STATESVILLE, N.C. — Despite the rolling fields and cows, a Statesville woman says it hasn’t been entirely peaceful living in the Castlegate community.
Joanne Christman showed Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke photos she said she took after the heavy rain on Tuesday.
“What we need help with is grading, ponding water, water under the house,” Christman explained.
“As we started talking to our neighbors, we saw that they were having the same issues. So, then we started kind of banding together,” she said. “We call ourselves Castlegate United.”
The group complained to the builder, Virgle Ray Short Jr.
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“We weren’t getting results. It was just delay after delay and excuse after excuse,” Christman said. “Avoidance on issues, lack of responsibility, lack of communication, just a lot of issues all rolled into one.”
Christman says she filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and at least two state agencies, but the developer still hasn’t resolved the issues.
Other neighbors, including Steve Bowman, are worried that when Short finishes the neighborhood, the homeowners association will inherit the problems. “As the homeowners association gets turned over to us when the last house is built, then what issues do we have to face for lack of attention prior to that?” he asked.
Bowman has asked Iredell County to investigate if Short followed all the permit and code rules.
Stoogenke has tried contacting Short several times, but he did not respond in time for this report.
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Action 9 says problems with erosion can be difficult to resolve for these reasons:
— The builder’s warranty may not cover erosion issues.
— Some people have a home warranty, which is essentially a service contract. It usually covers things such as appliances but not erosion.
— Homeowner’s insurance would not typically help in this case either.
— One of the few options a homeowner may have is to sue.
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