“Concrete is always going to crack drywall is going to crack stucco is going to crack, but to see the significant problems that Laurie Williams and the other homeowners are having this development is sad,” Opfer said. Opfer said one option would have been to excavate around the outside of the slab and build an underground cutoff wall to impede water flow, something that was not done at Colton Ranch. “You can build on expansive clay, but you've got to keep the water away from it,” said Neil Opfer, an associate professor in the school of engineering and construction management expert. A 2018 pre-construction engineering report found the development would sit on expansive soils, which swell when wet and push on buildings’ foundations. The literal underlying issue is the soil on which the homes are constructed. Instead, the problems continued, and Williams called Beazer’s efforts at repairs “Band-Aids” that only dealt with the issue cosmetically. “When I noticed the cracks they told me that it was normal house settling and that it would be OK,” homeowner Lorie Williams told State of Nevada. Some of the homes in Beazer Homes’ Colton Ranch development, near Cheyenne Avenue and Simmons Street, have cracked walls, sewer blockages, and sinking foundations. Residents of a North Las Vegas subdivision say their 2-year-old homes are sinking, and the developer isn’t responding to their concerns.
