When violent weather hits North Carolina, homeowners may expect to deal with some damage to their homes. Tree branches, hail, heavy rains and high winds may lead to costly home repairs. On the other hand, a moderate storm is not likely to bring serious damage to a new home if the home is well constructed and up to code. Following such a storm, dozens of homeowners in another state are suing over construction defects that left an entire community dealing with damages.
The storm included wind gusts up to 50 mph, which, according to construction experts, is not enough to cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to a new home. Nevertheless, as many as 65 homeowners emerged from the storm with thousands of dollars in roof and siding damage. They are now seeking reparation from the contractor, alleging that his company took shortcuts such as:
- Failing to nail down roof tiles
- Not using glue to secure roof tiles
- Nailing siding into drywall instead of securing it to studs
- Failing to comply with building codes
Some homeowners are facing repairs as high as $150,000, and their insurance denied their claims since the storm was an act of God. An advisor for one homeowner warned that it was likely that every home in the development had the same construction defects and would need new roofs since the same company did the building. Rather than each resident filing a separate lawsuit against the contractor, they are joining together in a class action case to pursue the cost of necessary repairs and other related damages.