#34 In Hyde park Crescent sold. It sold for $287,500. It was my new
house. The day I bought it, the city of Houston appraised it at $408,000.
My house has Stackybotrys and Chaetomium in high counts. The
Stackybotrys is even in the A/C and the air ducks. It is all in the in
the 3rd floor bathroom and even in the walls. The floor under the carpet
is all water spots and the windows leak. There is mold all over the laundry
room ceiling.
The Dinning room ceiling has been replaced because the garden tub dumped
100 gallons of water in it, from the 3rd floor and flooded the dinning
room, living room, and ran though the hard woods and ended up in the garage
on the first floor. The sales agent, said" this sort of thing was to be
expected in new construction."
The windows leak terribly in the kitchen and mold was growing
all up under them and up the wood work. The kitchen deck studs are rotted.
I know because I cut a hole in the wall so you could see in and I could
watch the water drain out of my house.
My house # 34 is one of the subject houses in the case in Judge McCorkle's
civil court, 5th floor, where the builder, Stature/Tremont sued Astec roofers
for the defective roofs. Other subcontractors are also mentioned. They
admit they knew these houses had major problems in 2001, yet some of us
were sold them long after that, mine in April of 2002. They even talk about
... in deposition, "about black stuff being all behind my shower and drywall,
water wetting the insulation in the attic so bad it had to all be taken
out."
I did not cover up the damage to my house and try to dump it
on someone else. It is against the law for a private citizen not to disclose
defects. I let it go into foreclosure and tried to get the mortgage company,
Homecomings a sub of GMAC to go after the builder. He did not. He had PMI
and refused to tell me who with, even though I was paying for it.
I called All State Home owners insurance, that I paid $3400 a year
for, only to be told, substandard construction and builder defects were
not covered under my policy.
I notified the Real estate Board of the dangers in this house and was
referred to an investigator who "was going to get back with me" but didn't.
I tried to notify century 21 excel, the broker Greg Post and the listing
agent Michael Weaster were unavailable, so I spoke with Mary Ann Kocurek
their assistant, who informed me that with foreclosure sales they did not
have to disclose defects. I ask her, not even if in this case it might
kill someone? She repeated, they did not have to disclose. I told her I
had mold reports, engineering reports, moisture intrusion reports, architectural
reports as well as a stucco report. She did not care. I left my name
and phone number no one called me back.
One of our movers had an asthma attack after being in my house less
than 15 minutes and I told them about the mold and gave them masks and
ask them if they were sure they wanted to take a chance on going inside.
Senator Ellis's aid came out and saw all this damage, and wore a mask,
Judge Eckels's sent someone out, and he called me and said Jorge Casimiro
was a 30 year friend and he was going to call him and tell him he needed
to clean up his mess. I never heard back.
There are pictures on HOBB.ORG.and it has made national media in people
Magazine, under "contractors form Hell," and a seven page expose in. Mother
Jones magazine, numerous news papers, and talk shows including the Bev
Smith show out of New York, and the Tom Hartman, and others across Texas.
My house has been empty for an entire year... with water pouring in
the walls and mold growing and wood rotting..They have covered it up again.
.
It is strange they can admit the mold in New Orleans is toxic, but
not in Texas...they say the people in New Orleans can't move back it is
too dangerous to their health ..that is sure not what happens in
Texas....In Texas the builders and sellers just say "give me my money and
posion the suckers"..... I can accept this happened though an act
of God... but this is happening because of an acts of greed.
I am sending this letter out to everyone I can think of, so if any
thing happens to the people in my house, I want everyone to have to share
in the responsibility . Because of your inaction these people, or their
child or pet my die at the least they will become ill. If a baby
or puppy or kitten moves in there ... they will be effected first. Like
canaries in a mine shaft. Chaetomium is terribly dangerous it causes brain
abscess. We were lucky, we just had migraines, sinus infections and surgeries,
bloody noises, lung and eye infections.
This house has been sitting empty leaking, growing mold for the
entire year since we moved out. I can only image how badly the air quality
and A/C are now ... and the wood rot. Some houses in my x subdivision have
been dumped as many as 5 times already. When does this stop?
They say every alcoholic adversely effects at least 54 people during
his life time. This developer far exceeds an alcoholic's effects. His incompetence
has destroyed and made people sick, broke ruined their lives and credit
and forced many into foreclosure and bankruptcy.
I care, I make it public and I stay in court. I am waiting my 5tht
hearing in Judge Sullivan's court because Ttremont/Stature wants the court
to compel me back into arbitration AGAIN, rather than allow me to have
my day in court and expose what these renegade builders have been allowed
to do to the citizens of Houston.
Jordan Fogal