Ohhh Soil Testing...yep the Builder hands you an inch thick report on soil conditions in the overall development...Which in my development breaks down like this...20% of the Soil is not expansive, 30% Slightly expansive, 30% Moderately expansive, and 20% Highly Expansive... This was determined by digging four test pits in the development...However each lot was not indivdually tested, one slab type was provided for the entire development (post tension), and soil prep was minimal at best....a hose with a sprinkler run for 2 days to wet the soil....

Here they are required to sample a point everywhere a pad is going to sit. Ofcourse any testing can be fudged, but he sure is paying for it now.

If he was in FL he would have already clained bankruptcy and opened up another construction company. not having to pay a dime.

Wouldn't the builders insurance cover something like this?

Tabs:
It seems to be that you've already decided that you will move.

Repair your land. Can you use some of the $$ for home improvements that can be tied into the expansion soil issue? Ex: An inground pool would help the soil stay put!! :D

With additional home improvements, you can sell the house for more $$. Granted, your federal gains tax (?) or imputted income, or whatever they call it may be higher, but work out the percentages and see where you give Uncle Sam the least.

Good luck!
-Z-man.

His Insurance company pays most of the monies.

Oh and here is the one I just Love...My neighbors across the street found that they had problems within 2 weeks of moving into the house..it started cracking (they had visited the house everyday while it was being built)...for almost a year they had the Builder come out and patch, then they found out about the 1st Class Action Law suit and that theiir real problem was expansive soil...they did everything by the book even going to the Contractors Board which just slapped the Builders hand and still NOTHING was done to fix their house...the Builder LOVES to tell people it's because of their Landscaping thats causing the problem (the landscaping is too close to the house and the watering is the problem)...His sale manager told me that and I replied I don't have any back yard landscaping.. Anyway my neighbors told me I had problems and finally decided the only thing left for them to do was to sue the Builder, so they filed suit about a month ahead of me...NV state law says that a Builder has 60 days to respond...well the Builder never did respond to me, they shined me on....and thats why my case is allready setteld...My neighbors got a gobble de gook letter from the Builder at the 60 day mark...and the letter WASN"T even about their house...but because it was a letter....they finally go to Arbitration in May...

The Builders whole modus of Operendi is to Stall....BTW the Geo/Tech's suggested fix for my neighbors house is to REPLACE the slab/foundation....their house reads 4.1 inchson the Manometer test, my house by comparison was 1.8 inchs...Nobody has ever seen a 4.1 before....

Interesting, but a 4.1 isn't that rare....my wife says I'm a solid 9.5 on the manometer. Ba dump dump ching remember to tip your waitresses, I'll be here all week:)

BTW...My neighbors told me about the problem my house was having...2 weeks after moving in....When I heard what they had alllready been through with the Builder I looked at the ground and thought....I'm going to have to sue, anything else is a waste of time...So luckily their attorney took my case as well...he is the BEST construction defect Attorney in the State...he has only represented a hand full of Singlefamily homeowners...the rest of his stuff is Class Action...(My neighbors have a friend that got them in). Now the Builder is stepping up to the plate and at least offering Band aid fixes to his problems in my hood...speculation is that the Builder is afraid my attorney is going to go door to door and file a Class Action against him... which could easily cost him 5M plus...

What I get a kick out of is that my HOA is sueing the Builder, because one of the entrace gate pillars collasped because of poorly compacted soil.... and they are getting the same run around as I did from the same obstructionist attorney representing the Builder...and what makes me laugh is that I tried telling them about the problems 2 years ago and nobody would listen....