America experienced a residential building boom from 1997 to 2007, with an average of 1.72 million new homes going up each year during that period. This far outpaced the suburban building boom after World War 2, which peaked in 1977 with an average of 1.4 million new homes built.

But we’re learning that there is one key difference between the two new housing booms – the quality of the construction.

The December 2011 issue of Angie’s List members’ magazine featured a piece by the company’s founder, Angie Hicks, wherein she wrote:

“There are more problems with homes built during the 1997 to 2007 housing boom than during any other time period, according to a recent Angie’s List survey of highly rated home inspectors. The sheer volume of houses being built during that time made it difficult for local housing code authorities to enforce proper building methods. Many of those homes today have problems related to hasty construction, poor quality of materials and failure to meet minimum housing code standards.

A recent online poll of members reveal more than half who built a home during the boom discovered their homes were fraught with problems after a contractor completed the job. Poor drywall and carpentry work, structural troubles and plumbing problems were the three most widespread issues reported on the poll. Bad roofing jobs, insufficient insulation, dangerous electrical wiring, and improperly sized heating and cooling systems were other common complaints.”

Why the Quality Suffered

Factors that influence the poorer quality of homes built between 1997 – 2007 include a sharp rise in the cost of buying new land, and the materials and labor to build them. This created a need for home builders to erect the homes to minimum building code standards at the lowest cost per square foot in order to recoup their cost and make a profit.

The need for speedy home building was inspired by consumer access to easier home loans with record-low interest rates. The American public felt this new housing bubble pop during the October 2008 financial crises, though the home builders’ felt the sting in 2007 when the sub-prime mortgage crises greatly reduced the new housing starts. By 2009, new home building slowed to a crawl.

Common shortcuts taken by some new home builders during the boom years included using wood of debatable quality for framing, insufficient drying times for concrete foundations and skimping on insulation. These are issues that typically do not show on the surface of a pretty new home, but rather reveal themselves over the years as bowing walls, cracked foundations and high energy bills to heat and cool the home.

In the Metro St. Louis area, homes built during this time period have a propensity for water leaks around windows, a problem caused by flashing installed incorrectly (also known as reverse flashing – which actually pushes the water into the house), or no flashing at all.

How to Solve the Problem

As too often happens, the problems hidden behind the walls of some new homes reveal themselves long after the contractor has moved on, which makes it difficult to get any help from that contractor, even when it can be proven they were responsible for the issue. Unfortunately, this can leave the solutions in the hands of the homeowner, who too often face regular repair bills atop the monthly payments on a new home.

If you are considering buying a home built from 1997 – 2007, it is wise to invest in a full inspection or evaluation of the home’s construction. Be sure that these are by companies independent of a real estate agent or builder so you receive honest answers.

If you own a home of this vintage and are experiencing problems beyond regular, required maintenance, have the Home Consultants at Mosby Building Arts analyze and solve the problems. Learn more about the Mosby Home Consultation here.

Mosby specializes in home evaluations and water management, and because they have worked on correcting issues with homes built during the boom years, have all the resources you need to finally have the home you want. Call the Mosby office at 314.909.1800 or contact them here.

Related posts:

1. KMOX – Healthy Homes Are Energy Efficient
2. Join Mosby at the Green Homes Tour
3. Reverse Flashing Causes Water Damage
4. Mosby Architect Bob Lutz is a Certified Green Professional
5. A Mosby-Built Custom Home From 1954

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Tags: home evaluations, home inspectors, homes built between 1997-2007, new home construction, water management

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 2:41 pm and is filed under consultation, structural problems, water management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.