Orlando Sentinel - 01/26/05
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bizbuilding27012705jan27,1,3219414.story
Building panel reviews state code
Homeowners urge proper installation techniques instead of changing the code.
By Dan Tracy
Sentinel Staff Writer
January 27, 2005
A state panel began a long process Wednesday that may lead to construction code changes that could make new homes more watertight.
But three unhappy homeowners -- maintaining their houses leaked before, during and after the three hurricanes that swept through Central Florida last summer -- told the Florida Building Commission that they had a better idea than altering construction rules.
Their advice: Builders should hire skilled workers and supervisors, use sturdy building products and install them properly.
"It [the leaks] can be rectified with quality, by enforcing what's on the books," said Michael Kaufmann, an engineering consultant and owner of a home built in 2002 by Levitt and Sons in Clermont.
But Jack Glenn, technical services director of the Florida Home Builders Association, told the commission that hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne were extraordinary events that overwhelmed accepted home construction techniques.
He referred to a report commissioned by the home builders that determined rain seeped into homes through concrete-block walls, windows, doors, roof vents and soffits. Causes identified by the report included everything from poorly designed walls and faulty installation of windows to cheap dryer vents and sloppy stucco work.
"August and September of 2004 [when the hurricanes hit] was not a normal time," Glenn said.
Builders say they support the report's findings and recommendations, but many also contend the three storms constituted "an act of God" that absolved them of blame in the leaks.
That stand was unacceptable to Kaufmann and two of his neighbors in the Summit Green subdivision, Louis Kingsley and Robert Hickman.
"Someone has to take responsibility for all this," said Kingsley, a retired fire chief. "Do not drag this thing through the bureaucracy."
Hickman discounted the builder's report and its recommendations. "That's an excuse."
A spokesman for Levitt and Sons could not be reached, but a company representative in the past said the firm was willing to fix hurricane-related damage.
Many of the problems highlighted in the FHBA report -- cracked stucco, leaky windows, improper installation of flashing -- were among the most common construction flaws revealed in a 2003 series by the Orlando Sentinel/WESH News- Channel 2 that examined 406 homes built in 2001.
That series, which was a statistically valid assessment of new-home quality in the area, found that 80 percent of the homes surveyed had cracks, leaks and mold, due in part to poorly installed windows and thinly applied stucco.
The FHBA study recommended several changes to the code, as well as voluntary alterations in building practices that could result in redesigned foundation slabs, improved expansion joints, and windows that funnel water out of a home rather than allowing it to puddle inside.
The building commission, based in Tallahassee and overseen by a 24-member board of building professionals appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush, has promised an exhaustive review of the leaking problems. That could mean 18 months could pass before new building codes are adopted and go into effect.
Edie Ousley, an FHBA spokeswoman, said the association is offering classes for builders to go over the report and talk about ways to prevent leaks. The sessions, not open to the public, will be in the Maitland offices of the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando.
Dan Tracy can be reached at 407-420-5787 or dtracy@orlandosentinel.com.
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