Tampabay: Dream home becomes nightmare

Nestled in the gated community of the Bayou Club in mid-Pinellas County, the $310,000 house boasts four bedrooms, an open floor plan and a nearby golf course.

But that's not all it came with three years ago.

Three months after moving in, the Browns started to notice green and black patches of mold on their off-white carpeting. Puddles of water formed in the garage. Baseboards began popping off the walls.

And, worst of all, the entire air conditioning system went haywire, cooling one room to 60 degrees while another room across the house was a stifling 85 degrees.

"It was a beautiful house until we found all these problems," Shawn Brown said recently. "We never got any answers about why things happened. The house just kept getting worse."

That's when the Browns started calling the company that built the house, Ryland, a home-building giant in 14 states across the country.

Ryland's response wasn't quite what the Browns expected.

They were told that the moldy patches were really just shadows on the carpet, that burning candles had clogged the duct system and that the couple was being too picky.

The company refused to fix much of anything, so the Browns, who didn't want to move again, decided to pay out of pocket to fix the house.

Shawn, 29, and Cristina, 28, spent about $70,000 on their home -- as much as some people pay for a first house -- before suing the Ryland Group and Amtec Mechanical Contractors, a Tarpon Springs business that was hired by Ryland to install the air conditioner.

The case is scheduled to go to trial in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court in December.

Amtec officials could not be reached last week. Officials at Ryland, which touts itself as one of the nation's largest home builders and a leading mortgage-finance company, declined to comment last week on the lawsuit. But they said they stand behind their construction work and have many satisfied customers.

The Brown suit is only one of Ryland's problems.

Ryland, which has built thousands of houses throughout the Tampa Bay area, faces numerous complaints about shoddy construction work, insufficient warranties and unresponsive employees by other homeowners in Bayou Club and subdivisions across the Tampa Bay area.

"I'm not looking to make money," Shawn Brown said. "I just want what it cost to fix my house. With all the repairs we've done, it's fine now."

Ryland grows in Florida

Stephen Kittinger moved to a Ryland development, Bayshore Townhomes, last year because he didn't want the hassle of taking care of a yard anymore. He saw an ad for the new subdivision and when he found the location on Bayshore Boulevard in Safety Harbor, he decided to buy.

Kittinger, 47, had heard of Ryland before but the company's reputation didn't mean much to him. He said he would have bought the three-bedroom home no matter who built it.

His $152,000 house now has sagging floors and walls, cracks in the foundations and carpeting that has to be replaced several times since he moved there in July 1999.

Ryland built 900 homes in the Tampa Bay area in the 1980s but pulled out at the end of the decade, citing the region's economic downturn.

The company returned in full force in 1995.

Some of its latest projects include Key Vista, a gated, 346-acre community in southwest Pasco County; the Wellington, a 400-acre retirement country club community in Hernando County; and a 40-home community in the Westchase area of Hillsborough County.

Since 1967, Ryland has built more than 160,000 houses, mostly in the Southeast and Midwest. The company now is concentrating on developing adult communities in Florida and California, according to the company Web site.

Ryland, which boasts homes in 21 housing markets nationwide, constructs homes that cost $80,000 to more than $400,000. The average cost is $185,000.

"We will provide our customers with the best value and innovative product designs, while building upon our national brand and our reputation for service and warranty," according to the Web site.

Officials at Ryland's regional and division offices in Clearwater referred calls to the company's headquarters in Calabasas, Calif. Pam Krebs, Ryland's communications manager, declined to comment on the Brown suit or specific complaints from other customers.

"We stand behind the quality of home and have a high record of customer satisfaction," Krebs said.

But that's not what some residents in the Tampa Bay area say.

At Bayshore Townhomes, the homeowners association in the 68-home subdivision began talking about what to do about Ryland. But Kittinger said he and others have almost given up on Ryland because every time their workers come out to try to fix something, they make it worse.

"We love the house, the layout, the neighborhood," he said. "It's just the finished work is unacceptable. We were totally misled and lied to."

Final move: a lawsuit

The Browns said they tried several times to reach an agreement with Ryland before filing a lawsuit. But when they couldn't, they sued.

The suit accuses Ryland of using poor workmanship and materials, failing to address the problems at the house after it was built and not providing the Browns the 10-year home warranty the company was supposed to, said Dan Clark, the couple's Tampa attorney.

"They deceived us," Clark said. "Our experts told them there were problems, but they left the Browns to fend for themselves."

The Browns, who now have a 6-month-old daughter, Morgan, hired experts to find out what was wrong with the house and began looking for a new home. Shawn Brown, who helps coach baseball at Eckerd College, even saw a doctor about a breathing problem he developed, he says, because of the house's ventilation problems.

The couple decided to stay, not wanting the hassle of selling a house with defective electrical outlets and a dining room ceiling that is four inches lower on one side than the other. But Ryland refused to cooperate until the suit was filed, Brown said.

Other Ryland customers, residents in the Crystal Oaks community in Citrus County, were so infuriated after sinkholes opened up this year they also sued Ryland. Their suit, which seeks class action status on behalf of nearly 60 homeowners, accuses the company of lying to residents and undercutting their property values.

But while other Ryland customers have struggled with what to do about their homes, few have taken the step of taking the company to court.

Lisl Schick, who purchased a $450,000 house in the Bayou Club in April 1998, said she has had problems with her floors, roof and driveway. Her biggest problem, though, is that her yard wasn't properly constructed on a slope, leaving her with standing water every time it rains.

"They cut corners every place they could," Mrs. Schick said. "Everything they use is the cheapest of the cheap."

For her, she is satisfied knowing that if she ever buys another home, it won't be from Ryland.

"It was just very unpleasant to deal with them," she said. "I would never do business with them again. Oh, my goodness, no."

- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

Tips for buying a new home

Check out the builder's references.

Talk to people who had a home built by the company.

Demand to see the builder's licenses.

Shop around for the best price and quality.

Hire your own inspector to examine the builder's work.

Some companies use upgraded materials for model homes. Know which ones are being used in your home.

Make sure any oral promises are written in the contract.

Start and completion dates should be written in the contract.

Request a contractor's affidavit stating that all subcontractors have been paid.

If the builder offers a warranty, make sure you are provided a hard copy of the agreement and know the terms and conditions.

Source: Pinellas County Consumer Protection

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