Father, daughter complain about ‘pimples’ on new house but builder won’t fix them since ‘it’s not a manufacturer’s problem’
A South Carolina homeowner is frustrated after poor construction left their new abode covered in “pimples.”
The new home, which was one of the first built in the Cypress Preserve subdivision in Moncks Corner, SC, shows off its flaws under direct light.
“When I first looked at the house in the summer, the sun hits the side of the house, and the nails on the sheathing aren’t nailed all the way in so the vinyl expands and contracts. And when the sun hits it, and it looks like pimples all over,” Tom Eriksen told WCSC.
Eriksen’s daughter purchased the home in 2022 and when the “pimples” were noticed, the family immediately contacted the Lennar Corporation, the company tasked with building the entire community.
But when the company’s super examined the build, he didn’t own up to the poor craftsmanship.
“’Their super came out here, looked at the house, he says, ‘Yeah, but it’s not a manufacturer’s problem.’”
“It’s not a manufacturer’s problem, you installed it wrong. You’ve got to correct it. It looks terrible,” Eriksen replied.
“They say, ‘No, we’re not going to do anything with it.’”
After the original visit to the home, Lennar hasn’t responded to any of the multiple follow-up calls the family has made, according to the outlet.
Eriksen, who owned his own construction business for 40 years, says he is helping his daughter get her home fixed because even though it’s not a “structural issue per se,” it’s Lennar’s problem because the company built it.
“I see it every time I drive up to the house,” Eriksen said. “This is like the whole house — sides, back, front. Whenever the sun hits it.”
The angry father is calling for the company to fix the problems on all the homes it built, starting with the homes of people who have lived in the community the longest.
“Start servicing at least the first people that moved in here,” he said. “She was one of the first buyers before anyone came in and you’re not servicing them or taking care of your problems.
“It’s not a good outlook for the other 800 families that are going to move in here,” Eriksen added.
Moncks Corner is 33 miles north of Charleston.
A home inspector also called out the company for not honoring its agreement when it comes to house building, saying many builders don’t realize they have to keep up with repairs of the house beyond the one-year mark.
“There’s a very common misconception that homeowners have that the builder, after the first year, he has no responsibility to repair anything else in the house,” Robert Knowles told Live 5 News. “Well, that’s not true.
“The law is not optional: You have to comply with the code requirements. The builder is legally required to fix anything that goes wrong with your house that is related to a code.
“If you bring a code violation to a builder’s attention, he needs to repair that,” Knowles added.
The state of South Carolina has adopted the Residential Construction Standards that homebuilders must abide by, according to the outlet.
