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Cork On the Ocean

directionally challenged
There appears to be a project on 30A that is having leaking water in the ceilings and mold growth. A good friend went to her unit last week, mold coming through the ceiling and she had to stay at my place because she broke out in a bad rash. She appears to be very sensitive. She spent several thousand having ceiling painted, carpet cleaned and some mold kill put in and she got a call this week from the renters that the ceiling is cracked and water is dripping. She had to relocate them and is out the money and doesn't want to repair again until the builder eliminates the problem. She's not having luck so far with the COA management company/builder/developers etc and she had asked me to post on board to see if anyone remembers what went down with Edgewater in Destin and who the attorney that represented the Condo owners was?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I found the docs on walton county clerk site but I don't have time to sift through all the filings and hundreds of docs, orders, appeals etc and her computer isn't fast enough to download so a readers digest version and/or attorney would be great. Thanks
 

Miss Kitty

Meow
Jun 10, 2005
47,011
1,131
70
Oh man Cork...I'm sorry for your friend. You may have heard I had a leak a couple of weeks ago. That sheetrock probably needed to come down and then the space needed to dry out. It doesn't sound like they have fixed the source of the leak either.
 

Lisa Ruby

Beach Fanatic
Jul 12, 2005
1,332
74
SoWal
www.rosemarybeachsales.com
I don't know any specifics on the Edgewater case, but I do know that Michael Benz, a Destin attorney, specializes in this type of developer liability practice. He represented the homeowners association in the Jade East case against developer/engineer several years back.
 

SHELLY

SoWal Insider
Jun 13, 2005
5,763
803
Sorry to hear about your friend's troubles--hope they are able to get a decent lawyer.

The negative side of the RE Boom is now just starting with situations like this...lawyers will soon be swamped with business.

Excerpt from Article in June 2006 "Fine Homebuilders Magazine" article: A Dismal Standard:

"The end of pride
I was inspired to become a carpenter when I learned from traditional New England craftsmen just how incredibly challenging it is to master the trade. These were people of great dignity and pride who could do everything on the job site from forming the foundation to making the last cabinet. Only 35 years later, that breed is nearly extinct. And the deep sense of honor and pride about being in the building trades has all but faded away with them.

According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times, the average age of subcontractors is 48, and when 100,000 high-school students were polled on their career preferences, they ranked subcontractor second from the bottom -- just above cowboy. I don't know what's wrong with being a cowboy, but you've got to wonder: In 10 or 15 years, who will build our homes?

So far, the possibilities don't look encouraging. Those who end up in the trades often get there because they ran out of options. My brother is a psychologist who evaluates inmates for a state penal institution. He tells me that at least 75% of the convicted felons he interviews were previously in the construction industry. I've also read that the building trades have the highest industry incidence of drug and alcohol abuse. When all hope and good intention are gone, you always can go out and build somebody's home.

With few young people getting into the building trades, many contractors are resorting to day laborers or illegal immigrants or, basically, anyone with a pulse. Most work in the trades today requires no qualifications or training. To cut my hair, you would need to have attended a certified school and passed written, oral, and practical examinations. To roof my house, you would need only a few hand tools, a ladder, and the shingles."
 

Camp Creek Kid

Christini Zambini
Feb 20, 2005
1,277
125
53
Seacrest Beach
Cork On the Ocean said:
There appears to be a project on 30A that is having leaking water in the ceilings and mold growth. A good friend went to her unit last week, mold coming through the ceiling and she had to stay at my place because she broke out in a bad rash. She appears to be very sensitive. She spent several thousand having ceiling painted, carpet cleaned and some mold kill put in and she got a call this week from the renters that the ceiling is cracked and water is dripping. She had to relocate them and is out the money and doesn't want to repair again until the builder eliminates the problem. She's not having luck so far with the COA management company/builder/developers etc and she had asked me to post on board to see if anyone remembers what went down with Edgewater in Destin and who the attorney that represented the Condo owners was?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I found the docs on walton county clerk site but I don't have time to sift through all the filings and hundreds of docs, orders, appeals etc and her computer isn't fast enough to download so a readers digest version and/or attorney would be great. Thanks

Cork,

What is causing the water leakage? Surely not rain seeping in considering that we haven't had much in a couple of weeks. Who is liable would depend on the problem, although the developer probably wouldn't be liable unless the damage was caused directly by their actions. Most likely it would be the contractor, who would blame it on the subcontractor, who would blame it on the architect, etc. Both the contractor and the architect will have liability insurance. The HOA could possibly be liable if it is a maintenance problem, and the HOA was responsible for maintaining the problem.
 

Cork On the Ocean

directionally challenged
Camp Creek Kid said:
Cork,

What is causing the water leakage? Surely not rain seeping in considering that we haven't had much in a couple of weeks. Who is liable would depend on the problem, although the developer probably wouldn't be liable unless the damage was caused directly by their actions. Most likely it would be the contractor, who would blame it on the subcontractor, who would blame it on the architect, etc. Both the contractor and the architect will have liability insurance. The HOA could possibly be liable if it is a maintenance problem, and the HOA was responsible for maintaining the problem.

Thanks for your reply Kid,

She's received numerous reasons for what's causing it from simple sweat from the air conditioner, to upstairs dishwasher, to sprinkler units and now something else. They seem to be telling her it's localized but the building has settled and is running towards her unit. Somebody's gonna have to pay to find out the cause and I fear that it's gonna have to be her with this little B&B unit. I wish there was something I could do for her. She's a very good friend with meager means and I have a feeling that this is going to cost more than the unit is worth to solve the problem. I did refer her to Mr Benz and am waiting to hear when she talks to him. She probably needs to contact other owners and get together for action. Her's was very subtle damage (little spots on ceiling) at first and the longer it continues, the more obvious it became (cracking ceiling and drips). I fear the ceiling is just gonna start crumbling down :eek:
 

yippie

Beach Fanatic
Oct 28, 2005
946
42
A local
Please PM me about this problem. I have been dealing with a HUGE mold problem for months. I have information.
 

Cork On the Ocean

directionally challenged
Hi Yippie,

I wonder if you're in the same place as my friend. She needs help desperately. She's on the east end near Rosemary. Same place possibly?

Happy 4th BTW


yippie said:
Please PM me about this problem. I have been dealing with a HUGE mold problem for months. I have information.
 

yippie

Beach Fanatic
Oct 28, 2005
946
42
A local
Cork On the Ocean said:
Hi Yippie,

I wonder if you're in the same place as my friend. She needs help desperately. She's on the east end near Rosemary. Same place possibly?

Happy 4th BTW

No, not the same place. I am dealing with a huge matter which includes builders liability insurance. My problem stems from a builders flaw. No water barrier placed on the south side of my house, which was against code.

Please have your friend PM me. I have been dealing with this for almost a year and am finally getting somewhere. I think I can help her.
 
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