoor which pushed additional mold into our basement, it cost us over $25,000.00 in total cost that had to be send to the buyer for them to purchase the home.  

So, when I read that article about Ryan Homes that was published in today's USA Today I got a severe case of heartburn and anxiety. I wonder how many other homeowners were burned by supposedly nationally sanctioned home builders? I am out of Maryland now but it seems that Maryland continues to relay me more anxiety and misery. These types of issues should never happen to a nearly billion dollar company but hey America has lost its sense of prestige for its sense of quick profits. 

ME THINKS RYAN HOMES OWES ME REPARATONS