We made settlement on our David Cutler Group dream home in Hilltown Ridge in April 2006. In early 2014 we learned that a neighbor who had her house up for sale discovered that there was significant damage to the structure of her house because the stucco was incorrectly put on and the windows not sealed properly.
Upon research we found that other neighbors and other Cutler Communities in Bucks and Montgomery County also discovered this in their homes. (Knapp Farm was one such Community). Many of the neighbors, including ourselves, paid for Stucco inspections. On July 21, 2014 Spotlight Home Inspection LLC did a comprehensive inspection of our home and determined the following errors made by the builder.
Section 2.1 from the report: There is no head flashing above some of the windows. They direct the water from behind the siding.
The omission of this flashing will increase the likelihood that water will get behind the water resistive barrier. This is typically installed by the contractor installing the windows.
(4) Virtually every window manufacturer requires that any masonry siding (stucco, brick or stone) have a gap around the window that is filled with backer rod and caulk. This is to allow for the differential expansion contraction and provide a seal between the stucco and the window. This was not done and the possibility of moisture entering the wall is greater due to the improper installation. This is also the cause of the cracks in the stucco around the windows. Caulk should not be applied to the top of the window but was throughout our home.
The initial estimate was for $69,000. All four walls had to be done and every window in our house had to be removed so that they could be installed properly. We were told there was significant damage to the structure underneath the stucco and another $10,000 was needed for repairs. AI Restoration had to replace all of the stucco on our house with siding. Every window had to be removed and put back in correctly.
This was not a "homeowner maintenance" issue as Cutler likes to say. It was not done correctly in the first place. This is not normal wear on a house. We are covered by the builder’s implied warranty of habitability, and we have a “direct, contractual relationship between the seller (Cutler) and purchaser (Campbell) called ‘privity of contract.’ “A builder’s implied warranty of habitability is a concept grounded in contract law, which protects purchasers of a newly built residence from latent defects in the residence. It provides purchasers a remedy for breach of contract against the builder if such defects are discovered within the statutory period.” (Conway vs Cutler, August 2014). We have a breach of warranty and asked David Cutler Group to remediate the issues at our home. This was not done. No offer was made to fix these issues. We sent inspection reports and remediation plans, with the only response being we should have maintained our house.
On July 9th we received an email from our contractor about significant wood rot and he noted that our house is one of the worst David Cutler homes he had worked on in our community. This contractor was used by many people in my community and to date several dozen homes in my community have been fixed with more scheduled for this spring and summer. Cutler does not stand behind their work. No one should purchase from this company. Do a simple google search and see just how bad and unethical this company is.
David Cutler Group Reviews
We made settlement on our David Cutler Group dream home in Hilltown Ridge in April 2006. In early 2014 we learned that a neighbor who had her house up for sale discovered that there was significant damage to the structure of her house because the stucco was incorrectly put on and the windows not sealed properly.
Upon research we found that other neighbors and other Cutler Communities in Bucks and Montgomery County also discovered this in their homes. (Knapp Farm was one such Community). Many of the neighbors, including ourselves, paid for Stucco inspections. On July 21, 2014 Spotlight Home Inspection LLC did a comprehensive inspection of our home and determined the following errors made by the builder.
Section 2.1 from the report: There is no head flashing above some of the windows. They direct the water from behind the siding.
The omission of this flashing will increase the likelihood that water will get behind the water resistive barrier. This is typically installed by the contractor installing the windows.
(4) Virtually every window manufacturer requires that any masonry siding (stucco, brick or stone) have a gap around the window that is filled with backer rod and caulk. This is to allow for the differential expansion contraction and provide a seal between the stucco and the window. This was not done and the possibility of moisture entering the wall is greater due to the improper installation. This is also the cause of the cracks in the stucco around the windows. Caulk should not be applied to the top of the window but was throughout our home.
The initial estimate was for $69,000. All four walls had to be done and every window in our house had to be removed so that they could be installed properly. We were told there was significant damage to the structure underneath the stucco and another $10,000 was needed for repairs. AI Restoration had to replace all of the stucco on our house with siding. Every window had to be removed and put back in correctly.
This was not a "homeowner maintenance" issue as Cutler likes to say. It was not done correctly in the first place. This is not normal wear on a house. We are covered by the builder’s implied warranty of habitability, and we have a “direct, contractual relationship between the seller (Cutler) and purchaser (Campbell) called ‘privity of contract.’ “A builder’s implied warranty of habitability is a concept grounded in contract law, which protects purchasers of a newly built residence from latent defects in the residence. It provides purchasers a remedy for breach of contract against the builder if such defects are discovered within the statutory period.” (Conway vs Cutler, August 2014). We have a breach of warranty and asked David Cutler Group to remediate the issues at our home. This was not done. No offer was made to fix these issues. We sent inspection reports and remediation plans, with the only response being we should have maintained our house.
On July 9th we received an email from our contractor about significant wood rot and he noted that our house is one of the worst David Cutler homes he had worked on in our community. This contractor was used by many people in my community and to date several dozen homes in my community have been fixed with more scheduled for this spring and summer. Cutler does not stand behind their work. No one should purchase from this company. Do a simple google search and see just how bad and unethical this company is.