CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – A Middleburg homeowner who moved to Clay County with the expectation of living in an issue-free, newly built home said her recent homeowner’s experience hasn’t been the delight she intended because the home is so poorly constructed.
Erin LePage said she has dealt with mold, humidity and improper ventilation issues in the new home. Issues, she said, that have affected her quality of life.
LePage relocated to the area with her military family from New Orleans. She said her family chose a brand-new home built by KB Homes and made the purchase while it was still under construction.
“It’s a brand-new house. It’s unacceptable,” LePage said. “If we could have been here for our walkthrough, it would have been different.”
She said she noticed the problems right away.
“We got to the point where we got an inspector because the things we were seeing didn’t seem normal,” LePage said.
A report from an inspection that the family ordered in January details issues with the home’s humidity levels, which were reading at 70%. A more recent inspection revealed the attic was missing insulation.
Michael Munn, the founder of Biltrite inspections, said it was clear something was off with the house, stating that the home’s humidity was “super high.”
“We noted these day one, and then what ended up happening is a few months later clients calling us back, and those same conditions had gotten worse, not better,” Munn said. “So that’s where we started realizing that there was there was something hidden that’s not yet been figured out.”
KB Homes is honoring its warranty and working to address the issues. The homebuilding company installed a dehumidifier and added more insulation, but LePage said the problems haven’t stopped.
“It’s to the point where if I want to do laundry I have to put a towel under my door. It’s kind of ridiculous,” she said.
She said it took the company seven months to make repairs after she sent the inspection report to KB Homes in January.
“When we send the results to KB, they pretty much sat on it,” LePage said. “I’m tired of coming home every day and thinking I gotta look and check to see if my vents are sweating. This is insane,” LePage said.
A spokesperson for KB Homes said in a statement sent to News4JAX that the company is committed to fixing the issues and is working with the homeowner.
“KB Home is committed to customer satisfaction, and we are addressing all of the homeowner’s concerns. We will continue to work with this homeowner until these items are fully resolved.”
LePage, however, is still concerned that the company waited too long to address the issues. Now she is worried about what she can’t see behind the drywall and that her home’s value is sinking.