Our home had a subtle and gradual sooting problem that
seemed to arbitrarily get worse. A heating and air professional was called, as it appeared soot
was coming from the HVAC duct work. Blackened fiberglass insulation was found in contact with
electric heating coils. This was first believed to be the cause of major
soot damage throughout the home. A total restoration took place, with repairs being nearly identical to a
home with smoke and fire damage. Allstate insurance covered a portion of the
home damages as typical smoke & fire damage. Except they did not cover any
damages or loss to property inside the home, though it was covered in
the policy. Over $30,000 in additional repairs were excluded by
insurance and
had to be paid out of pocket. We thought we would be reimbursed for many
items that were inexplicably uncovered. Many things were not repaired or
replaced due to over extension of debt from repair and replacement. We sought legal council to recover losses not covered by
insurance. The lawyer had us sign contracts and represented us on
contingency. The insulation was not supposed to be inside the ductwork or
contacting the heating coils, and low level CO poisoning was determined by
symptoms and blood tests. An act of negligence by Ryan Homes' people had
occurred. They were responsible. The following winter, soot once again gradually returned,
again from the HVAC vents. Another heating and air specialist was called. He
could not find the problem. All the renovation the previous summer was
already completely destroyed before we knew the defects and errors were still there, and
everything needed to all be redone again, but this time, Allstate
insurance was hesitant, and in the end refused to pay for anything when
it was discovered the home had been damaged by inherent construction defects.
They later joined our attempted lawsuit to recover their expenses from
the first renovation. Problems finally found with total certainty. The upper air duct return was not sealed from
the attic. The attic was also left open to the ductwork. This was a criminal code violation. The openings had pulled
in blown cellulose insulation, and was burning it when the heating coils
were in use from the heat pump. It was a gradual process that seemed
random, but was actually triggered by outdoor temperature variations and
conditions. A new CO detector had stored several low level CO events
coming from our HVAC. Got the duct sealed and the system was completely
cleaned for a third time. We could not afford another renovation to
remove smoke and fire damage and the layers of cellulose dust all over
everything mixed with soot. We tried to work with our legal council to assist in recovery for this purpose.
However, we were the only party doing any real work on the case, and our
attorney repeatedly lost our case files and failed to return calls. He stalled
our case until the statute of limitations was one day from running out. A suit was finally
filed, but against the wrong party, the day before statutes ran out. It was
never served and was inactionable. With no legal council, we were free to contact Ryan
Homes directly. After several exchanges we reached a final conclusion.
Ryan Homes
had a meeting with their legal council and determined
they could not be sued. The warranty didn't apply
to anything and was unenforceable. (The ten year limited warranty
literally doesn't cover anything practical. It's primary purpose seems
to be to ban you from court access through a mandatory arbitration
clause if you have any warranty claim that Ryan Homes decides to deny)
It was VERY CLEARLY STATED there was nothing they would do to assist in
repairs or losses. Their rep stated that he was
also completely unconcerned with our issues with Ryan Homes becoming
public information, and laughed at my warnings that I would do so. In
part because he said NVR could "destroy me" if I fooled
around with them. But later, he made new threats when our story did go public,
and began to have a significant effect on the company. The home was not immediately restored a second time
due to lack of financial resources created from the first renovation.
Unknown to us, the
contamination had so severely damaged the HVAC, that it led to multiple
types of mold contamination hidden inside the HVAC. It was being dispersed throughout the home
continuously causing untreatable health issues. Our doctor advised us to leave the home. We continued
to try to make repairs, since leaving the home would put us way over our
heads in debt, and we were trying our best to develop a home based
business (Keeper & Sol Publishing) Finally the
home became intolerable and absolutely medically uninhabitable, as we
developed extreme disorientation and dangerously low blood pressure.
Under additional medical advise (from contacting an ER about our
immediate symptoms and fears) we fled the home on an emergency basis. At
first we stayed in motels/hotels until we found an apartment. We still paid
for the uninhabitable home. The apartment (was chosen because they
accepted credit cards-more debt that would lead up to maxing out a
$50,000 credit card), and the massive DIY repairs only worsened chronic,
and some permanent health problems from excessive exposure. We returned to
the home after 3+ years of repairs, in financial ruin, and in poor
health. We are still trying to recover our health and finances to this day. Notes: Health damages Ryan Homes caused to the owner and
occupants. Many of these health conditions have become permanent. Due to any
lack of essential legal or government support structure, to this day the
home has not been fully restored from construction defects and damages. Repeated CO exposure: Long -Term (Chronic Effects) Hashimoto's syndrome: A permanent condition that was
caused by long term exposure to toxic mold. Tumor: Developed during exposure to toxins. Although it
turn out non-cancerous,
removing it caused nerve damages and is a source of constant discomfort and pain. Near total renal failure: With treatment, 50% of Kidney
function was eventually returned. Allergy/toxic mold exposure symptoms: At best, flu like conditions,
multiple untreatable health complications lasting for
months/years during and after exposure from initially hidden sources.
Chronic exposure to low levels of CO can lead to a cluster of symptoms
resembling the flu:
headache, fatigue, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting,
and a change in sensitivity to light, odor, and
taste. Because symptoms
of chronic exposure may differ from acute symptoms and are likely to
be
attributed to more common causes such as stress, infections, allergies, or
psychological
distress, chronic CO poisoning may be misdiagnosed.
Additionally, tests that medical personnel
often use to confirm a
diagnosis of acute CO poisoning may not be effective in detecting chronic
poisoning. Aside from known negative health effects there is medical
evidence the long term exposure CO can be attributed to spontaneous abortion. The owner
lost her last chance to ever have a child. (Pro-lifers would consider this
a form of manslaughter).