Our David Weekley new home journey

Our build was drawn-out and frustrating, but what we encountered in the year-plus after closing was far worse. We were horrified to discover egregious failures and outright lies made to us. On this site, we will share some of the most severe examples.

Because we have a lot of information (a lot), I will be adding new examples regularly. These will be on this page (below) with more future entries nested under the “Detailed Examples” header in the drop-down menu on the top navigation bar.

Detailed examples described on this page:

  • Item 1: Lied about fixing insulation
  • Item 2: Installed lead pipe as kitchen water line
  • Item 3: Swapped in cheaper appliances
  • Item 4: Got their own blueprints wrong
  • Items 5–17: Actively importing these in May

Item 1: An exterior wall was not insulated, and David Weekley then lied about having fixed it 1 day before closing.

We hired a private final inspection before our scheduled closing. Using a thermal camera, the inspector identified several large channels vacant of insulation on exterior walls in an upstairs room. Drywall had been installed over visibly missing insulation.

Before closing, our inspector’s thermal image showed large areas of exterior wall missing required insulation.

We reported this to our personal builder and sales consultant with the inspection report. They agreed it would be corrected. I requested that the builder provided pictures to show the completed repairs, to which he agreed but never provided.

Our personal builder told us via text message that the identified areas had been filled with foam insulation and that he directly participated in this work.

One day before closing, our David Weekley “personal builder” said the wall cavities were filled with foam insulation, and he indicates he was present and participated in this work.

Months later (and after closing), using an infrared camera we purchased, we discovered the same channels remained vacant of insulation. “We were able to drill small holes and fill the voids with foam” was a lie.

Months later (after experiencing water intrusion problems), we purchased an infrared camera to inspect the home ourselves. With it, we discovered the exact same areas were still lacking insulation.

Upon our continued pressing, David Weekley’s warranty service manager instigated the correction of this nearly a year later. When the drywall was removed, the identified channels were confirmed to be completely vacant of insulation—batting or foam.

When drywall was finally removed, it was confirmed the channels were completely vacant of insulation. The reported “foam” repair never occurred.

Misrepresentations by David Weekley:

  • Blatant misrepresentation of product and service
  • Violation of building code
  • Failure to manage
  • Absent quality control
  • Unskilled third-party labor
  • Failure to complete work

Homeowner reflection notes: Though we are relieved to know this wall is now properly insulated, this discovery was only made by us, and only through 2 separate inspections at our personal expense. We were lied to twice—first, when the wall was installed over visibly missing material, and then again when we were told it had been fixed. Had we not re-inspected this item, this exterior wall would remain uninsulated today.

I often wonder what else remains unseen in the house that was dangerously or incorrectly done. I also think about the mindset of those who did this—the drywall installer who shrugged and installed the wall over uninsulated channels and then our “personal builder,” our buddy who text me to confirm he’d fixed it right up for us. It truly makes me sad. We bought that guy a wedding gift.

Item 2: Uncoated lead pipe was installed as a kitchen drinkable water supply line.

Shortly after move-in, we discovered the water supply line from the kitchen pot filler faucet was emitting orange-colored water. On multiple visits, plumbers contracted by David Weekley advised that this was dirt from construction caught in the line. To fix it, they instructed us to flush the line by filling several pots of water multiple times a day, which we did.

The kitchen pot filler emitted rust-colored water. David Weekley’s dispatched plumbers repeatedly told us this was mud trapped in the water line that would resolve if we continued to flush it out.

The problem persisted. After multiple plumber visits with no resolution (and with our continued pressing), it was decided to demolish the wall and tile backsplash to investigate the issue further. That led to the discovery of the source of the rust-colored water—a corroding, black uncoated lead pipe serving as the water line. Because this is illegal, we question if David Weekley’s contracted plumbers meet licensing qualifications to perform this work. We further conclude that the builder’s represented management and quality controls had not taken place.

When the wall was finally cut open to evaluate the fixture and connection, it was revealed that a black uncoated lead pipe was serving as the water supply line. Also, the mounting surface was broken.
Visible rust could be seen inside the lead pipe.

Visible rust can be seen inside the water line in the image above. This happened because in no circumstance should this type of uncoated pipe be used as any residential water supply line, let alone a drinkable source.

The pot filler fixture was also loose to the touch; when the wall was opened, it was discovered that the pot filler had been mounted to a cracked, loose board.

Misrepresentations by David Weekley:

  • Blatant misrepresentation of product and service
  • Criminal violation of building code
  • Failure to manage
  • Absent quality control
  • Unskilled third-party labor

Homeowner reflection notes: Discovering this was heartbreaking to us. It confirmed our worst fears—that the people we were told would build our home correctly, with skilled labor and management oversight, and in accordance with safety regulations and laws, were cutting corners and making dangerous and criminal failures. We imagine the number of people, contractors and David Weekley employees, who witnessed this failure without correcting it and the people who eventually installed wall and tile over it, likely assuming it would never be discovered.

Item 3: Lesser value appliances than those selected and priced were installed.

How appliances are priced: The David Weekley design center provides homebuyers with several options for kitchen appliances. Higher-value appliances are added to the total cost of the home as line item upgrades approved by the buyers.

These appliance upgrades had already been preselected for our home, but we reviewed and approved them to remain. Shortly after move-in, I discovered that the dishwasher was not the model listed and priced in our Homeowner Transaction Summary (HTS). We notified our builder who replied that he immediately contacted the maker, GE, and ordered the correct appliance. After waiting for months, we later learned this corrective order was not placed.

Shortly after, while completing appliance manufacturer warranty registrations, we discovered another kitchen appliance—a gas cooktop—was also not the same model that was listed and priced in the HTS. These appliances were deceptively similar in appearance and worth $1,700 less than the correct models.

On their own, we would not consider these errors intentional deception; however, in the totality of our experience with David Weekley Homes, we believe these were intentional actions—either to mislead our purchase of a lesser product represented to be one of higher value or as a quick fix to not having the correct appliances handy.

Despite the response shown here, we later learned the correct dishwasher had not been ordered.

Misrepresentations by David Weekley:

  • Blatant misrepresentation of product
  • Failure to manage
  • Absent quality control
  • Failure to complete work
  • Unskilled third-party labor (if installed by manufacturer/seller installers)

Homeowner reflection notes: These two missing appliances were eventually procured and installed by David Weekley’s warranty manager. Had we not investigated this ourselves, we would have been duped into overpaying for an unfulfilled upgrade. It is hard to understand the intended end game of the builder who told us he’d ordered the missing dishwasher but had not. I suspect he was hoping to find the model in one of their storage facilities and swap it out from another build. Maybe that’s what originally happened to ours?

Item 4: Blueprints contained incorrect measurements and/or were not followed.

After framing was completed, I noticed that the 3 main living room windows were at a noticeably different height than other homes in the community of the same model. I immediately raised this to our “personal builder” who told me I must be wrong. I asked him to consult his plans, which he agreed he would do. He reported that the measurements in his blueprint matched the measurement of the framing.

I pressed him to investigate further, providing pictures of other homes illustrating that the windows appeared to be at the wrong location. Eventually, he told me he discovered that the architectural blueprints for our home contained a “fat finger” error with incorrect measurements for the location of the 3 living room windows—off by more than a foot.

The originally-framed windows shown at the incorrect height. Beyond being at a nonsensical height to furnish and use this living room, windows this low to the floor represent a safety hazard and may be a violation of building code.
Windows shown at corrected height—more than a foot higher than originally framed.

The windows were eventually reframed, but the mistake was only identified by us and not any David Weekley employee—not their architect, framers, our “personal builder” promised to provide onsite management and quality control, or any other member of local management.

The original location of the incorrectly-framed windows may violate building codes for safety of window height off a finished floor. It was also visibly ridiculous placement.

Similarly, the penetration for the kitchen vent exit was cut in the exterior wall three times (twice incorrectly) in three locations, unnecessarily creating three points for long-term water intrusion. Based on the record of this team, we are now concerned those incorrect penetrations may not have been properly sealed.

Misrepresentations by David Weekley:

  • Blatant misrepresentation of product and service
  • Violation of building code
  • Failure to manage
  • Absent quality control
  • Possible unskilled third-party labor (if error was made by framers)

Homeowner reflection notes: Witnessing this level of negligence was concerning. As we did through much of the build experience with David Weekley, we assured ourselves that “mistakes happen,” and we were hopeful that these errors were not representative of a larger collection of serious issues. We reminded ourselves of the much-touted “homebuyer rating” from Weekley buyers, and we pressed on.

Items 5–17 and beyond: Coming soon.

<Importing these details in May 2025>

In the meantime, we are happy to share the full summary of our experience as a separate file by email. Please reach out if you are interested.

Our correspondence with David Weekley and their messages to us: Full details coming soon.

The David Weekley local management representative for our area kicked off a meeting with us questioning what part we had played as buyers in agreeing to purchase such a deficiently-built home.

I was astonished at the accusation. Imagine being blamed for buying a fraudulently-represented product. The disrespect we’ve received from this process has never ceased.

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