Thousand Oaks Project Off to Leaky Start

At 4 a.m. on rain-soaked Feb. 17, a bit of the world caved in on Roger and Julie Barker. In fact, the soggy ceiling of their new two-story town house in Thousand Oaks had just given way.

The Barkers, who moved from Sherman Oaks four months before, were showered with sheets of wet insulation and chunks of plaster. Neither was injured.

“We were frightened,” Roger Barker, 42, recalled Thursday. “Then we both looked at each other and started laughing.”

The couple can recall the incident with a sense of humor because the developer, Calabasas-based Griffin Homes, was quick to repair the house and pay for other damages, Barker said. Now the only evidence of their brush with the great outdoors is the smell of fresh paint drying on a replastered ceiling.

The Barkers’ case was the worst in a spate of leaky roofs and windows that came to light at Thousand Oaks’ largest “affordable housing” project during recent winter rainstorms. The area, known as Hidden Canyon, is a planned development of 650 condominiums and town houses now rising on the hilly eastern edge of the city.

Thousand Oaks officials say 45 of the 182 occupied units have developed leaks, a poor start for a development viewed as the cornerstone of the city’s supply of housing for low- and moderate-income residents.

The construction defects initially provoked suggestions from two city councilmen, including Mayor Alex T. Fiore, that construction on the rest of the project should stop until Griffin Homes corrected the problems.

But Griffin, one of Southern California’s oldest and largest developers, with $100 million in home sales expected this year, has responded with repairs and an unusual extended warranty on the roofs to the apparent satisfaction of homeowners and city officials.

“Griffin has felt the pressure and responded quickly,” said Linda Albert, president of the Hidden Canyon Homeowners Assn. “I sincerely think things have turned around.”

Residents of the sloping tract of homes, which sell for $86,000 to $134,000 and have subsidized interest rates for lower-income buyers, say the leaks were first discovered during less-heavy rains in November.

Griffin was slow to react until the daylong soakings in February brought the problem to a head, homeowners said.

In the Barkers’ case, Griffin has added missing sheet metal, which had allowed water collecting in a roof valley to seep inside. The developer also agreed to pay the couple $8,200 for ruined clothing, Barker said.

After the rainstorms, Griffin hired four contractors to investigate and fix the leaks. They found that several homes lacked needed sections of sheet metal and thick roofing paper. They also were missing some roof tiles, had windows inadequately sealed and had outdoor decks that allowed water to leak under sliding doors, according to Don Trotter, Griffin’s executive vice president.

Repairs Near Completion

Trotter said the contractors Griffin believes are responsible for the defects are no longer working for the builder. Repairs should be completed next week, he said.

Griffin has set up a hot line for residents to report leaks. It also extended the homes’ roof warranties to three years from one year, and the homes’ general warranties to 1 1/2 years from one year.

“We’ve never had problems like this before,” Trotter said. “It tarnishes your reputation, so we’ll go to every length to take care of them.”

Fiore met with 40 Hidden Canyon homeowners Saturday, telling them he would like to see a five-year roof guarantee because leaks may not appear for years on some homes.

The city has told Griffin to submit twice-monthly reports on the progress of repairs.

“We intend to watch it closely,” Fiore said. “People deserve quality housing.”

Meanwhile, residents are waiting for the next big rainstorm to see how their shored-up roofs and windows will fare.

“I’ve taken my hose up to the roof, but I wouldn’t mind a little rainstorm to test it,” Barker said.