ABOUT THE BUILDER
A Maryland custom home builder was a 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty® (2-10 HBW) builder member for 16 years and built 300 homes during that period. The average home price ranged between $400,000 to $500,000.
YOU NEVER SEE IT COMING
Of the 300 homes the builder enrolled in the 2-10 HBW Structural Home Warranty program, one of the homes experienced a structural defect claim.
The home was only 4 years old when the structural defect occurred. During the analysis of the home, large cracks in the brick veneer, interior drywall, and garage doorway were found in addition to a portion of the garage slab. The concentrated distress suggested that the problem was confined to one section of the home. However, the distress was serious enough that temporary shoring was required and installed.
How did this happen?
Even though the builder properly compacted the soil, the geotechnical
investigation found that the home had been built over a buried natural drainage ravine where native clays had consolidated due to groundwater build up.
RESOLUTION
Since the builder and home were enrolled in the 2-10 HBW Structural Home Warranty program, with the help of the warranty insurer, a plan to repair the home’s structure with the installation of piers for the entire foundation was developed. The warranty insurer paid out approximately $100,000 for the repairs and installation costs.
