David Weekley Homes review: Poor experience building a home with David Weekley

I went under contract with David Weekley at Encore at Chatham Park to build a Carroway in the Vista section. During the pre-drywall inspection, my inspector found 54 issues, of which 18 were still not resolved upon re-inspection. According to the report, at least six were not compliant with specific sections of the 2018 North Carolina Residential Code, while others did not meet manufacturing installation specifications. One glaring example related to the weather resistant barrier (WRB). According to the chief consultant on code with the North Carolina Department of Insurance, an improperly sealed WRB can result in moisture penetrating the wall assembly, potentially leading to rot, mold, and deterioration of the wood framing of the home, thereby “causing a home to deteriorate rapidly over time.”

The inspection report also noted the excessive waviness in the James Hardie siding that could “affect the integrity of the cladding assembly over time.” The James Hardie warranty requires that the fiber cement siding be installed according to the manufacturer’s specifications. According to the production manager for a local James Hardie approved installer and repairer of its siding products, wavy siding can be the result of dimensional differential studs, a too tight installation that causes the planks to bow out, or an incorrect nail pattern, among other installation issues.

Other non-resolved issues included missing rigid foam insulation at turndown footings, a horizontal 1/8” crack running from one side of the building to the other, numerous hairline slab cracks, cracks in the foundation where the interior crack ended, and roof gusset repairs rated for specific load thresholds.

Once the reports were submitted to David Weekley, there was considerable pushback on completing the repairs due to “our building process and building schedules.” It seemed that quantity over quality was a big concern for the builder, especially given the aggressive time schedule for these homes. At numerous points, the builder’s project manager on-site kept asking if I “trusted him to build me a beautiful home,” and that I should have confidence that the rips and tears in the WRB had been fixed during the installation of the siding. Yet, he refused to provide either written confirmation or digital photographs that these repairs had been completed as required by code.

Instead of working with me and actually doing what they were supposed to do based on NC residential building code requirements and manufacturer specifications, David Weekley simply cancelled my contract based on a pre-dispute clause, stating that the contract was being cancelled due to their inability to resolve various disputes over the construction of the home (for example, pushbacks on completing repairs based on code and/or manufacturer requirements documented in inspection reports). In addition, they falsely asserted that there were unauthorized visits to the construction site, even though their protocol was followed by informing them of several visits and receiving a hardhat both times from the sales team. A flimsy and false excuse for not building to standards.

This is not the action of a builder concerned for the integrity of the home or truly caring about the homeowner, who has to deal with structural issues in the future. Would strongly recommend not using this builder!