Dream home a nightmare?

Dream home is nightmare for Chesapeake family

Odetta Shepard’s $324,000 brand new dream home in the Old Mill Run subdivision in the Deep Creek section of Chesapeake has become a house of horrors.

There’s a mysterious black substance pouring from light switches and baseboards and collecting on the carpet.

"Even if I clean it, it comes back," she says.

It’s on the furniture, clothing and the toys her children play with.

"The black stuff is scaring me because I have two kids and I think it's a health issue."

Shepard says letters to her builder, Hearndon Construction went on for months -- and weren't answered.

So, 13News found a construction consultant and an independent home inspector to check everything. A big problem was the ducts leading to the air conditioner. Home inspector Floyd Gibbs says the ductwork was improperly installed, sucking all the dirt and grime from the attic into the house.

But he says there’s a much bigger problem.

"The wood upstairs has signs that they got it up out of a mud hole," he noted.

Gibbs says the wood in the attic was wet when it was installed. He adds that the warm, dark conditions were perfect to grow mold and that the faulty air duct pushed it all through the house.

Shepard says, "We begged the builder before it got to this situation to handle this."

13News went to Hearndon Construction. The owner was there but refused to come out from behind a locked door. Later, we were told it was none of our business and the company owed us no explanation.

According to Gibbs, air samples of the attic and upstairs show high levels of mold and fiberglass particles from the insulation, a potential health threat.

And after all this, Shepard's still forgiving.

"We all make mistakes and all I want is what is due to us. What was due to us is a home with no defects mold, mildew termites,” she said.

City inspectors also went over the Shepard's home before she moved in. We’re investigating why they didn’t find any problems.