Breaking news - they are wrapping houses in biltmore

[bigrieg21]

These homes are sheathed in OSB..Oriented Strand Board. It's not intended to be exposed to moisture. When it gets wet, then dries, then gets wet, then dries it begins to loose it's strength and will eventually deteriorate. Short term it will be ok but in 10 - 15 years who knows. I'm no expert on this but I have friends in the construction business who have passed along their opinions.

[administrator]

Originally Posted by mia

But it's just wood. There isn't any drywall , right? The drywall is what would get moldy. Not wood ...unless the wood be would be on the ground.
The wood is simply weathered. It's up on a foundation.
Docks are built out of wood. Decks are built out of wood.

No one is going to get "sick" and our property values won't suffer. That is an alarmist perspective. Do you really think that your property value will go down b/c homes are being built?

Have you ever gone to 84 Lumber and the lumber is sitting out for months on end???? The weathered look of the wood is more from the sun if anything.

I think if you were to talk to anyone in the building trade you would find this is acceptable. It would be preferable not to have the wood to sit through winter which they are obviously taking steps to prevent. (however, if the wood sat through winter it still could fly

I think this is a good sign. We want houses to be built and sold in our development. That is our goal. I am thankful that it was only seven months lost and not five years.

I think THP are dogs too but as homeowners we want to see this development completed.

Come visit my area of the development.

You may find yourself looking at things with a different perspective.

It would be preferable not to have the wood to sit through winter which they are obviously taking steps to prevent.

Really?

There's so many unbeilevable offshoots of that comment, I don't know where to start.

So, if it doesn't matter... Why would you care.

I see how you saw this next comment coming based on your incomplete thought in parentheses, but it's needed regardless :

Your argument is flawed.

Why not just have them remain unwrapped.

You might want to refer to this article that was discussed previously :

How long can a half-built house sit? - MSN Real Estate

But that's ok. Let's say for a moment that you are right, and the framing can sit out like that for seven months. I'm not a contractor or home builder. Nor do I pretend to be. So, let's leave that as an aside.

You can have that.

But, what about the rodents? The bugs that were burrowing in the homes over the summer (and yes, it did happen.) The different people that have been in and out of the buildings? (and yes, it did happen) Doing god knows what?

Remember when you brought up "oh THP is back baby they were in and out of the estate home...".

They were essentially stealing from that would be homeowner. Taking their goods out of their home to complete others.

That's the reality of what they were doing.

They weren't working on it. They were removing things from it.

And you want to talk about protecting the homes? How about THP could have taken a moment to ... I don't know... Close windows so the rain would not go INSIDE the home? Over the past seven months?

You've been here for some time now. I think if you look back, you can probably remember just how daunting the past seasons were with rain.

If you think it's no big deal, would you buy that home? What if it was yours? What if it was to be yours? How would you feel if you went to look at your house... And, you didn't know what was lying underneath?

And thanks for the "alarmist" comment. You've been holding back recently.

I'm glad you found another opportunity to come out of the shadows and express your disgust.

I hope you enjoyed all the other content and information that you freely gathered and had no problem taking in.

But, pictures can not do it justice.

Come down and actually look at the homes.

Oh no wait. It's night time.

You can't.

No street lights or densely populated area.

Perspective goes a long way.

I'd trade homes with you in a moment.

Perspective goes a long way.

You may not want to hear this.

Reality is, not everyone here is only here for flipping a home that got screwed by the housing bubble and THP.

You are looking for a scapegoat.

I am not that scapegoat.

[administrator]

Since we put mold aside, how about the other issues :

How long can a half-built house sit? - MSN Real Estate

Stage 1: Roughed in
When a house is "roughed in," the site is graded, the foundation built and the framing (usually wood) is erected. Some or all of the sheathing — boards of plywood or manufactured wood — may be installed as the subfloor and roof underlayment.
Exposure limit: Roughly two months from the start of construction.
Risks: If abandoned for even a few months at this stage, especially in high humidity or continuing wetness, a house can become seriously damaged. The longer the exposure, the worse the risk:

• Manufactured wood products, made of glue and wood fiber, can swell and lose strength in moisture. "They can actually turn to kind of mush if they get too wet too often," says Claudette Reichel, an expert on housing and building materials at the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center. The warranties and manufacturer recommendations vary on different products, but generally two months — roughly the time it takes to get a house ready to enclose — is their exposure limit, Carlysle says. Oriented strand board (OSB) used in floors, roofs and walls, can grow mold in a week or less under the right conditions, causing ugly stains and a health hazard. Plywood — thin, laminated sheets of wood pressed together with glue — will separate and warp. (Warped wood is unsightly but structurally sound.) "It's basically rated for exposure during the construction period and that's all," Carlysle says. "If it sits on the site for a month or so before the building gets started, then that clock is running."
• Framing studs are less vulnerable because they're made of solid lumber and are narrow and vertical. But if water is trapped on the surface, even solid lumber can rot in a few months, Reichel says.
• Foundations are likely to settle, buckle or crack after a heavy rain if gutters aren't installed yet or if the soil hasn’t been graded to direct runoff away from the house. Failing foundations cause uneven floors, ill-fitting doors and wall cracks.
• If left uncovered, synthetic roof weather-barrier products, called "felting," break down after several months' exposure to sun, wind and storms, reducing their effectiveness.
• Even nails eventually corrode. Dan Grisa, a contractor in Riverside County, Calif., who rehabs half-built homes for banks and investors, says he's seen nails rust right inside the wood framing of a half-built home.

Again, you might want to come down and actually SEE the state of these homes before they are covered up before you make your judgment on the level of an "alarmist" post.

As someone that is primarily interested in preserving their own property value, you may find it worth your time.

[tmitch74]

Well, well.....I can comment on our neighborhood of Coddington View...The homes started and not completed were not just "wood". The homes have firewall and drywall which has been damaged and is being built around. Several of us took pictures of the "mold" on the "wood". Are you serious?? There are neighbors getting sick in the area from the dust, mold, etc. Property values are not going to be effected?!?! OMG, are you an employee or just ignorant? The market sucks anyway and who would want to buy a home now from THP? The neighborhoods are a mess, they are unsafe, existing homeowners are ignored, existing homebuyers are out their money, and the values are not going to go down?! Have you been sleeping in one of those houses for the past eight months because either the mold has gotten to you or you have no idea what is going on. Hello, wake up call.

[tmitch74]

Our township was called and nothing has taken place. THP does not even respond to them. Also, the Health Department has been called. They are still building here, quickly, to cover it up and take money from more people.

[MontCo77]

Those pictures are unreal Admin. I certainly hope you would be forthright enough to show those to any potential buyer of that property. They should also be forwarded to any organization that can hold THP responsible for those homes in the long run.

Looks like they are trying to "cover" things up in more ways than one, while their negotiations are taking place.

Those homes aren't the only things rotten in THP-land.

[rambleon95]

no way!!! call the news!!! thats insane! wow....

f'n thp

[rambleon95]

i would love to see them try that on the work\lives! haha!

[northgate#46]

OK for one thing that is osb board they are covering up. Osb is not supposed to be out in the elements unprotected for that long. No respectable builder would do that. Trust me i know a few. I would recommend calling the township and specifically the township inspector.

[administrator]

As I sit and watch them do this, I'm reminded of my liens and incomplete house.

Where is this money coming from?

I'm wondering what BoA would think of how their investment is being handled?