Construction Defects: From coast to coast and in every trade, complaints of construction defects are pouring in. Plumbing defects leading to mold and water damage, hazardous and life threatening electrical installations, improper and undersized HVAC, incorrectly graded and compacted lots causing foundation problems, broken structural roof trusses and framing, thin cracking stucco and EIFS systems lead to even more water intrusion and mold.  www.epa.gov

The latest is 'value engineering' where D R Horton cuts corners on structural components.  Beware of strong winds, they will knock over your D R Horton house as recounted below.  For an explanation go to: http://cbs13.com/seenon/local_story_033001529.html 

Just do your own little quick search on the web to find tons of information.

Think Lennar is any better?  When done here, click the link at the bottom of this column.

WHEN D R HORTON IS CAUGHT IN ‘A BAD’ ITS REACTION IS TO DENY RESPONSIBILITY AND PASS THE BLAME

Intelligencer Journal, Publication date: May 31, 2007: D.R. Horton Inc., a nationally recognized Fortune 500 company, claims East Hempfield Township New Jersey officials interfered with its attempts to work with homeowners to correct construction issues in some of the homes in the Village Grande development, just off Harrisburg Pike. That interference, says Horton, caused "irreparable harm" and created a "negative stigma" for the firm and the Village Grande development. The suit, filed by D R Horton on May 17 in Lancaster County Court, targets East Hempfield Township along with supervisors John Bingham, Bernard Krutsick, G. Edward LeFevre, Brett Miller and Heidi Wheaton. The township's building code official, Code Administrators Inc., and its president, Jason Stevens, also are listed as defendants. According to the document, Horton claims the defendants approved the issuance of building code deficiency notices after recent re- inspections of some of the homes in the development. Horton says the defendants knew the notices would "intentionally interfere with the contracts between (Horton) and Village Grande residents to address warranty and possible code items" and would "generate bad press" for the firm. According to the document, Horton is asking the court for a permanent injunction directing the notices be withdrawn and prohibiting any new notices from being issued. The developer also is seeking $50,000 in compensatory damages. Wednesday night, Supervisor Miller said the township's solicitor had advised members of the board not to comment on the suit. Village Grande came to the forefront last year when several residents complained to supervisors about construction issues and difficulty in dealing with the developer in getting the issues resolved. The township and its newly appointed building code official, Code Administrators Inc., then offered re-inspections to residents of Village Grande. The inspections began in February and are expected to be completed in June. Those inspections, Supervisor Bingham said previously, turned up more problems, and the developer was notified that some homes were not in compliance with state code. Bingham said in a previous interview that Horton has made corrections in several homes but has not dealt with the major deficiencies, which include electrical problems and issues with roofs. Bingham said at the time the township was well within its rights to issue the notices.

BUILDER Magazine, Publication date: October 1, 2005: D. R. HORTON AGREED TO PAY A HOMEOWNER'S group $39.5 million in 2005 over problems at a 246-unit condo development in Superior, Colo., a town just outside of Boulder. According to The Denver Post, the complex, Summit at Rock Creek, had numerous defects, including cracked foundations and walls and poor land drainage. Building inspectors hired by the homeowners removed the trim from 1,800 windows and took roughly 10,000 photographs, finding gaps in siding that allowed extensive water leaks.

Patrick Missud, Las Vegas, closed 3/04: I have personally had problems with major construction defects which D R Horton has also refused to address as evidenced by the State Contractors’ Board and Building Department citations and documents reproduced on this page, below and to the right of the other consumers' testimonials. Upon getting the keys to my ‘new’ D R Horton home, I discovered several construction defects in each and every trade. The electricians had not tested the circuits. An AFI safety circuit had burned out in the main panel. The plumbers forgot to evacuate the gas lines, hook up the ice maker valve, or test the reverse osmosis for leaks/cracks. The D R Horton mechanical sub contractor never tested the major appliances such as AC or heaters. For that matter, the freon wasn’t turned on which could have burned out the compressor in minutes. The D R Horton sub contracted stucco contained cracks at nearly every window’s corner, and the exterior moldings were peeling from their frames. Then the ‘piece de resistance.’ One year later I discovered torn sheetrock at my master bedroom’s ceiling located every 24 inches and just under each roof truss. Six months after that, I could easily identify the location of every roof truss by merely looking through the ceiling along my western wall’s perimeter. By simply putting a level on my west and north walls, anyone can determine that they have moved 5/8 inch to the north. This is a condition called ‘racking.’ When there is insufficient lateral support to counteract wind forces, the structure will yield to the wind. D R Horton sold me a house made from a deck of cards. I don’t even need the big bad wolf to blow this one over.

MJ, Maryland, closed 03: After several storms we found holes and cracks in our foundation. We have tried everything to get D R Horton to fix the problems but no luck. The closest we came to resolution was when D R Horton sent someone out to caulk the hole. Now with the more time that goes by, the cracks and holes are appearing. I fear that mold will begin. Its amazing how many phone calls and letters go unanswered.

KK, Las Vegas, closed 03: Several cracks in the living room and garage ceilings. Also some strange movement in the block wall.

KS, California, closed 06: What an experience I had purchasing my D R Horton home.....I have had a continual problem with my carpeting....it is less than substandard, but D R Horton continually advises that it meets FHA standards. It isn't wearing correctly, it shows seams and wear marks. I am a single mother with 1 child, it shouldn't be as noticeable as it is. I sympathize with any D R Horton home purchaser, I want to sell my house......the neighborhood is deteriorating rapidly and there is no enforcement on the HOA.

SFGate.com, “No place like this home--fortunately,” Chip Johnson, April 28, 2006:The house leaked like a sieve. There was no way to get into the attic. And though they didn't know it at the time, there was a gas leak on the property. D R Horton set up the family in a temporary home a few blocks away and promised to fix everything. That was two years ago. The house, gutted to the framing studs, has been vacant ever since -- and Holmes is still making mortgage payments. At first, Holmes was patient, sure that D R Horton would make things right. But when the contractor did an abrupt about-face in July 2004 and offered to buy the place back instead of fixing it, his patience began to wear thin."It seems to me like they've spent more money keeping us out of the house rather than trying to get us back in it," he said. ….D R Horton lost control of the situation when the lawyers got involved. That's a fairly honest -- and unusual -- admission in the world of big business.

GM, Texas, closed ?: I wrote these emails on behalf of RW. He is a retired veteran who had a world of problems with D R Horton. Please call him!!!

PC, Florida, closed 06: We, along with many others, are having major warranty and construction problems that D R Horton is ignoring. Typical problems include framing, drywall, stucco, drainage, erosion and soil stability.

GS, Las Vegas, closed 04: I can not understand that paying 1.4 million dollars for a D R Horton house and we are getting treated like we live in the ghetto. The shoddy band-aid work that they are doing to try to make us happy is not going to work, they break other things in the process and hope we don't notice and go about their merry way. D R Horton’s agents are as sneaky as they come along with Neil from the main office supposedly. I wish I knew how to get a hold of Mr. Horton himself because I would have a few things to say let me tell you.

AM, Arizona, closed 1/07: There are 4 units attached to my D R Horton town home and my neighbors’ sewage is erupting into my bathroom. Sewage is shooting up from the toilet and shower like something out of a horror movie. D R Horton replaces cosmetically damaged parts, but has completely denied that there is an actual plumbing problem and refuses to address this issue.

ML, Las Vegas, closed 04: In heavy winds, my D R Horton house sounds like its flexing back and forth. I hear it all night long. I come from Florida where we have hurricanes every year and am comparing these sounds to that of what a house sounds like during a hurricane. See http:// cbs13.com/seenon/local_story_033001529.html

CS, Florida, closed 06: I just wanted to summarize my concerns with how DR Horton sells and warranties their homes. 2.We have had several problems with our dishwasher and our granite in our kitchen. D R Horton continues to give us the runaround rather than dealing with the issue. We have lived in this home for 6 months with no resolution. (Item 1 in predatory lending)

TC, Las Vegas, closed 03: Several ceiling cracks yards in length in several rooms.

Waxhaw, City Data: I purchased a DR Horton home. We sued and won.

KP, Louisiana, closed 06: I wish I had read all these sites before buying a Horton "home". We have had nothing but problems since we signed….. Our problems here were getting the houses finished. They hire illegals, who know nothing about building homes, and the Border Patrol does sweeps to pick them up, and then the houses sit. The house we signed for sat for 6 weeks without being touched. We were told a time frame and had to end up moving into an expensive small apartment with a toddler and a dog for three months. The they put a 20x20 stretch wrong color brick on the front of the house...it was two different colors. (they wanted to paint it...I said NO. I was out done. I was told a house "just came available" and we had to sign right away....BIG MISTAKE.) We have had problems with this house every since. When they do "fix" mistakes they break other things, they replaced a door for the 2nd time and dropped a hammer and broke my tile (still broken) disconnected my alarm, still not reconnected and screwed up the stucco, rigged that to look stupid. Our yard goes under water, we were told the backyard was meant to slope to drain off, it doesn't, I have to get my mower through the house because I cant get to the gate, it's under water.

 RM, Las Vegas, closed 03: My concrete block retaining wall was getting undermined by monsoon rains. So much silt washed down the steep hill that it filled my pool inches thick. D R Horton came out and did a quick repair without first consulting with any engineers about this major problem. Other retaining walls in this community were also failing, and some overnight. My kids play in the pool which is just below my retaining wall. D R Horton just doesn’t care.

B?, Florida, closed 9/05: Scratched cabinets and countertops, missing and broken light fixtures, incomplete landscaping, poor stucco, missing paint, bad carpet seams, defective dishwasher. DO NOT PURCHASE A D R HORTON HOME.Martha of Manor TX (06/11/07), CC

CM, Reno, closed 9/06: DR Horton came to my home from their Sacramento office to inspect all the problems I've been having in my home since I moved in Sept. 30, 2006. I had to retain an attorney because D R Horton failed to insulate parts of my home which caused my pipes to freeze last week. I have had both furnaces fail, breaker box trips and my furnace went out constantly. I have had a flood in my casitas the first week I moved into my home Oct, 9.2006 where the entire casitas flooded and it was all because the plumber failed to put the seal in the toilet. I had wood chips and construction debris in the sewage line. Casitas plumbing pipes were not insulated and pipes froze no water for 5 days and it took 4 days to respond before the problem got worse. The p-trap for the furnace in the casitas had been broken and was leaking condensation in the attic and out through the back of the house onto the porch for two weeks forming a huge 1 1/2 foot high piece of ice. House had to be re keyed front and garage door were defective it's like the locks were tampered with. For 3 and half months I have had nothing but problems in the house and I was fed up that's why I got an attorney and we filed a complaint against D R Horton with the contractors board January 22, 2007.

BL, Las Vegas, closed 03: I had sheetrock problems throughout the house, but D R Horton did not want to repair those. An inspector told me I had plumbing problems, and D R Horton only repaired those after I had contacted an attorney.

David, Taylors South Carolina, 10/04: I was a D R Horton insider for 5 years as the warranty manager in Greenville South Carolina. If anyone wants to know what D R Horton is really about please call me. If you live in a D R Horton home in Greenville and are having warranty issue I may be able to help.

S?, California, closed 6/06: At the time of our final walk through, there was no AC nor was the gas hooked up. D R Horton was rushing to move us in. Our outside lights flicker, the entertainment center niche is crooked, gas fireplace not hooked up, balcony missing a rain gutter, two shades of paint in the master bedroom, bent garage door, and a broken microwave. To this day only a few things have been fixed, but only because we call every day. I would never buy a D R Horton home ever again. D R Horton customer service is terrible. The sales office people treat you great until you close escrow. Please consider not buying a D R Horton home.

Sherrie, Thornton Colorado, never closed: I contracted to buy a house from D R Horton. Before signing the contract, I did a walk through and found major leaks, uneven walls, sagging ceilings and runs in the paint. I told D R Horton I wouldn’t sign until the problems were corrected. That didn’t matter though because when I was ready to buy the house and accept the defects, they had already sold it to someone else and kept my earnest money.

FC, Las Vegas, closed 4/04: I bought upgraded kitchen cabinets and counters from D R Horton’s design center. The cabinets are falling apart and the counters don’t match.

??, Arizona, closed 2/00: In our wonderful D R Horton home, we had over 50 feet of concrete slab cracks, in some places up to 1 inch across. Our carpets came up 3 inches short of the hearth all the way around. An exterior door was unpainted and interior phone jack not connected. An interior wall had to be relocated, and the fireplace mantel raised by 1 ½ inches. D R Horton’s excuse to us for the poor workmanship was that there is simply no qualified workers anymore, and that we had to live with what they could find.

E?, California, closed 06: I write this report on the behalf of myself and at least 95 other dissatisfied owners. D R Horton is the lowest quality builder. Having had new homes before I've worked with new home builders. Most others will rectify problems which shouldn't be numerous anyway. D R Horton not only uses subs that just want to get in, throw the house together and leave, but they keep you waiting endlessly to correct their cheap work. It is CLEAR that all they care about is throwing cheap track homes together. And when I say cheap, I mean their quality, our home was almost $1 million. D R Horton is a disgrace to the building industry.

RJ, Las Vegas, closed 04: I had a variety of construction defects which were discovered by a structural inspector. D R Horton mysteriously came up with an engineer’s report to validate the repairs.

Martha of Manor TX (06/11/07), CC: I was a single mother with two kids and a friend of mine had a D R Horton home who raved about the houses. Well she isn't raving anymore and I never have. First of all my outlets work when they want to, my plumbing has failed me twice and working on the 3rd time as we speak. I recently looked under my cabinets and found that I have a new plumbing problem thats not under D R Horton warranty because my year is up so I have to pay out of pocket every time the plumbers come out.

Kristen D., Austin TX, Cut Corners on Finishing Our home is just under 10 years old now and was built by D R Horton under the name of Milburn homes. All I can say is that they are definitely corner cutters. First of all they didn't paint all the trim. Also D R Horton ran the security wires underneath the carpet as opposed to under the baseboards like you should. We didn't know until we decided to look at putting in hardwood floor. We also had a major problem with our master bedroom window leaking...it was a problem that took D R Horton over 2 years to fix properly.... they just tried to patch it without actually trying to figure out what the problem was. It really drove me crazy. All I can say is that I will never purchase another home built by D R Horton.

KJ, SC, closed 200?: We lost the sale of our D R Horton built home in Hilton Head SC after an inspector noticed D R Horton used termite infested roof trusses to build a brand new home!!! It has been almost 1 year, several visits to numerous attorney's offices, we finally found someone to take our case. Now it is tied up in the legal system, as we wait on a court date. If there is anything else you could use from us to help with the demise of this heartless, un-caring builder, please let us know.

AL, Las Vegas, closed 200?: Interestingly enough, since the first week we moved into our D R Horton house we have had nothing but problems. 1. front bathroom tub/shower was cracked (they finally repaired the fiberglass) 2. sewer odor is in the front bathroom sink (it has never been repaired) 3. front door area hose bib broke inside the wall and had to be repaired (caused leaking inside the wall) 4. air conditioning unit stopped working and we had to call for service 5. some of the electrical wiring was not connected properly (we had to have an electrician fix it) 6. home is poorly constructed (sound proofing was NOT one of their priorities) 7. my biggest issue is that after the home was purchased, any level of customer service was non existent! SINCERELY....SCREWED BY D R HORTON

ktrider, 8-10-05, TexAgs.com: DR Horton Develops, constructs and sells single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums. ( NYSE: DHI ). too bad they are fall apart in two years, the paint is coming off, the drive way is cracking and my foundation needs repair. they dont care, they got their money already, now they left me with a broken home. Dr Horton sucks. They build crappy homes that are over priced and the customer service sucks even worse than the homes they build.

Purty Mommie, 8-10-05, TexAgs.com: I agree!!!!! I hate DR Horton. They have the worst possible customer service I could ever imagine! I wish someone would make a Drhortonsucks.com like kbsucks website, only better because they suck more. Especially Taylor and Boyd Martin, President of the Salt Lake area. They suck!

By Anonymous, 8-10-05, TexAgs.com: DR Horton sucks in the Seattle area too! At least they're consistent. The mistakes and re-do's made during construction are too numerous to list. The only thing worse has been the customer service. All DR Horton is good at is saying "no" to requests. All they care about is $$$$ - have you every noticed that their employees all wear shirts, jackets, etc with their stock symbol - it's obvious what they care about! DO NOT BUY A DR HORTON HOME AND DO NOT BUY A HOME IN ISSAQUAH HIGHLANDS BECAUSE THE DEVELOPER, PORT BLAKELY, IS AS BAD AS DR HORTON!!!

HOLLOMAN et al. v. D. R. HORTON, INC. et al., Gwinnett Superior Court, 1999; The Hollomans provided expert testimony that the house was defective in many respects, such as improper installation of the manufactured floor system, framing defects, and other construction defects, including improper installation of stucco, siding, and windows. The Hollomans' expert witness concluded that the house had so many structural defects that it was unsound and not suitable for its intended use. He attributed the defects to "a general performance failure at all levels of the construction process." It is undisputed that Horton is a builder-seller chargeable with special knowledge of the alleged defects. See Wilhite, supra; Worthey, supra. The Hollomans also allege by affidavit that they "have . . . been informed" that Horton was notified by a floor joist manufacturer of certain necessary structural corrections but failed to make them. We do not consider this allegation because evidence on summary judgment is held to the same standards of admissibility as evidence at trial, and inadmissible hearsay has no probative value unless an exception to the hearsay rule applies.

Paula, McKinney TX, closed 02: Drainage problems around my D R Horton house resulting in standing water in the yard, concrete form boards were left in place at the foundation perimeter, flashing at roof jack wasn't sealed, damaged shingles, improper service flooring in the attic, insufficient insulation, attic stair unit not properly mounted, electrical cables near attic stair opening aren't protected, central air conditioning condenser unit is too close to house, Duct work (plenum, duct hubs, and evaporator coil seams and openings) needs sealed, thermostat for electronic range was found to be inaccurate by 43 degrees, bathroom and laundry exhaust fans discharge to the soffit rather than the roof, gas water heater and furnace should have sediment traps. Our D R Horton sales associate also lied about an island we were supposed to have installed in our kitchen. First she said all houses would have one and then later denied ever having that conversation and of course, we didn't get it in writing. We've had problems with faucets, bathtubs sinking, standing water in the backyard, trash coming up from under the sod after the soil has eroded away, big utility boxes in groups of three and four in front of all the houses (very unsightly). Many more problems with D R Horton, but I'd be here all day if I listed everything.

JL, California, closed 5/06: We are not happy at all in our home it has some many problems and D R Horton won’t fix it!!!

PE, Las Vegas, closed 03: 9 kitchen ceiling cracks, 2 in the master bedroom, 2 in the garage which re-opened within one week. An inspector also found electrical, plumbing and mechanical code violations throughout the D R Horton house, some of which were life threatening.

E?, N. Carolina, closed 03: We were told at our final inspection that the bubbles in the ceiling would be taken care of right after closing. Now that we closed, D R Horton tells us that the ceilings are our problem, -since the sub contractors used cheap paint. The dishwasher has leaked from day one. D R Horton tells me to call the plumber or the electrician. I am sick of these people, they are liars!! I will not tell anyone to buy a home from them ever…major mistake they make promises they do not keep, big fat liars, D R Horton is rude as hell!!!

TO, Las Vegas, closed 03: We like others in our D R Horton community had ¼” gaps at the ceilings. We had to have our ceilings torn down and replaced like the neighbors’ down the street.

Kimberly, Jacksonville FLA, closed 04: BEWARE all new residents of Jacksonville Florida DO NOT BUY A HOME FROM D.R.HORTON! Our problems started the day we moved in we noticed that the carpet in the formal living room had a seam showing from one wall to the other and that it was not done very well, we of course being decent and trying to get everything moved in and get ready from Christmas with our children decided that it could wait till after the new year to contact D R Horton and have them come out and look at it to get it fixed never thinking that they would not honor their warranty…….

FC, Las Vegas, closed 03: I had my front brick veneers patched three times, as well as the same walls’ interior surface cracks repaired. After the third repair, D R Horton told me they would not come back.

Gerald, McKinney Texas, closed 1/05: I have been in my D R Horton home less than 8 months and it's falling apart with no sign of D R Horton being concerned.

JK, Las Vegas, closed 03: An inspector came to my D R Horton home and told me that my roof trusses were not tied. He also told me that two of my neighbors had the same problem, and that that was the reason for all the ceiling sheetrock cracks.

Stacia, Plano Texas, closed 11/01: I have made numerous attempts to contact D R Horton and their warranty department with major issues on my new home. We moved in on Nov. 1, 2001 with a list of issues promised by the builder to be complete within 1 month. It is now March 4, 2002 and nothing has been done. We are experiencing black soot coming out of all of our vents throughout the house because we have a furnace that must have been dropped during transit or installation. Air Tron, D R Horton’s sub contractor that installed the furnace, came out at the end of February and told my husband that we do have a major problem, but he is not the one to make the decisions on replacing the unit or just fixing it. His recommendation to my husband was to make D R Horton replace the unit, not fix it. He told my husband we would hear back from someone in a couple of days. It has now March 4, 2002 and we have not been contacted by anyone in D R Horton’s warranty or at Air Tron. My son and I both have been sick since the day we moved in with severe allergy problems which we never had before. It took me calling the highest person at the warranty office and leaving his secretary a message for someone to just call me back. My problem is still not fixed, but this is only one of the major issues. There are many more. I hope to get the message across to new home buyers, not to ever close on their D R Horton dream house if it is not the dream home they want.

GS, Las Vegas, closed 2005: I can tell you we have had the experience of the poltergeist house. We have had 4 major leaks and at the present time we have been without a kitchen for 60 days. It has been nothing but a fight with D R Horton. Our Ultimate goal is to make them buy the house back with damages occurred. On top of all of that we have had mold that had to be remediated. Myself, My mother, My husband and especially my 2 lb. dog has suffered major breathing problems. I also got more spores on my body and it was eating my skin, I had to get medicine from the doctor, but has left scars.

Rsny12, City-data: My mom has a D R Horton, but she DID have problems with more nail pops than I've ever seen (I mean we counted 45 going up the stairwell) because they didn't use the right screws or something. Then she had a bay window which constantly leaked the first 2 years and had been repaired at least 4 times I can remember.

GoGoLucky, City-data: Actually my girlfriend dad is an inspector and he has said some not so pleasant things about D R Horton ...that they don’t use the best products when building 

Master Shake, City-data: I heard that there were a lot of issues with one of the D R Horton communities in Queen Creek (built in 2005), whereas the D R community in Maricopa (also built in 2005) seems to be free of such issues. I think it all boils down to the laborers that are hired during the time the community is being built. With the building boom a few years ago, the labor market was very tight, meaning that anyone could have been picked up off the street -- regardless of skills and/or experience. This would most likely directly transfer to the overall quality of the house. However, the quality of customer service and how the builder responds to issues is also a good measurement of the builder. Usually all houses have a few minor issues, which should easily be covered during the first walk through, or by the standard 1 year warranty. However, I know at least one person who had to hire a lawyer to help get a response from D R Horton.

Missmypfc, city-data: Another guy in the squadron just bought in Redbird Ranch (past Bella Vista) and although they love the area, they are having problems with their D R Horton home... not sure what price-points are in R.R. We are going on six months in Westcreek in an Armadillo home... yes, they still come by to "fix" things.

MsHell, city-data: I bought my first home from D R Horton (then called Schuler Homes) in Hawaii. They did not do the electrical wiring correctly and it took a long time to figure out there was a problem and D R Horton would not take accountability for it. I had to pay 3x the normal electric bill for 6 months with no reimbursement. Personally I would never buy from D R Horton again, based on my experience.

Jonny13, city-data: Thanks Angelafx and MsHell for the feedback. D R Horton is a pretty big company so I would expect to find several people on both sides of good and bad experiences. However, strangely enough I haven't found much of anyone to tell me of the good experience they had. That should probably be enough of a sign to stay away, shouldn't it? I really did/do like the area D R Horton is building in and the 2 story home plan was at a fantastic price. Too good to be true maybe...or at least too good to be that easy. I'll keep looking for another builder, and certainly appreciate the feedback and suggestions. Oh - one last thing...is it uncommon for a builder to provide references of customers they built homes for? I asked this of D R Horton and they said they did not do this type of thing because they don't like to give out people's phone #'s. So I in turn asked for them to give out my number and have the people call me instead. So far the phone hasn't rang once.

Alesha25, city-data: I think that you were more the exception than then norm when dealing with D R Horton. I will have to agree with the other readers. I just bought a house from D R Horton. I have to say... the financial part of it all was very easy, go figure, but the actual construction was a whole other ballgame. Every time I came to the house there was another problem and... I came pretty much everyday. D R Horton laid the wrong tile, the wrong carpet, messed up the mantel, the paint job was horrible and they had to repaint. I honestly felt like I had to baby sit their every move. In addition, our tree in the front yard, three azalea bushes, and the extra things we planted have all died. Mind you... we work in the yard all the time and we can't get anything to live. We have now decided that since they didn't bother to level the yard before the laid the sod and created all the beds, we will now have to make a drain that goes from the front us the house all the way to back side of the fence in the backyard. I am beyond frustrated with everything. Do I call and have D R Horton come fix it (or mess it up more) or... do I just do it myself (this way I know its done right)? To top everything off... they are now building a new house next door to us and have been trampling our grass that we have tried so... hard to grow. My next step is to start looking up the codes about them building a house next door. I refuse to deal with all this while D R Horton is building the house next door. Needless to say... there are days I just want to sell this house and move, but we just moved in March.

Bev0209, city-data: I purchased a D R Horton home in Dec 2007 in Millwood Plantation, Rock Hill, SC. I have had a host of problems with the home since purchasing, some very serious. Getting repairs is a very slow process and are always done at their convenience, not yours. Google DR Horton Homes and read the complaints site. You may want to reconsider. Good Luck!

Darcysells4u, Real Estate Agent, City-data: The problem with The Farm in Wescott Plantations in Dorchester county is that D R Horton is not the best builder. IMO... I'd go Centex (the Visitas) over D R Horton any day.

RestedTraveler, City-data: I, unfortunately, cannot recommend my own builder, Torrey Homes, as they no longer exist (were bought out by D R Horton, whom I would not recommend to anyone).

Momof2dfw, City-data: Most of these are low end homes that are just trying to attract a buyer for the larger square footage. More sq footage for your money but then you have to remember, you get what you pay for. I would rather have a smaller home that is better built. Lennar is in the same boat along w/ D R Horton (I used to work for them). I have also known several that had Grand Homes and had MAJOR problems. Don't count on the BBB to help you out. All the builder has to do is respond that they are trying to work things out and made an "offer" to fix things. The best thing to do is drive the neighborhood and talk to the homeowners and ask them how things have gone.

sky girl, City-data: I just checked the SC BBB, and it seems that DR Horton has an "unsatisfactory" rating.

Las Vegas Sun, February 25, 2004, Jennifer Shubinski, “Builder to Settle Board Complaint,” HOBB excerpt: Homeowner Alisa Brilman filed a complaint against D R Horton with the board in September after two of the walls surrounding her then year-old Anthem Heights home began to crack and separate. Board investigators testified that shoddy workmanship had caused the walls to fail. Investigator Ron Ramsey testified that the backfill, or earth foundation, underneath the walls was improperly packed and that large gaps in the soil created air pockets, allowing movement and shifting. But after two hours of testimony, D R Horton officials abruptly ended the hearing when the Contractors Board requested permits and certifications for the homeowner's lot.

ML, Las Vegas, closed 04: Stucco cracks all around the D R Horton house and very soft stucco around the garage.

Linda, Flower Mound TX, closed 98: Our four year old D R Horton home is twisting and has major structural issues from poor framing practices. That warranty they sell you on??? Worthless. During construction D R Horton lost our plans 4 times, and this is what many of the mistakes were blamed on. We should have been smart enough to terminate our contract at that point, but we weren't. I have over 100 pages of issues that were sent to D R Horton during and after the construction process was completed. We have been trying to get our framing issue resolved for 4 months now, to no avail. The contact at D R Horton can't get a hold of his subcontractor, and he told me 'You try and see if you have any luck.' Well, I am, but it's not my job to. This shouldn't have even been a problem. Best of luck to anyone who builds a D R Horton home - get EVERYTHING in writing and hire your own inspector... it will save you a lot of grief in the future.

LA, Las Vegas, closed 03: Exterior patio doors’ moldings are peeling and letting water get into the house. D R Horton came out to repair but didn’t fix the problem.

MF, Las Vegas, closed 04: I’m having problems with D R Horton. The casement moldings around the exterior doors are separating from the stucco and let water in. The stucco is soft all around.

VH, Las Vegas, closed 4/06: D R Horton left me with a 20 foot ceiling crack.

E?, Arizona, closed 06: I HAVE OWNED MY D R HORTON HOME FOR ALMOST A YEAR AND IS NIGHT MARE FROM DAY ONE. CHEAPLY BUILD HOMES.

GM, Las Vegas, closed 04: We bought our D R Horton house a few years ago. In just one of our walls, there are several stucco cracks around all four windows.

A?, Florida, closed 06: D R Horton tried to close the house without having us walk through the house. There was a good reason for that because there were so many things that were not done. First there were holes in the walls and in the garage floor, then the paint job was just terrible, it was like it was painted by a little kid. Then they threw the rest of the paint on the bushes. THE DRY WALL HAD BUMPS IN IT ALL AROUND THE HOUSE. There were holes on the ceiling. Whenever we call D R Horton about finishing the work, they always have an excuse.

Dafney of Graham NC (05/24/07), CC: I bought a house in Sep 06. On April 17, 2007 I put furniture in the house and I came with my family to stay for rest of the week. On the third day, the toilet downstairs flooded into the hallway, sitting room laundry room, kitchen, and the dining room. The plumber told D R Horton that they have to fix the house because the problem is from the outside. The next day a company called sparkle and restoration came to the house. They told me that the entire floor was contaminated and they have to pull all the tiles, and the wood floor. They have to redo the whole downstairs and the laundry room. The living room was the only area that did not get wet. I can not move in because they are still working on my house.

Jarod of Bakersfield CA (05/02/07), CC: We all have the same experienced dealing with D R Horton's defective homes and their lousy customer service employees. We even hire a lawyer just to get their attention. However, since we have a Binding Arbitration with D R Horton - we just cant do anything period. The government should not allow builders to require home buyers to sign this stupid binding arbitration because its hurting the consumers and builders are untouchables.

Trellie of San Antonio TX (04/25/07), CC: My D R Horton problems stemmed from foot long gashes in my windows, stained grout, nails not hammered in, chunks of texture in my ceilings, water pouring in my door from the rain because the concrete wasn't installed in needed spaces, baseboards missing 4 inches to 1 foot and a half of wood and just painted over, locks that are hard to turn, holes above my cabinets, chucks pitting out of the walls that was just painted over and not patched, spaces in the under sink boards, scratches in my tub, spacing in between my driveway and garage, a dented vent on the outside of the house which had to be cut out and replaced which was installed in a different color than my house, my fence was missing bolts, two tone paints in one room, and my sod which wasn't delivered until a month and a half later when D R Horton told us 2 weeks.

Lisa of Vancouver WA (04/24/07), CC: In December of 2005 I purchased a D R Horton home only to discover that the Homeowners Assn was in the midst of a lawsuit with D R Horton. The flashing and siding was installed in a substandard manner and no water barrier was used under the siding. This is Washington State for petes sake, do they not have a clue! We have settled with D R Horton, however due to the fact that several of us in the development are not primary owners the State of Washington limits us as far as damages are concerned. We had to settle for far less than the anticipated damages. All windows and doors need to be re-fit. All siding needs to be replaced and dry rot and water intrusion issues need to be addressed.

Chetan of Milpitas CA (04/24/07), CC: In November 2006 D R Horton contacted homeowners regarding a discovery of sound problem in some of the 285 units that they built in Milpitas. Apparently they had built the units without adhering to the blue prints / plans and omitted something. They discovered it and they now want to fix it on their terms. To conduct the repairs D R Horton needs the homeowners to vacate their units for one month and are somewhat forcing the homeowners to accept builder's terms. We are looking at a special assessment of about $20,000 per homeowner to supplement the lack of funds needed to repair the damage

Joe of Charlotte NC (03/17/07), CC: I've had problems with my D R Horton home from the beginning we moved in. list of things wrong. front door binding, windows not caulked, granite countertop crack, windows that would open or stay open, main shower drain pipe rubs against the flooring member, water entering in my dining room when it rains, misrep of lot size. the list goes on. I should of ran from this home. every month I have a different D R Horton Rep. They change them like underwear. They have made some repairs but, its all half hearted. What the D R Horton contractors use is whats bad. buyer beware. Your better buying a resale d r horton home after the homeowner makes all the corrections. the water damage in my dining room has caused water stains to my table and chairs. D r horton refuse to pay. We have gone thru this twice. I hope it won't be a third time. Time lost from my job to be at home to keep an eye on the contractors. If you don't watch them nobody does, and d r horton will skim on the job.

Michelle of Lakeville MN (11/28/06), CC: We purchased a home with D R Horton in 2001. Within 5 years we have now had 4 issues with plumbing. A leaking pipe on one tub and a defective toilet in the same bathroom. A leaking shut off valve and two defective jets on a whirlpool tub in a different bathroom. We have damage to 3 levels of the house due to the defective tub and toilet and poor workmanship on the plumbing. We have been in contact with D R Horton and have been told they only warranty the plumbing for 1 year. I can see having 1 issue, but 4 in 5 years seems to be excessive. We are now being forced to do many repairs due to the water leaks, with no help from D R Horton.

James of Murrieta CA (10/28/06), CC: I am a homeowner who has had a bad experience with D R Horton the builder of the home. First let me say I love my new home. It is everything we wanted EXCEPT for one problem. First when we did our walk through of the home we found a crack pipe in one of the bathroom drawers. Justin the customer service representative quickly picked it up and apologized. I should have taken pictures of it. After a year of living in our home we had a flood from the sewage lines. The flood took out the entire downstairs living area and also released large amounts of sewage into the backyard. My insurance (Allstate) quickly had someone out and repaired our downstairs with new paint, carpet and moldings.

Emilio of Maricopa AZ (10/22/06), CC: I have owned my D R Horton home for almost a year and it is a nightmare from day one. cheaply built, no sound proofing, cheap stucco keeps falling off the walls, doors not hung correctly, bad flooring. They refuse to fix anything. D R Horton has hundreds of loopholes, nothing but promises and lies, starting with their customer service.

Karen of Aurora CO (09/20/06), CC: I purchased this D R Horton residence in July, 2004. I soon began to notice that the lawn had a sinking patch. The company came to refill it. The following year, I had to have a patch of driveway concrete replaced because it was sinking I was the patch next to the sinking lawn. D R Horton corrected that problem, too. Early the next year, however, I had yet another patch of sinking concrete; the patch adjacent to the replaced patch. I contacted the company to replace it, but they said they weren't going to since it was outside the warranty period of one year for this type of problem. The warranty for my home and that type of problem expired in July of 2005. I first contacted D R Horton about the second sinking patch in March of this year. I think the winter months had taken a toll on the patch. When they declined to repair the concrete, I countered with the fact that obviously the ground was not properly compacted before pouring the concrete because I had the same problem in other locations. I have also witnessed several other D R Horton houses in just a 2-block radius with concrete issues. I am going to have to replace the concrete myself or get it mud-jacked. This seems outrageous for a brand new home. I have one car and never even park it on the driveway, just in the garage, so there is nothing I did to cause this concrete to sink.

Lucy of Goldsboro NC (09/19/06), CC: I and several other people I know have bought a home from D R Horton about 3 to 4 yrs ago and now the floors sinking in these homes. These homes were purchased for the people whose homes where damaged where Hurricane Floyd hit in N.C.

Keith of Pearland TX (04/08/05), CC: My wife and I built a new home with Emerald (D R Horton) and closed in July of 2004. Prior to closing on the home we hired our own building inspector to inspect the home and create a report of defects and issues. The report generated by the inspector was fourteen pages long and encompassed a whole range of issues. A copy of this report was given to D R Horton , which in turn completed none of those items on the report. Thus work continued, and still continues today, to get corrected these outstanding issues.

CRAIG & RENEE, Stafford Texas, HADD: THERE ARE REALLY TO MANY TO NAME BUT HERE ARE A FEW, (1)THE LIGHT SWITHCES DN STAIRS HAVE SEROIUS ARCS(2)THE HOT WATER HEATER IN GARGE HAS GAS LEAK(3)WATER LEAK IN DN BTHRM(4)AIR VENTS NOT BALANCED IN HOUSE, THIS IS ONLY A FEW OF THE 22 ITEMS WE HAVE. IF SOMEONE COULD PLEASE CONTACT US AND DIRECT US IN WHAT DIRECTION WE SHOULD GO WE WOULD BE SO APPRECIATIVE. THANK YOU

G?, Frisco Texas, HADD: The problems with my D R Horton house. Windows in Bathroom warping not sealed correctly, Improper drainage from house, Fence sinking on one side, Electrical Outlets not working in front of house, Cabinets falling apart ( fixed ), Bathtub jacuzzi leaked ( fixed ), Leak in corner bathroom ( spackled and painted ), Paint in master bathroom not gloss ( but is in closet), many more wife knows of........

??, League City Texas, HADD: Electrical----have contacted D R Horton numerous times---arcing in breaker box--called emergency # on Jan.1--no one responded. Also---Cracks in foundation that we would like an independent inspector to take a look at.....Shingles have blown off roof----no nail holes at all.....Paid for Tech Shield----they did not install--D R Horton will not refund or anything-----Blinds----paying through mortgage---they are so cut crooked that you can see out the sides to the outdoors---blind person who installed (rep for D R Horton) told us that the windows were framed crooked and would not do anything about them.....Grout on tile done incorrectly---have come back and not cleaned causing stains on carpet after being walked on-----D R Horton rep said that they would come and replace carpet, but no show----they make all kinds of appointments---NO SHOW---NO CALL!!! Our fence has blown over several times and is missing wood----Still have not fixed---Our garage door opener is hit and miss--some days it may work but most of the time it does not!!!! Doors on the inside are not shutting correctly now----concerned because we have seen cracks----bath upstairs is pulling away from wall! I don't have my complete list with me, but this is some of the things that we are gong thru with D R Horton ----we have been in this house for only 4 months and have been dealing with getting something done for the whole time!!!!!

??, Cincinnati Ohio, HADD: I am part of a lawsuit against D R Horton in Louisville, KY for misrepresentation of a wooded area behind homes in this development as a "nature preserve" and restricted from development. Buyers involved in this suit were charged more for their lots because of this and the land was later cleared and developed. In addition, many in the D R Horton development experienced numerous construction defects. I personally had to pay $3,000 out of pocket to the buyers of my home when I sold to fix a construction problem that was not covered by the home warranty.

??, Bluffton South Carolina, HADD: Recently my D R Horton home sold. When the inspection report came back, it stated there was substantial termite damage to the roof trusses. I lost the sale of my home due to the fact that D R Horton will not return my phone calls, and when I went to their offices, I was told it would be another week before they could produce the documents. The guy who finally called me back after a week of leaving him messages, was fired 2 days ago. According to Chris Haynes at Terminex, he remembers being called to the job 3 years ago to spray the roof trusses, after they were framed because they still had live termites in the trusses. My neighbor has pictures and documentation that at least 4 houses could be affected by the same thing due to the fact that trusses sat on the ground at the jobsite for over 6 months, in the water & mud. D R Horton was aware of this and chose to ignore it and build around the damaged trusses, and cost me the sale of my house.

Swiora, Dickinson Texas, HADD: I feel as though there are construction defects as well as warranty issues. I have almost everything written down at home. But here is a list of some of the things that have been going on with D R Horton. They have had to fix the roof twice and I think it is leaking again. After being in the house a few months rebar was sticking through the driveway in several places, at first D R Horton wasn't going to fix it but my husband told them have to. They reluctantly came out and fixed it. But they told us when they do it we can't drive on the driveway for a few days. Well, D R Horton came out on a different day then when they first said and my car was in the garage so obviously I had to drive on it to get to work. There are deep cracks in the foundation. Nails heads were coming back through the walls, they simply put a "band aid" over it. Who knows when they will start coming through again. The fence was crooked but we fixed that. There are several places in the house where the walls are crooked. And one of the D R Horton Reps told me husband yesterday (October 4, 2006) that ALL news houses have crooked walls. He won't fix any of them, but 2. We were lied to about the electrical box being in our backyard. We were told it wouldn't be there once the fence was up we noticed it was in the backyard. After arguing with D R Horton over and over they finally gave us our oversized lot. We purchased our own paint to have it put on the walls; we were told it was our paint. When we went into the office over $400 worth of paint was just sitting there. As I type this there is an inspector there now. We regret the fact we didn't have one when we purchased it but we have one now and will inform D R Horton of the rest of the problems. They haven't been too cooperative, so we will have to see if they fix the problems. When the air conditioner turns on the lights and computer in the office dim for a split second. When we signed for the house, there weren't any knobs on any of the doors, the D R Horton rep went into another home took them out of that home and put them in ours. The paint on the doors is atrocious, we asked them to fix it and they didn't. We purchased extra cabinet and in the contract we were told they would be there no later than Jan 19th (or somewhere close to that date) and they were there until several months later. We have to hold up our end of the bargain, why doesn‘t D R Horton? They signed it too! We have granite counter tops and they didn't know how to attach the dishwasher to it because we were the second house in the entire subdivision that had granite, so first the first week the dishwasher was detached from the counter. We have been dealing with D R Horton and non-stop problems since we have moved into the house. This is our first home as we were married in January of 1006 and it has been a nightmare since before we moved in! We came up here while the house was being build, there were crooked boards we had to tell them to fix and there was a sewage leak in the spare bathroom. We have pictures of these things and the leak in the rook into the garage. I am not sure if I have covered everything but I have it all written down at home. D R Horton says they are "America's Builder" they forgot the word, "WORST"

Chris G, Lacey Washington, HADD: My D R Horton home is a joke. There isn’t a level straight wall in the house. The electrical box sticks out an inch past the studs but the refuse to fix it right even though I have proof that the inspector knew about the problem.

Rita S, Littleton Connecticut, HADD: This is the letter we sent to D R Horton:
On Thursday, March 30, 2006, I (Rizalino) spoke to Debbie at your Corporate Office at 1-800-846-7866, regarding some outstanding issues with our D R Horton home that we closed on September 30, 2002. This is not the first time that I had to call the Corporate office due to non-response from your Warranty office in Colorado. We moved into the home on October 1st of 2002, as to be expected there were minor issues that occurred, but were taken care of in a timely manner. We are writing to you regarding four (4) major issues that have never been fully resolved almost 4 years later. These issues have been reported time and time again into the appropriate D R Horton warranty office here in Colorado (during the warranty period). There has been considerable employee churn in this office and we feel as though this is part of the reason why these issues have never been fully resolved. The top 4 issues are: 1. Faulty roof (top priority) 2. Mismatched paint on turret stucco (fixed for leak and stucco is the wrong color) 3. Large cracks in concrete of walkway, driveway and garage (this was to be fixed around our 11 month review) 4. Deck (this was on our list during our 90 day review regarding boards popping and a split handrail)

NO SOUND PROOFING. CHEAP STUCCO KEEPS FALLING OF THE WALLS CRACKS ON THE WALLS. DOORS NOT HUNG CORRECTLY. BAD FLOORING. D R HORTON REFUSES TO FIX THE HUNDREDS OF LOOP HOLES TO GET AWAY WITH IT AND EXCELLENT ‘CON-ARTIST TEAM WHO WORK FOR THEM. NOTHING BUT PROMISES AND LIES. STARTING WITH D R HORTON CUSTOMER SERVICE. BRANDON WORKS OUT IN MARICOPA. HAVE MORE THAN ONE PHONE CONVERSATION RECORDED WITH APOLOGIES ABOUT NOT SHOWING UP AND PROMISING THEY WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. THEY DON'T CARE WE ARE ALL HAVING PROBLEMS OUT HERE THEY JUST DON'T CARE. TOOK NEARLY SIX MONTH FOR D R HORTON TO FIX THE PILLARS ON MY COVER PATIO AND THE END I WOULD PAYING FOR IT THEY USE UNSKILLED WORKERS TO DO REPAIRS THEY MAKE IT WORSE INSTEAD OF BETTER.