Mold found in newer El Dorado Hills homes

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Mold found in newer El Dorado Hills homes

Building inspector blames poor engineering, construction flaws in

homes built off Highway 50

El Dorado Hills Telegraph - Folsom,CA

By: Cheri March

Wednesday, February 7, 2007

http://www.edhtelegraph.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/top_stories/02mo

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Mold found in at least two El Dorado Hills housing developments is

just the tip of the iceberg, according to local building inspector

Bill .

Residents of Stonebriar and Serrano developments, owned by

Lyon Homes and Woodside Homes, respectively, are suing over damage

caused by black mold intrusion.

Mold is not the only problem, but rather a symptom of inadequate

engineering and construction in the entire area, explained ,

who owns a construction consulting company in EDH and has personally

inspected many of the homes.

" My office is right across the street (from Stonebriar) and in any

given day, you can find eight or nine houses down there with

scaffolding, " he said, referring to the area as a " horserace of poor

construction. " said he had inspected about 100 homes with

similar construction flaws and warned there could be more.

Moldy homes are not unique to EDH. Members of ' company are

currently serving as lead experts on a similar case in Folsom.

Last summer, dozens of residents in Waterford Place condominiums

blamed the city of Folsom for a slow reaction to mold found in many

of the units. Condo owners alleged the city and developers knew

about the potential for mold before approving the conversion of

apartments into condos.

As of last August, the complex's ownership group, Prometheus Real

Estate Group Inc., had closed its sale office.

" I haven't really investigated other homes in Sacramento County, but

these same problems are all over the Sacramento Metropolitan area, "

said.

But it looks like has his hands full in El Dorado County.

After suffering health problems including ongoing flus and colds,

Bob Yeadon and his family have since sold their mold-ridden home on

Terracina Drive in Serrano.

As part of a lawsuit that includes several local homeowners, the

family was hesitant to do more than confirm the mold and lawsuit.

Though Stonebriar homeowner Howe is not suing, she was also

affected. Several months ago, Howe noticed something strange in her

master bathroom.

" The mirrors were turning black, and I knew it wasn't normal, " she

said. When builders pulled off a mirror, they found mold. Lyon Homes

has since been in the process of removing mold and refinishing the

interior and exterior of the home.

" They've been very proactive, " Howe said. " Personally, if they're

fixing my house, that's the bottom line. If they weren't, then I'd

be angry. "

Unlike the Yeadons, Howe didn't experience serious health effects.

" I think we're very fortunate. If we were susceptible, we could have

been very ill, " she said.

" There are some people who are allergic to the irritants mold can

produce in the air, " confirmed El Dorado County health officer

Eberhart-. People sensitive to mold can get stuffy noses,

irritated throats, eyes, or skin.

Eberhart- said some people are severely allergic, while

others may not experience symptoms at all.

But , the EDH building inspector, said mold susceptibility is

inherent in the design of many local homes, which are not being

built to withstand the conditions of the hilly, open terrain

geography off Highway 50.

The houses were built to the wrong wind exposure category, he said.

Though El Dorado County requires homes to be built to withstand wind

exposure " B, " areas with open, rolling hills should be built to wind

exposure " C. "

Without extra reinforcement, the winds cause cracked stucco and

siding and cracked windows, which lead to water intrusion and,

eventually, mold.

Last Wednesday, several construction workers in Stonebriar confirmed

they were fixing cracked sheetrock, but nothing more.

Some people have had stucco and windows replaced four times,

said.

" Even the very expensive, custom homes have been affected, it's not

limited to just one builder, " he added.

is working on a lawsuit in Novato with same problem - and the

same engineers that designed Stonebriar.

Greg Fuz of the El Dorado County Building Department said the houses

were inspected and approved a few years ago.

" We haven't determined that we did anything inappropriately. The

issue just came to our attention, and we're still investigating it, "

he said.

Fuz pointed out that surrounding counties, including Placer and

Sacramento, are zoned for exposure " B. "

He also said it was a misconception the county inspection process is

to ensure everything gets done. " We look for code compliance on life-

safety issues, " he specified.