All of the countertops had something wrong in my Lennar home, including the quartz kitchen countertops. Not only were they scratched, they were starting to stain and fade in less than two months after closing.
Joel Fedora of Lennar Homes promised to fix all three of my defective marble countertops less than two months after I closed in May of 2013. All of the countertops had something wrong, including the quartz kitchen countertops. There was something different about the marble countertops though. Not only were they scratched, they were starting to stain and fade in less than two months after closing.
In July 2013, Joel spent a lot of time here coordinating the repair of many initial construction defects. As you can see in this message from Joel, he was attempting to repair them just as he had successfully done with the ones in the kitchen.
Joel Fedora indicated that if he couldn’t have the defective marble countertops fixed, he would have them replaced. As a point of reference, I closed on my new construction Lennar home on May 15, 2013. The issues in the home started on day one and have not stopped in 4.5 years.
You can see stains developing on all the countertops. These stains started showing immediately after closing on a new construction home built by Lennar at 6111 Yeats Manor Drive in the Westshore Yacht Club.
Scratches were immediately visible on all the countertops, even the quartz at the 6111 Yeats Manor Drive home built by Lennar. All three marble countertops were delivered and/or installed incorrectly. They continue to get worse in 4.5 years.
Here you can see stains that continue to form on the three defective marble countertops in a new construction Lennar home at 6111 Yeats Manor Dr.
This was taken just months after closing on a new construction Lennar home located at 6111 Yeats Manor Drive. Not only do the defective marble countertops have scratches, they also stain.
As with most everything that is wrong in this house, I believe it’s a combination of factors which include, poor workmanship, bad installation, the pipes below the counters that are visibly corroding, as well as environmental issues. Here is a picture beneath the marble countertop looking up. It looks stained and dry.
As a reminder, here is a picture of some of the pipes under the marble countertops:
The pipes under the defective marble countertops have visible signs of discoloration and metal corrosion in the Lennar home located at 6111 Yeats Manor Drive.
Note: As of the date of this publication, all the Lennar executives went silent and none of the construction repairs were ever made, including the promised replacements of two, improperly installed and defective A/C units causing extensive mold exposure and health issues.
Here’s the summary of all of Lennar construction issues I keep in a spreadsheet.
*Note: For simplicity, the Lennar and WCI Communities names here are used interchangeably as Lennar took over WCI in February of 2017.
Marble countertops issue description
Stains on the countertops are not normal and indicate either a manufacturing defect or improper seal. The should be repaired and/or replaced and sealed properly.
Original response to the defective marble countertops issue by Joel Fedora
No action. Not warrantable.
Lennar in-house legal response for the marble countertops issue
No action. Not warrantable. The countertops are porous material and as stated in the homeowner manual, we recommend cleaning up spills immediately to avoid staining. The countertops do come with a factory sealant and if additional sealant is desired, this would be at the owner’s expenses.
Amanda Buffinton legal response to Lennar about marble countertops issue
Unacceptable response. A WCI representative previously told Mr. Fannin that this problem would be fixed. Specifically, approximately two months after closing, Joel Fedora of WCI indicated to Mr. Fannin that the condition should be monitored and, if it got worse, WCI would replace it. Further, page 18 of the Homeowner’s Manual provides that “during your homeowner orientation we confirm that all countertops are in acceptable condition. WCI will repair noticeable surface damage such as chips, cracks and scratches noted on the homeowner orientation.” The issue with the staining of the countertops has existed since Mr. Fannin closed on the home. The staining needs to be remediated.
Buffinton response to Lennar outside legal (prior to filing the 558)
No change in WCI response. WCI added that Sterling visited and removed the marks in the quartz and the master bathroom scratches were polished. This was completed in Joel’s presence. Mr. Fannin’s response is that WCI did fix the quartz in the kitchen countertops; however, the bathrooms are MARBLE – not quartz. Joel Fedora of WCI indicated that, if the conditioned worsened, WCI would repair (scratch marks have existed from the beginning and they need to be replaced). The issue is likely a manufacturing defect and improper sealing. The parties are at an impasse on this issue
Final WCI outside legal response to 558 complaint
This item is not a construction defect. The countertops are porous material and as stated in the homeowner manual, we recommend cleaning up spills immediately to avoid staining. The countertops do come with a factory sealant and if additional sealant is desired, this would be at the owner’s expenses.
Lennar executive’s response on 5/22/2017
Polishing and resealing.
My notes: This should remove both the staining and scratches from the marble countertops. As agreed by Lennar, if the countertops are not fixed through this process, something else will be done.
This. House. Is. Exhausting. Dealing with Lennar is never-ending. It’s all a struggle.
