COURTESY of The Daily Commercial
By David Donald
Published April 23, 2007

   THE VILLAGES - Ray Micucci knew something was wrong with the siding on the house he purchased in the Village of Duval in The Villages retirement community.

Driving his golf cart down the streets in his neighborhood, he began to see the same warps and bulges he saw in the siding of his home in the houses of his neighbors.

Retired after a 30 year career in the siding business, Micucci knew what had happened - the siding installation in his neighborhood was botched.

"We are senior citizens," said Micucci. "We worked hard all our lives and there is no reason we should come down here and buy houses with problems."

More than 50 Residents gathered after the Property Owners Association meeting Wednesday night to form a committee to tackle the siding issue with The Village's developer.

"We have to get together and understand what the problems are and come up with a list of remedies," said Joe Gorman, president of the association. "I think we ought to be willing to stand up for the rights that we have and pursue it."

The remedies residents are seeking include an extension on their siding warranty, better inspection process, and the re-siding of their houses using correct installation procedures. They are also considering bringing in an independent inspector to make sure the job is done right.

There is a one year warranty on the siding installation. The POA is requesting the warranty be extended to five years. Many residents' warranties have expired, which means they foot the bill for the residing job.

A residing job can cost anywhere from $4000 to $7,000, said Micucci.

"I think you make a case and have documentation and the developer is going to be reasonable," said Gorman.

For nine months Micucci brought the siding issue to the attention of residents by pointing out patchwork seams, warps, bellies, and waves along the side of their homes.

Micucci said he contacted Alcoa, the siding manufacturer, and they sent a representative to look at the siding. He said Alcoa told him the siding was not installed to Alcoa's specifications. Alcoa told Micucci they don't warranty the installation and the only thing they could do is provide training to sub-contractors.

One day, Micucci said he watched a worker install siding overhead by himself on an 8 foot ladder. He said he video taped it and that it would make a good lesson in "How not to hang siding."

After a phone conversation and letter to The Villages developer, Mark Morse, discussing his observations, Micucci and residents are unsure what the developer intends to do about the siding issue.

"What I am asking you, Mr. Morse, is really very simple," Micucci said in his letter. "Just tell your contractors and subs to go by the book, use the correct parts and install them properly, and redo the work that was done incorrectly. The people of Duval and The Villages deserve better than they are getting. Just do what's right."

Micucci said he offered to take Morse through the neighborhood and point out the problems, but he declined.

The Villages Community Relations department did not return phone calls made by the Daily Commercial.

Gorman said some residents have called the warranty department only to be told they would be charged a service fee if nothing was wrong. He said this appeared to be "an effort to intimidate residents."

Several residents who attended the POA said they were also told by the warranty department there was a trouble maker stirring up problems.

"I don't like someone trying to intimidate me," said A.J. DeCiutis. "Tomorrow someone's going to come to their homes and bully them into saying there is nothing wrong their home."

Some residents have had there siding replaced only to find the problem still persists. A few resident, who know what to look for, volunteered to assist other homeowners when installers come to their house to look at the siding.

"We had no idea," said John Snowden, who recently moved from Hershey, Penn. to The Villages along with his wife Dixie. "We are pretty nervous about it. We bought the house a week ago."

The Snowden's have yet to close on the house. They heard about the vinyl siding issue when they picked up the POA Bulletin in the grocery store.

"It doesn't sit well," said Snowden. "Very few people know anything about construction."

Micucci said there are several contractors who installed the siding. He said Dean Carter, The contractor who had the siding installed on his house has been admirable in trying to solve the problems. And he said he is starting to see improvement in some newer homes being built.

"I would like to see every one of these homes done right, Micucci said. "We would like to see The Villages honor their commitment to quality."