More on Images Below--Ruined Lot

What are we looking at in the images below? First is a picture of the edge of our property on the north side. You'll notice a split in the mulch. These splits formed, and continue to form, ALMOST 12 INCHES DEEP, across the width of the property. They run in parallel lines, again tracking the large drainage route that you see in the subsequent photos. So, we have a splitting, falling, shelf-creating, flooding piece of property--value lost. Isn't that every home owner's dream?!

Also, you'll see that the ENTIRE width of the lawn is impacted. Consort's laughable suggestion that they might "fill in with a little soil," has left me wondering if they are truly this inept or perhaps just very greedy. Again, nothing can be remedied on this land--even an attempt (which would be unsuccessful because of the nature of all contiguous lots and large drainage pipes and sewers indicating a necessary drainage route) would necessitate the uprooting of thousands of dollars of landscaping.

Why is Consort deaf to our loss of value? Homes are an investment, as well as an emotional attachment. Homes are our refuge. However, when your home is the nightmare, you can forget about the refuge.

Next up, pictures of the drainage sewer on the land they are attempting to sell for homes. Later, a comparison to the way other builders treat these drainage routes. HINT: Not by building homes upon them.

More Thoughts on Land Collapse

I've posted pictures of the backyard, but again reiterate that the pictures cannot possibly depict the pitch of the drop, or, of course, the rapidity with which the land fell.

I'm continually aghast that Consort trots out potential buyers to surrounding lots--sometimes with the construction manager in tow explaining away any issues, as though what potential buyers see and presume (correctly)to be a problem is just a figment of their imagination. I've actually heard the construction manager saying, "oh, don't worry, we'll just fill that ditch in" when referring to adjacent lots. Disgusting.

Let me explain that when *I* bought this lot, the first lot sold on the problematic line of lots, the land had been filled. The lots had been cleverly covered with enough soil to give an impression of even land. I initially found the backyard so boringly flat that I wondered how we might enhance it. Little did I know. I now look at the buckled street and sidewalk several lots down and am incredibly dismayed, again, at the rapidity with which all the underlying land sunk and shifted. When my home was built, the street showed no signs of damage. Now? It's buckled, cracked,and prone to flooding--and, funny enough, following along the same line of drainage that tracks all the way through my lot and contiguous lots.

I'm heartbroken at what has happened to my property. But beyond heartbroken, I am incredibly stressed. Again, a home is an investment--and watching the value decline because of Consort's greed in selling unsuitable lots is a daily burden and strain.

Lost Lot Continued

Additional Photos....

Consort thinks a little extra mud will do the trick here. At one point, their construction manager suggested a tarp at the edge of the lot--uh huh, a tarp. Those tarps do wonders for sinking land.

This property will never be able to compete fairly on the re-sale real estate market. Value is permanently lost.

What a Lost Lot Looks Like

These photos--some from October of 2009 and some more recent--illustrate what is occuring on our lot. Unfortunately, they don't do the problems justice. But, nevertheless, it's worth documenting so that potential buyers understand that when Consort tries to sell them a lot along this line, Consort is, in my opinion, attempting to sell a lot--and an entire stretch of land--that should NEVER be built upon.

Photos show the backyard, as well as the adjacent lots where the same pattern of drainage exists--also visible is a drainage sewer.

The photos with the painted stakes (white in some, white with orange streamers in others) illustrate a shelf created. From the top it drops suddenly about 15 inches straight down, as though pulled from underneath.

Stay Tuned....More Photos Being Uploaded

Photos of lot and additional issues to come.

Let's follow the route of the natural drainage

Seriously? Consort wants to just "fill this in" with a little more mud? They're either incompetent, unethical, or both.

Here we see the street (near the tennis court), several lots down. Notice that the buckling in the street and sidewalk? Yep, that follows all along the straight line of the lots up to and including our property--and beyond. This isn't a "one lot" problem as Consort seems to think--this stretches all along the line.

Beware, or you'll suffer value loss as well.

Consort Doesn't See This As a Problem

WOW! Look how well plastic tarps keep out water. Seems that lessons in topography, gravity, etc are needed for the good folks at Consort.

Consort Homes ignores the very real issue here...flooding on adjacent lots can't be remedied by plowing over with soil. This is a natural drainage route--and it will continue to be one long after Consort tries to convince people that filling ditches with mud will do the job.

First, Consort can't fill these ditches with mud because the water NEEDS an outlet--and conventiently, there are drainage pipes and sewers located further down the empty lot line. To fill these would compromise the drainage needed. Second, if the lots around our home are built upon, and Consort attempts to artificially raise said lots under development, our lot will become the lowest point, and thus depository for water and further erosion. IF, however, Consort decides not to raise the lots next to us (let's face it, they can't raise them as the manhole and sewers will be covered up), the issue of soil erosion from underneath the surface will continue--until everyone loses property value.

*If you were to follow the path of water in this photo you would see it follow the contour of our lot and adjacent lots. A good rain and we might just have a pond in our lot too.

Buyer Beware-Consort Homes-Countryshire

We've started this blog as a way to get the word out to potential buyers re: the severe problems inherent with our Consort home. See this as "a buyer beware" to potential buyers in the Countryshire Manor development, premium lots.

We've had tremendous problems with our lot and in our home, and plan to detail the same through images on this site.

As an overview: Over half of the back of the lot sold to us seemingly sits over a natural or other sort of drainage ditch--while Consort admitted to the developer not having compacted the soil properly, the bigger issue, I suspect, and in my opinion, is that this lot and those surrounding should very likely never have been sold. The lot has sunk steeply, creating a drainage ditch of its own, a "shelf" in the land, and large cracks in the backyard making it impossible to mow, or safely utilize, destroying the design of $18,000 worth of our landscaping, with flooding on each side. Consort's "idea" for a "solution" was to suggest, this time around, proper compacting. Compacting will not remedy this issue--the earth is being pulled from below--and Consort refuses to compensate monetarily for the loss of property value and what is now, basically, worthless land in the rear.

While Consort seeks to sell the lots adjacent and down the entire street line, it is visually apparent that there are big issues with land sinkage, and sewers and drainage ditches catching water down the same line. Take a look around other developments--most builders will NOT sell this area of land for homes--they fill it with large boulders and count it "outside" of the land sold to buyers. Forget even trying to re-sell our lot/home in this state. We'll be putting signs and notices on our property to warn potential buyers of the possibility of value loss. I'm sure Consort will remove this post, but I'll continue to get our message out there one way or another.

Stay tuned for pictures and more discussion on the way Consort has "responded" to our nightmare.