Florida homeowners in one community are facing serious home damage that comes from defective stucco installation. In the homes in question, the drainage system was allegedly not installed property in a certain type of stucco installation, letting water slowly seep into areas of the interior wall. The results have been a mix of structure, moisture and mold damage for these homes.
One expert says that the problem is likely not local in scope. He expects to see the issue cropping up across the state. A housing boom in the early part of this century meant that many, many homes were built with this type of stucco and drainage system, and the expert says that he expects 99 percent or more of those installations were not according to code.
At issue for the families currently impacted by this issue is Florida’s law limiting construction defect claims with a 10-year statute of limitation. Many of the homeowners are just now discovering the problems because of the slow nature of the leaks.
These homeowners are often just outside of the period for filing a claim with the original contractor, which means the homeowners are on the hook for necessary repairs. Many cannot afford to pay for the repairs, and so they feel trapped in inadequate homes.
If you are a Florida homeowner with a stucco exterior on your home, it’s worth looking into to ensure you don’t have any drainage defects. The sooner you locate a problem, the better, because you might be within the 10-year window for filing a construction claim. If you suspect you are dealing with a defect, talk to a construction law professional about your options.
Source: Channel 2 NBC, “Stucco defect costing Cape homeowners big money,” David Hodges, July 06, 2016
