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LEHI — A dead skunk found in a Lehi townhouse in 2007 has triggered a four-year legal stink that shows no signs of letting up.
The discovery of the skunk led to allegations of unsafe construction and inadequate inspection by the city. But the builder claims the owner is just trying to strong-arm his way out of a bad investment.
California investor Mike Lorenzini bought the townhouse in 2007 and rented it out. Almost immediately, there was a big stink.
“My tenant smelled it the first day he walked into the garage,” Lorenzini recalled.
The problem was behind the garage wall. He said a skunk got into a wall, inside the insulation, and died. He claims the skunk got in through a utility closet that wasn't built with proper firewalls.
In the intervening years, Lorenzini hired his own building inspectors.
Inspector Jon Hansen went in the garage and looked at where the heater and water heater are.
"We've got holes everywhere," Hansen said. "We've got hot/cold water. You've got all these low-voltage wires. You've got thermostat wires, you've got your copper line. You've got your gas line all along and pushed into this wall that is supposed to protect the residents in the house from the gasoline in the vehicle and fire load that could potentially be out here."
“If my neighbor next door had a fire in his unit, it would spread faster into mine," Lorenzini said.
He is threatening to sue the builder and has filed a notice of claim with the city. He wants his unit and his neighbors' fixed. He said because of the problem, “potentially no one would ever want to buy my unit.”
The city of Lehi has acknowledged that its inspectors missed four firewall violations and it has ordered the builder to fix them.
But city officials refused to comment further because of pending legal action.
The builder admits minor defects.
“We’re a company that’s been in business for 32 years. We have a Triple-A rating with the Better Business Bureau,” said Harold Irving, with Building Dynamics.
“We have asked Mr. Lorenzini, at least two years now, for the opportunity to come in and take care of those,” Irving said. “He refused us that opportunity."
Lorenzini claims all the townhouses need to be fixed. "This has to be done to make this place safe for the residents here."
Although he says his inspectors have found similar violations in two other units, other homeowners are not joining him in his legal battles.
The builder portrays it as a severe case of sour grapes in a bad real estate market.
“Now he's feeling like the only way he's going to recover his losses is to strong-arm us into paying him full price for his townhome that he purchased it for, plus all his expenses," Irving said.
Lorenzini denies that motive, but he does want the builder to buy his unit.
Email:hollenhorst@ksl.com
