New Home Nightmare

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New Home Nightmare

CBS 13 - Sacramento,CA

Kurtis Ming

Reporting

http://cbs13.com/seenon/local_story_170001847.html

CBS13) SHINGLE SPRINGS, Calif. It takes a lot to drive most people

out of a home they bet their life savings on. So when a Shingle

Springs family found themselves sick from their home and living

together in one bedroom of a relative's house, they called Kurtis

Ming.

Most 11-year-olds don't start a tour of their home by counting the

cracks in the walls, but Cameron Gallad, and his little sister Lily

don't live in just any home. In fact, right now they don't live in

their home at all!

Cameron's parents, Carlo and , bought the place in Shingle

Springs six-and-a-half years ago.

The photo history of the Gallad home starts with the high hopes of

typical first time homeowners. But the Gallad's say there were

obvious problems before they finished their walkthrough.

The couple says they had to play games to get information from the

builder, Lucas and Mercier.

" They told us they could not tell us if the walls were out of plumb.

If we asked, they could answer yes, or no. We had to point at the

walls, for them to say, yes, this wall is wrong, " says Carlo.

Within months the Gallads' new home was torn apart.

" Every window in this house is leaking, " says Carlo.

And the Gallads say that's after every window in the house was

replaced. All that leaking water led to bigger trouble – high levels

of mold. Then Carlo had a health issue of his own.

" I've been under a lot of stress, and I had a panic attack. I've

never had one before, " he says.

He says he thought it was a heart attack. says doctors

figured the whole family was under stress and told them to get out

of the house. The builder put them up in a hotel while repairs went

on. The Gallad's say things quickly began going bad again, and a

building consultant found something they now suspect is contributing

to the problem.

The Gallad's say the builder's repair crew told them they needed to

leave the home again earlier this year because the mold had

returned. When the builder announced after several weeks it would no

longer cover the family's motel bills, the Gallad's contacted Kurtis.

Kurtis contacted Lucas and Mercier at their headquarters in

Carlsbad. He was told they've been advised not to comment about the

Gallad's situation. A construction consultant who's familiar with

the case tells us there are serious design and construction issues.

The Gallad's say they've kept extensive documentation, very

important here, since we found no permits for any of the repairs,

despite the fact some have been re-done four and five-times. The

Gallad's want Lucas and Mercier to buy back the home and have hired

an attorney.