The draw to the Durango/Bayfield area was strong. Beauty, hiking, camping, small town feel. With the purchase of our first house, which was a brand new build, we had our dream. We got to enjoy a Christmas, then the slap in the face. Structural issues started showing up.

The dirt work the slab was on was improperly done, causing the house to start degrading. To date, the cost to repair is valued more than the whole house is worth.

In pursuit of finding an answer to why, we discovered the builder involved has a bad reputation and history of shoddy work. Further investigation has also raised questions as to how this structure passed all inspections by the county inspectors. Records found show the structure was passed in all phases of build, even though the work that was done did not follow the building code requirements.

We hope to raise awareness to the breakdowns in the safeguards that are supposed to protect homeowners from going through the nightmare we still await a resolution for. We hope this precautionary tale prevents other from experiencing the same, and open eyes and bring on some answers as to why those in charge did not do their jobs.

Denise Shickell

Bayfield