The perfect home … Or the worst nightmare

Virginia Filkins thought she'd bought the perfect home -- then she moved in

By JEN RANSOM-Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA -- When Valley resident Virginia Filkins bought her Shaw's Tri Lakes subdivision home in June of 2001, she thought she had found the home of her dreams.

"It's in the right area, in the right school district," Filkins said. "I had no idea that an inspection had not been done … I believed everything was hunky-dory."

Filkins moved into the one-story ranch style home, built in 2001 and financed by Home First Financial, thinking that the people that built the home were licensed contractors, that it had been inspected and the house was built to code. She was wrong.

"The insurance I pay for each month won't cover the damage done, because of poor workmanship," Filkins said. "I have a $113,500 home, and the land is worth more."

Filkins found out later that an inspection of the home before sale is not required by law. Home First Financial president Michael Hughes said that with government projects they are required to do certain inspections, but with a financed house, unless the buyer or seller writes the inspection into the contract, the company does not require it. Hughes also said that if the appraiser sees something out of whack and puts it into his or her report, the company thinks of this as a red flag, and usually asks for an inspection.

"I don't personally look at the homes," said Hughes. "If the buyer and the seller don't feel the inspection is warranted, we don't require it."

Filkins' home, located on Porcupine in Wasilla, has a laundry list of problems. The electrical wiring was never properly grounded, the electrical panel is located in one of her boys' closets -- where it is against code to place a panel -- the plumbing leaks throughout the house, the insulation in the crawl space is soaked, and the water heater has to be restarted every time Filkins needs hot water. In addition, the foundation is pulling away from the house, the waterline is not buried, there are cracks in the walls from the house moving because of an inadequate foundation, the house shakes when Filkins walks into her bedroom and the house is literally held up by cribbing -- temporary piles of wood and concrete that somewhat hold the house in place, but move as the house moves.

"Here's the proof," said Filkins while pointing to what she calls a kicker, a piece of lumber jammed against the wall, holding it in place in the crawl space. "They knew it was unsafe, because they pushed the wall back into place."

Filkins moved into the house with her husband Dennis and her two teen-age sons knowing that her spouse wouldn't be around for too much longer.

"He died of cancer a year ago," she said. "My husband left thinking everything was good, I was set with his two kids, a good home, a good job. Except for the white picket fence, everything was great."

Filkins noticed problems with the house right after she moved in, but working full time at the solid waste services in Anchorage and taking care of her sick husband made it difficult to deal with the house problems until this year. She was injured on the job and now is at home, and has spent the last few months working on getting the house's necessary replacements financed by the people who built the home below code.

"Just to fix the drywall, it will cost me $6,200," said Filkins, who pays more than $1,000 a month on the mortgage for the home. "I don't have that kind of money to sink into this house."

A later inspection of the foundation by an engineer found the foundation to be inadequate, an inspection report from Active Inspections and Energy Ratings LLC recommended both the plumbing and the electrical be replaced. But because Filkins bought the home two years ago, it has been difficult to get the builders to claim responsibility for the below-standards build.

"All of my plumbing leaks, no matter where I go," Filkins said. "I've learned more about regulations and building codes than I ever want to know about from buying this house."

Filkins has recently hired an attorney, but she said he warned her that it might take time for her case to be won. She stresses to anyone purchasing a home, do your homework on your builder and your finance company before signing anything.

"This is a learning experience that any woman, single or married, should never go through," Filkins said.

Building a home

Use contractors who have the required licenses certifications and bonding.

Request documentation of credentials and research to ensure correct.

Check with the Better Business Bureau for previous complaints.

Check with friends, neighbors and co-workers for referrals on contractors.

Sign a contract clearly identifying the work that will be done and the cost.

Make sure you are kept informed of progress through status reports and personal site visits.

Have your home inspected by a licensed home inspector.