Home repairs upset Cathy and Kyle Kauhane could not wait to move into their new home on Mauele Street in Royal Kunia last October. Two weeks after they did, they received a letter from Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii, telling them there was a problem with the foundation.
Kunia residents
Some are dissatisfied with
proposed fixes to faulty foundationsBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.comThey were not the only ones to receive the letter.
In a certified letter dated Nov. 7, the Kauhanes and 16 other homeowners in the Gallery Homes subdivision were given three options to resolve the problem: regrade the land, put sidewalks on three sides of the home or resell the house.
In the letter, Castle & Cooke offered to extend the one-year home warranty to 10 years provided the homeowners accepted one of the three repair options. And if the homeowner decided to sell the house, Castle & Cooke would cover up to $7,500 in losses.
Harry Saunders III, president of Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii, said about 10 to 11 homeowners have accepted one of three alternatives to correct the problem. Eight homes has since been completed, and two other homes are scheduled to be done, he said.
"We want to work with them to find a solution," said Saunders. "We have every intent to make sure their home is sound."
But the Kauhanes said the proposals were inadequate.
"We're not happy with the options. ... I want it rebuilt correctly," said Cathy Kauhane.
Cracks are visible in the ceiling of the home as well as the sidewalk, Kauhane said.
"If you break a glass and it's shattered, and you put it all together, that's what our sidewalk looks like," Kauhane said.
She added that the window frame is separating from the wall.
Kauhane and four other homeowners hired an independent engineer to inspect the foundation and were told the proposed sidewalks would be a temporary solution.
She said she received a letter signed by Saunders stating, "As a gesture of good faith, we are extending the time of your acceptance of our proposal to 5 p.m., March 1, 2002. If not accepted, we will consider our proposal to have been rejected by you and to consider the matter closed."
Saunders said Castle & Cooke officials offered to send an inspector to the Kauhane home to investigate the cracks, but was not allowed to do so.
"When they have a solution, we will let them in," said Cathy Kauhane. "They messed up, and they're giving us a time limit. It's a joke.
"We don't want to sell our home. We wouldn't have bought the home if we didn't want to live here," Kauhane said.
Another homeowner, Dianne Babas, said she and her husband, Michael, decided to purchase their first home in Royal Kunia because of Castle & Cooke's reputable standing on building homes in Hawaii.
The couple and their three children moved into their home on Mauele Street on Aug. 28. After three months, Dianne Babas said she noticed cracks in the patio and the cement separating from the garage.
"I bought this home intending this to be our last home," Babas said. "There has been so much emotional distress about this."