League City — A growing problem in one League City community is forcing some families out of their new homes.
Dozens of homeowners are reporting mold inside of walls and air conditioning units.
Some homeowners are fed up with the issues and are demanding answers from the home builder.
Taylor Morrison has built more than 1,000 homes in the Mar Bella subdivision.
Some residents are starting to call the community by another name, ‘Mold’ Bella, because of the issues they’ve found inside their homes.
For instance, the community is lined with picture-perfect houses anyone would love to call home.
Bart Ferdinand lives in the 4800 block of Sabero Lane. He’s lived inside a Taylor Morrison home for just over four years.
“This is our dream house,” Ferdinand said. “We’re here for the school system and the neighborhood.”
Everything had been great until recently.
He spotted moisture stains and mold around the home about two weeks ago.
Also, it’s not the only home in Mar Bella dealing with the problem in homes built by Taylor Morrison.
Tanya, who didn’t want to provide a last name said, “So it started with like wet ceilings so it prompted me to call the warranty department. They came out. I thought it was very minor. I thought it was going to be an easy, quick fix.”
But it wasn't.
Tanya closed on her home in December 2016. She and her family are about to move out for a second time because of mold while Taylor Morrison fixes the issues.
She called the ordeal heartbreaking and a health hazard.
“My kids are constantly sick,” Tanya said. “I mean, they’re day-to-day constantly congested. My two year old wakes up with a cough almost every day.”
Taylor Morrison admits more than 100 homes in the community have experienced issues similar issues.
The company is working to pinpoint the cause of the problems in each home and fix them immediately.
The company released this statement to KHOU:
“We extend our sincerest apologies to the Mar Bella community as we work to fix the moisture issues impacting numerous homes. Taylor Morrison stands behind its homes and is actively working with industry experts to remedy the situation, conducting onsite inspections and research to diagnose the specific causes and potential solutions.
As we work to design a permanent solution and repair the affected homes, Taylor Morrison has provided money to homeowners for alternative housing while repairs are implemented. Some of the previous attempts to fix homes with moisture issues have not worked despite our efforts. Even though the symptoms are clear, the cause of the problem is multifaceted, making it sometimes difficult to diagnose and determine the appropriate repair. Each home or floorplan appears to have a slightly different cause or combination of causes (e.g. ventilation, duct installation, design, etc.).
We are currently evaluating new repair options and will be testing them very shortly in a sample of homes within Mar Bella to ensure they are permanent, effective solutions before we begin installing them in the impacted homes. The test cases will be monitored closely to determine their effectiveness. Once the tests are completed and we’ve decided on the best plan forward, we will provide homeowners with detailed information about the repair plans for their homes.
Taylor Morrison has built over 1,000 homes in Mar Bella for more than a decade, and this setback is a recent phenomenon that will be solved as we coordinate directly with our affected homeowners. It is of the utmost importance to us that we get our Mar Bella community members back to enjoying their homes as quickly as we can.”
Homeowners like Tanya want to see a solution in the near future.
“My end game is hopefully get it all repaired, get the mold clearance and potentially put it on the market. Even if this house were to come to perfect conditions just the last two years of living this nightmare I don’t think I can move past that,” Tanya said.
Ferdinand couldn’t wait for Taylor Morrison to fix his home.
He’s hired his own people to take care of it.
Ferdinand said, “I still love my house. I need to fix it. It’s a war on getting this thing taken care of immediately before it spreads to the whole house.”
He expects Taylor Morrison to reimburse him for all the work being done at his home or he’ll consider legal action.