News

Actions

West Michigan man wants city to fix home he claims is filled with mold

Posted at 7:09 PM, Mar 23, 2015
and last updated 2015-03-23 19:09:06-04

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- A man from Muskegon said he moved into a completely remodeled home only to learn within the first year of living there the basement had rotting beams and water damage.

On the outside, Robert Parker's home, wheret he lives with his wife, represents the American dream. It has new siding and a beautiful closed-in front porch. However, he said, the basement has turned his home into more of a nightmare.

"The walls are saturated with water, and the floors are saturated with water," Parker said. "The wood is completely rotted, with new wood over it."

The city gutted the home with a federal grant, then sold it to Parker for more than $60,000, money he got through a veterans assistance loan.

Parker said he called in Everdry Waterproofing to run some tests, which documents show confirmed there is mold all throughout the basement.

"The walls more than half way down are completely saturated with water, the floors are saturated with water," Parker said. "That's why they covered it up with the three-inch concrete. In other words, he told me it's the 'see no evil' theory.: if that new concrete wasn't there, he said you'd be shocked what's under there."

Parker said the house has a one-year warranty on it and that he wants the city to fix it.

FOX 17 Problem Solvers took his concern to city hall. A department director there said the warranty doesn't cover everything. She also said the home passed its inspection before Parker moved in. However, she said the city will address his concerns by sending another inspector out to the house to determine if the mold problem existed before he moved in.