Lennar, claims they have 400 homes subject to Chinese Drywall (Miami: big house, buyer)

[kbuild]

Lennar, is admitting they have 400 homes tainted with Chinese drywall.
Lennar: About 400 of our houses in Florida have bad Chinese drywall - Business - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1140486.html - broken link)

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by kbuild

Lennar, is admitting they have 400 homes tainted with Chinese drywall.
Lennar: About 400 of our houses in Florida have bad Chinese drywall - Business - MiamiHerald.com (http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/1140486.html - broken link)

Do you think we're surprised? It goes with cheap construction.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

Do you think we're surprised? It goes with cheap construction.

I can't speak to what Lennar Homes has build in some areas of Florida, but all the homes I've seen them build in Maryland and in other States, have been first class, high quality, well built and award winning. They have stepped up and done things well typically where ever I've seen them build.

That said, they definitely have a problem here. 400 homes is a lot, I bet though that it was a mistake made by someone that didn't know what to look for, or wasn't following their procedures. No doubt there was pressure to get it done, and done affordably. They probably thought at the time they fell into something good.

Since they are stepping up and admitting the problem and trying to be part of the solution, that is what I would expect from Lennar. But, admittedly not of all builders. Lennar builds billions of dollars worth of homes, they wouldn't have used Chinese drywall if they'd have known it about it at a higher level.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by Big House

I can't speak to what Lennar Homes has build in some areas of Florida, but all the homes I've seen them build in Maryland and in other States, have been first class, high quality, well built and award winning. They have stepped up and done things well typically where ever I've seen them build.

That said, they definitely have a problem here. 400 homes is a lot, I bet though that it was a mistake made by someone that didn't know what to look for, or wasn't following their procedures. No doubt there was pressure to get it done, and done affordably. They probably thought at the time they fell into something good.

Since they are stepping up and admitting the problem and trying to be part of the solution, that is what I would expect from Lennar. But, admittedly not of all builders. Lennar builds billions of dollars worth of homes, they wouldn't have used Chinese drywall if they'd have known it about it at a higher level.

You can sense my attitude (can ya tell I got up at 5:30 to do an hour of cardio at the gym)...but still, I think not only Lennar but a whole slew of contractors bought into the drywall issue and it's turned around to bite them.

I can't tell you what I've seen construction wise since my xhusband & I built our own home on AMI. It's an eye opener when you're on the job while it's actually going down. We had interviewed every contractor we could between SRQ & Bradenton when we built (ages ago) and went with the last contractor we interviewed due to his demeaner & previous homes built.

In the end, we were happy with our builder, our home, but we still ran into an issue after the divorce with the black (bad) mold. So yes, even the best laid plans of men & mice.....maybe they didn't know the chinese drywall was a problem. However, is sure as heck is now. Just my 9 a.m. tangent.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Ladywithafan

You can sense my attitude (can ya tell I got up at 5:30 to do an hour of cardio at the gym)...but still, I think not only Lennar but a whole slew of contractors bought into the drywall issue and it's turned around to bite them.

I can't tell you what I've seen construction wise since my xhusband & I built our own home on AMI. It's an eye opener when you're on the job while it's actually going down. We had interviewed every contractor we could between SRQ & Bradenton when we built (ages ago) and went with the last contractor we interviewed due to his demeaner & previous homes built.

In the end, we were happy with our builder, our home, but we still ran into an issue after the divorce with the black (bad) mold. So yes, even the best laid plans of men & mice.....maybe they didn't know the chinese drywall was a problem. However, is sure as heck is now. Just my 9 a.m. tangent.

I agree with you. There are lots of idiot contractors out there, and finding a good one is tough, even if they are well intending, most just haven't been very well trained, mostly guys that came up through the field ranks, and haven't really set up much in the way of procedures / written checklists, submittal reviews, inspections both by the superinendent, but by the manufacturer's representatives to ensure things are done well.

I thought working out in the morning not only made you hot, but removed all the stress and agitation! My guess is that it definitely makes you hot, but you still seem agitated.

OK, where is my orange juice! And who put that vodka in it!

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by Big House

I agree with you. There are lots of idiot contractors out there, and finding a good one is tough, even if they are well intending, most just haven't been very well trained, mostly guys that came up through the field ranks, and haven't really set up much in the way of procedures / written checklists, submittal reviews, inspections both by the superinendent, but by the manufacturer's representatives to ensure things are done well.

I thought working out in the morning not only made you hot, but removed all the stress and agitation! My guess is that it definitely makes you hot, but you still seem agitated.

OK, where is my orange juice! And who put that vodka in it!

I went to the gym last night from 6-7 because my alarm didn't go off & then 12 hours later, I was back this morning so I could get back on the 5:30 a.m. schedule. I could feel it when I finished....and when I think about how people are suffering with the drywall thing, it makes me think back to how the construction industry sucks sometimes.

[Racelady88]

I would be willing to bet that all 400 of those homes were built under the US Home banner before Lennar closed that division.

[Vanwilder]

Lennar nor any other contractor got deals when they purchased this drywall. They payed premium price for it.
During the housing boom there was a huge shortage of drywall and other goods and building suppliers procured what they could were they could to meet the demand.

I have been in several Lennar homes and have always found them to be first rate for what was paid for the house. If you want a custom built house you will have to pay the big $$$. As the old saying goes you get what you pay for.

I am glad to hear Lennar is trying to help out these poor people that have this awful problem.

[kbuild]

We ran into a shortage of screen for pool enclosures (Hurricane Charley) and the US factories could not keep up. Then a mysterious product of screen came from China. Alot of companies started using this product because it was cheap and available. But it had alot of flaws, the weave would run and vey brittle and most of all it smelled like petroleum. It almost gave you a headache.

[loves2read]

as someone said--much of this Chinese drywall was purchased when drywall was at a premium and companies were paying through the nose to get ANY drywall to complete projects because of the demand to rebuild after hurricanes in the US not to mention the general building boom around the country...
I think some of this went up before anyone realized what they were dealing with--except to know that it was a Chinese product
for a while China did produce some stuff that was inexpensive but of decent quality--
now it seems like it has returned to where the motto Made in China meant cheap crap and buyer beware...
the problem is that getting China to offer any remediation for this toxic product will just be fruitless