Are Builders stepping up to plate to solve problem?

Some builders such as Lennar are working with homeowners to solve the problem. A dozen homes in South Florida are slated to have defective Chinese drywall replaced. Lennar Homes, the nation’s second largest builder by volume, has acknowledged the problem, and is promising to absorb all costs related to the drywall replacement, including relocation expenses for people living in the houses.Lennar has put aside more than $15 million to primarily deal with drywall repair costs, according to its quarterly filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

WCI, by contrast, has remained largely mum about the problem, leaving its homeowners in limbo. The company acknowledged in February that it used Chinese drywall but has not subsequently provided any details about how many homes are affected and what it plans to do. Because WCI is under federal bankruptcy protection, the ability of homeowners to pursue legal claims against the builder could be limited.Documents filed with the SEC show WCI has put aside at least $11 million to deal with potential drywall-related claims.

Until recently, Taylor Morrison homeowners in Greenbrook and elsewhere in Manatee County found themselves in a spot similar to that of their WCI counterparts -- their pleas were largely ignored, they said, prompting at least one lawsuit.But Taylor Morrison now appears to be taking a different tack. At the end of March, the company's West Florida division president, Steve Kempton, told the Herald-Tribune that the builder planned "to repair every home that has been identified as being constructed with defective Chinese drywall."