Standard Pacific Homes; Ryland Homes; CalAtlantic Homes Home Construction Nationwide

 The following information is provided in the hope that it may be helpful to anyone considering the purchase of a new home constructed by Standard Pacific Homes, Ryland Homes, or any other home construction company associated with Cal Atlantic Homes (Cal). We purchased a new house constructed by a company associated with Cal. In the recent process of selling that house, a home inspector noted: “Observed several areas with truss augmentations all located in the same area of the attic space. These repairs have been improperly performed, including nails in no special pattern, detached nails, gaps and improper sistering techniques and other defects”. A structural engineer subsequently noted: “The roof framing in this area appears unsupported, inconsistent, and appears to have been improvised during the original construction of the home. This home was constructed with structurally inadequate framing connections over the Main Entry. There is a concern that this area could fail if subjected to the additional live loads or wind loads as required by the local building codes (emphasis added)”. After we learned about the framing and structural issues, we concluded that the repairs outlined by the structural engineer had to be made before any sale occurred. We were unwilling to, and simply would not, put a future owner and their family at potential risk. We hoped Cal would share our concern and help us address this situation. Despite being made aware that the house may not be structurally sound, Cal refused to even visit the property. Why did Cal frame the house in a way that inspectors/engineers determined was improper and could fail? More importantly, why would Cal refuse to even perform their own inspection? We were hoping to get answers to these and other questions from Cal. Instead of getting answers, Cal had an attorney send letters that denied any responsibility and, without having visited the house, denied that there was anything wrong with the house. The amazing thing is that the cost we paid to fix the framing and structural issues noted by the inspectors/engineers was probably not much more than how much it cost Cal to have an attorney send letters. So if you are anyone thinking about buying a new home constructed by Standard Pacific Homes, Ryland Homes, or any other home construction company associated with Cal Atlantic Homes, we urge you to give serious consideration to our experience of how they responded to concerns raised by qualified professionals before you make a final decision.