Shoddy Work Creeping into New Homes

May 10, 2006

Looks like its not just Homes by Avi and Kazan construction violating the Building Code when it comes to installing stucco.

CTV Calgary Consumer Affairs reporter Lea Williams-Doherty did a recent story on bad work by Calgary new home builders.

According to the intro: "Some construction experts say Calgary's super-heated housing market is leading to poor quality homes. A calgary homeowner says he found a hazardous amount of mould growing in the basement walls of his two year old home. Kevin Hnatiuk hired an independent construction expert to figure out what went wrong during his build. Bob Passmore found several mistakes, like too thin of stucco, poorly sealed openings, and poorly installed vapour barriers that all allowed water and mould to enter his walls. Passmore says he's seeing this problem a lot in new homes. He believes the cause is the lack of good tradesmen, coupled with the lack of good supervision."

That sounds really familiar. Interestingly enough Bob Passmore works for Building Science + Architecture, the same inspectors I used. I think they are waaaay too busy. I think I will send an email to Ms. Williams-Doherty!

Video of Lea Williams-Doherty Reporting