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BUILDER ("Applicant" and TARION WARRANTY CORPORATION ("Respondent ...

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IN THE MATTER OF THE ONTARIO NEW HOME WARRANTIES PLAN ACT,<br />

R.S.O. 1990, Chapter c. 0.31<br />

AND IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION PURSUANT TO THE <strong>BUILDER</strong><br />

ARBITRATION FORUM<br />

BETWEEN:<br />

<strong>BUILDER</strong> ("Applicant"<br />

<strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>TARION</strong> <strong>WARRANTY</strong> <strong>CORPORATION</strong> ("<strong>Respondent</strong>"<br />

BACKGROUND<br />

DECISION AND REASONS<br />

This Arbitration was held pursuant to the provisions of the Ontario New Home<br />

Warranties Plan Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter c. 0-31 (the "Act") <strong>and</strong> the Builder<br />

Arbitration Forum ("B.A.F.").<br />

The Builder (hereinafter referred to as the "Builder" or the "Applicant" entered<br />

into an agreement of purchase <strong>and</strong> sale with the Homeowners (the<br />

"Homeowners") for the construction of a home in, Oakville (the "Home").<br />

The Home was completed for possession on July 27,2007.<br />

On or about July 24, 2008, the Homeowners submitted their Tarion Year-End<br />

Warranty Form (the "Year-End Form").<br />

The Year-End Form listed 28 outst<strong>and</strong>ing items of complaint. However, all but<br />

one item was resolved <strong>and</strong> the only item under consideration for the purposes<br />

of this arbitration was item 21 on the Year-End Form, which stated that<br />

"Exterior/Mortar splatter on bricks around the house needs to be washed off'.<br />

i


The aforementioned mortar splatter around the exterior of the home is the<br />

alleged "Warrantable Item" under consideration in this hearing.<br />

The Builder was not inattentive or evasive <strong>and</strong> cleaned the bricks around the<br />

house in the fall of 2008 in order to remove the mortar splatter.<br />

The Homeowner was apparently unsatisfied with the results of the cleaning <strong>and</strong><br />

continued to consider the remaining mortar splatter excessive <strong>and</strong> on or about<br />

December 12, 2008, requested Tarion to conduct a conciliation inspection (<strong>and</strong><br />

delivered to Tarion the "conciliation request form").<br />

The Builder contacted the Homeowner on or about January 8, 2009 in an effort<br />

to resolve the matter, but in fact it was not resolved <strong>and</strong> following the usual<br />

Tarion Warranty process, a conciliation inspection took place on February 3,<br />

2009. Tarion's representative, Tiffany Hallatt, observed what she considered to<br />

be excessive mortar splatter.<br />

On February 5, 2009, Tarion issued a Warranty Assessment Report (the<br />

"WAR"). The relevant part states as follows:<br />

Item:<br />

(21) Exterior Mortar splatter on bricks around the house needs to<br />

be washed off<br />

Observation:<br />

The homeowner pointed out the mortar on the bricks around the<br />

house.<br />

On the surrounding masonry exterior of the home the observation<br />

was made from a normal viewing position being 6m under natural<br />

lighting conditions <strong>and</strong> the mortar was noted as excess. Refer to<br />

section 4.16 of the Construction Performance Guidelines.<br />

The builder stated that a contractor had been to<br />

the house prior to the inspection.<br />

Assessment: WARRANTED<br />

Under section 13( 1)( a)(i) of the Act, every vendor<br />

of a new home warrants that the home is constructed in a<br />

workmanlike manner <strong>and</strong> is free from defects in material for a<br />

period of one year after the date upon which the home is completed<br />

for possession. The builder is required to remedy the defects <strong>and</strong><br />

complete the repairs in a workmanlike manner in keeping with the<br />

requirements of the Ontario Building Code.<br />

2


March 9, 2009 was the deadline for the Builder to resolve the warrantable item.<br />

On March 10, 2009, Tarion's representative, Tiffany Hallatt, reattended at the<br />

home <strong>and</strong> again observed excess mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> took additional<br />

photographs.<br />

A claim inspection was arranged by Tarion for March 21,2009 (the claim<br />

inspection is a prerequisite to Tarion arranging for the repair <strong>and</strong> charging it to<br />

the Builder). Tarion's representative, Leighton Brown, attended on that date<br />

but did not proceed with the inspection, as he was advised shortly after he<br />

arrived that the matter had been settled directly between the Builder <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Homeowner.<br />

On April 2, 2009, the settlement between the Builder <strong>and</strong> the Homeowner was<br />

confirmed. Nonetheless, Tarion seeks to have the conciliation charged to the<br />

Builder pursuant to Rule 1.2 (k) of the Builder Arbitration Forum Procedural<br />

Rules (the "BAF Rules").<br />

The Builder served a notice of arbitration, dated February 23, 2009.<br />

Subsequent to the notice of arbitration, i was appointed to arbitrate this matter.<br />

There is no conflict of interest between me <strong>and</strong> the parties or the witnesses.<br />

Prior to the arbitration hearing, i gave permission for the parties to be<br />

represented by counsel at the hearing as I felt it would be of assistance to the<br />

parties. Both parties, irrespective of the outcome, were, in fact, well<br />

represented at the hearing.<br />

The Hearing took place on July 16, the afternoon of July 17 <strong>and</strong> all day on<br />

July 20, 2009. With my holidays imminent, counsel were agreeable to the<br />

delivery of my award outside the 7 day period provided for in the BAF Rules.<br />

3


The Builder seeks a declaration that the disputed item in the Warranty<br />

Assessment Report (the WAR") is not warrantable <strong>and</strong> that the costs of the<br />

conciliation are therefore not chargeable to the Builder.<br />

An item is not warrantable under section 13 of the Ontario New Homes<br />

Warranty Plan Act unless it fails to meet the requirements of that section.<br />

Section 13 (1) reads as follows:<br />

Warranties<br />

13. (1) Every vendor of a home warrants to the owner,<br />

(a) that the home,<br />

(i) is constructed in a workmanlike manner <strong>and</strong> is free from<br />

defects in material,<br />

(ii) is fit for habitation,<br />

is constructed in accordance with the Ontario Building Code;<br />

(b) that the home is free of major structural defects as defined by the<br />

regulations; <strong>and</strong><br />

(c) such other warranties as are prescribed by the regulations. RS.O.<br />

1990, c.0.31,s.<br />

This arbitration was conducted to determine whether the exterior masonry wall<br />

mortar splatter constituted a breach of warranty <strong>and</strong> was therefore chargeable to the<br />

Builder. In effect, this would determine if the repair was done satisfactorily. There is<br />

no allegation in this case that the mortar splatter affects the structure or fitness for<br />

habitation or constitutes a violation of the Ontario Building Code. Rather, this is a<br />

case involving an alleged aesthetic defect.<br />

In determining whether the mortar splatter is excessive, in my view, I am required to<br />

assess the condition of the exterior walls at the date of the conciliation, namely<br />

February 3, 2009. I have to decide if the Tarion conciliator's decision was correct on<br />

that date.<br />

4


Reference will frequently be made to Construction Performance Guideline 4.16<br />

("CPG 4.16"). The Construction Performance Guidelines are to be used by Tarion in<br />

determining whether or not a building condition is covered by the statutory warranty.<br />

Construction performance Guideline 4.16 ("MORTAR SPLATTERS AND STAINS<br />

ON EXTERIOR MASONRY") sets out the Acceptable Performance/Condition as<br />

follows:<br />

Exterior masonry shall not have mortar splatters <strong>and</strong> stains<br />

detracting from the appearance of the finished wall when viewed<br />

from a distance of 6 m under natural lighting conditions when dry.<br />

It should be noted that the CPG observation from 6 metres equates to 19.8 feet.<br />

However, for convenience I have rounded the number at 20 feet <strong>and</strong> have used the<br />

distance of 6 metres <strong>and</strong> 20 feet interchangeably throughout this award.<br />

I also note that I found each witness to be responsible, businesslike <strong>and</strong> credible<br />

notwithst<strong>and</strong>ing that in certain areas where the evidence differed, I (often marginally)<br />

preferred the evidence of one witness over the other.<br />

<strong>TARION</strong> EVIDENCE<br />

Tiffany Hallatt, the Tarion Field Representative, testified that when she attended the<br />

site on February 3, 2009, to perform the conciliation, she saw excessive mortar<br />

splatter based on observations from six metres or more away from the house. Her<br />

evidence was that she saw a large number of significant sized mortar splatters in<br />

many locations on several areas of the house. Hallatt testified that she applied the<br />

Construction Performance Guideline 4.6 <strong>and</strong> determined that the mortar splatters<br />

<strong>and</strong> stains on the exterior masonry were warrantable. Ms. Hallatt acknowledged in<br />

her testimony that, the Builder's representative, was present at the conciliation<br />

inspection on February 3, <strong>and</strong> reminded her (Hallatt) to st<strong>and</strong> six metres away when<br />

making her observations.<br />

5


Hallatt did not take photographs from six metres distance on February 3. Her<br />

evidence was that she did not do so because there was a light snow falling at the<br />

time of her observations from the six metre distance. I understood this to mean that<br />

the snow would interfere with the quality of the photographs, but she may also have<br />

meant that it would interfere with the requirement of CPG 4.16 in that the view from a<br />

distance of six metres had to take place under natural<br />

lighting conditions "when dry".<br />

The snowfall may have interfered with the requirement for the brickwork to be dry. In<br />

any event, Hallatt took no photographs from a distance of six metres or more on her<br />

February 3 attendance. She had a tape measure with her but did not measure or<br />

record the distance when she made her observations. Hallatt felt that she did not<br />

need to use a tape measure.<br />

The only photographs that Ms. Hallatt took on February 3 were taken in close<br />

proximity to the masonry (four photos collectively forming Exhibit 5 ) <strong>and</strong> definitely<br />

not from 20 metres or more. These photographs were taken from approximately 3 to<br />

4 feet away from the brickwork.<br />

Ms Hallatt stated that she only took photographs to back up her observations.<br />

Tarion did not require photos to be taken at an inspection. The photos were only<br />

intended to serve as a reminder to her observations.<br />

One of the homeowners, also gave evidence at the hearing on behalf of Tarion. He<br />

confirmed that he was present at the inspection on February 3 <strong>and</strong> that there was a<br />

light snow falling at the time that he was outside with Ms Hallatt <strong>and</strong> the Builder. He<br />

stated that the owners themselves had taken no photographs from 20 feet or more.<br />

He was not present with Ms. Hallatt when she took photographs that day.<br />

Ms. Hallatts field notes, based on her February 3 inspection, are found at exhibit 11.<br />

The relevant field note merely states that the exterior mortar splatter on bricks<br />

around the house needs to be washed off <strong>and</strong> makes reference to a power wash.<br />

There were no other Tarion field notes being relied upon with respect to the alleged<br />

deficiency. Ms. Hallatts evidence was that if there was something blatant, she made<br />

a detailed field note but otherwise they were really "just to jog memory".<br />

6


Tiffany Hallatt reattended at the site on March 10, 2009, to see if the Builder had<br />

corrected the mortar situation. She again found that the mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> stains<br />

were excessive <strong>and</strong> had not been remedied. Her evidence is that she made these<br />

observations from a distance of six metres or more. However, again she did not take<br />

photographs from a position of six metres. She had a tape measure with her but did<br />

not measure the distance in making her observations.<br />

Ms. Hallatt took a large number of photographs (37) on March 10, but they were all<br />

from locations very close to the brickwork. Her evidence was that she took the<br />

photographs from the close location in order to see if the earlier complaints about the<br />

mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> stains had been corrected. Her evidence was that the close-up<br />

photos continued to show excessive mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> stains on the masonry. Her<br />

view was that if the Builder's clean-up happened, it was ineffective in its result. In<br />

her evidence, she identified many locations on the 37 photographs which she<br />

considered to reflect excessive mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> stains.<br />

At the hearing Ms. Hallatt was also presented, for the first time, with photographs<br />

taken by the Representative of the Builder a few weeks prior to the hearing. These<br />

photographs were taken from 20 feet, according to the evidence of the Builder. Ms.<br />

Hallatt quickly identified what she considered to be excessive mortar splatter <strong>and</strong><br />

stains on the photographs taken by the Builder representatives.<br />

i allowed these photos taken by the Builder into evidence even though they were not<br />

taken on the date of the conciliation. The last cleaning by the Builder had taken<br />

place before the conciliation <strong>and</strong> thus there had been no change to the brickwork<br />

between February 3, the conciliation date, <strong>and</strong> the taking of these photos a few<br />

weeks prior to the hearing. Thus, these were the only 20 foot photos available for<br />

the arbitration <strong>and</strong> reflected the condition of the brickwork <strong>and</strong> what the Tarion<br />

representative would have seen on February 3.<br />

Ms. Hallatt gave evidence as to her experience. She had several years of building<br />

industry experience prior to Tarion, working mainly as a customer contact for<br />

builders <strong>and</strong> often liaised with Tarion as to deficiency complaints from owners. She<br />

7


had been working for Tarion for approximately nine months <strong>and</strong> at the time of the<br />

conciliation inspection of February 3, 2009, had conducted approximately 15<br />

conciliation inspections. None of them had .dealt with mortar splatter. Her training<br />

with Tarion involved a reasonably intensive academic section, as well as "right seat<br />

training" which meant going out with a more experienced Tarion representative at<br />

on-site inspections.<br />

Tarion also relied on the oral evidence of another Field Claims Representative,<br />

Leighton Brown. Prior to joining Tarion, Mr Brown had taken a six month home<br />

inspectors course <strong>and</strong> had conducted private home inspections, presumably for<br />

prospective purchasers, for a period of two years. He had conducted 200 or more<br />

conciliations as of the date of his attendance at the home on March 10, 2009 <strong>and</strong> at<br />

least a dozen of those had involved excessive mortar situations.<br />

Mr Brown attended at the home on March 10 to estimate the cost of remedying the<br />

alleged defect at the expense of the Builder. However, Mr Brown did not proceed<br />

with his assignment, as he spoke to the owner <strong>and</strong> was advised that the owner had<br />

very recently settled. Nonetheless, Mr Brown's evidence was that in the course of<br />

his attendance, he made observations of the masonry from a distance of 20 feet. He<br />

observed the mortar to be excessive <strong>and</strong> in his view violated the applicable CPG.<br />

Mr Brown acknowledged that his attendance was more for the issue of remediation<br />

than deficiency identification but, in any event, he too, took no photographs <strong>and</strong><br />

made no field notes based on his observations. Similarly, he did not use a tape<br />

measure in identifying the exact location from which he made his observations. In<br />

any event, again, in my view, the applicable date for determining if an item is<br />

warrantable or not, is the date of the conciliation which in this case was February 3,<br />

2009. Accordingly i decline consideration of Mr. Brown's observations on March 10<br />

for the purpose of determining warrantability.<br />

8


<strong>BUILDER</strong>'S EVIDENCE<br />

The first witness for the Builder was a customer service representative who had<br />

worked for the Builder for approximately 11 years <strong>and</strong> was involved in pre-delivery<br />

inspections. She acknowledged that she had no particular expertise with mortar<br />

issues.<br />

The Builder Representative was present when Tiffany Hallatt attended at the<br />

conciliation on February 3, 2009. She testified that she told Ms. Hallatt to take<br />

photographs from 6 metres distance. She saw Ms. Hallatt take the 3 to 4 foot range<br />

photographs on February 3 (the Exhibit 5 photographs) but states firmly that she did<br />

not see Hallatt either observe, view or photograph from 6 metres away. She further<br />

stated that there was no active snow descending when Hallatt took the pictures but<br />

snow was falling from the roof.<br />

A Supervisor also gave evidence on behalf of the Builder. He had operated his own<br />

house building company for about 15 years <strong>and</strong> built in the range of 250 custom<br />

homes before working as a site supervisor for other builders. In this supervisory<br />

capacity he had been involved in the construction of at least another 400 homes,<br />

most of them involving brick masonry. He has worked for the Builder for several<br />

years.<br />

The Supervisor's evidence was that approximately 90 percent of the spots identified<br />

by Hallatt on some of the 37 photographs which she took on March 10 were<br />

efflorescence <strong>and</strong> only 10 percent were mortar stains. The percentage differed on<br />

the various photos but he identified a definite majority as efflorescence. The<br />

significance is that, firstly, efflorescence is generally normal <strong>and</strong> secondly, was not<br />

identified on the Warranty Assessment Report as a defect. Moreover, efflorescence<br />

is dealt with under a totally different C.P.G.<br />

The Supervisor's evidence was that if the markings on the bricks were mortar<br />

splatter, the spot would be grey. This is because mortar has a grey tone to it.<br />

Conversely, if the mark was white, as were so many of the marks identified by<br />

Hallatt, it was efflorescence.<br />

9


The Supervisor's evidence was that the workmanlike st<strong>and</strong>ard for mortar was that<br />

there be no big chunks or globs or mounds of mortar appearing on the brick. In the<br />

close-up photos taken by Tarion on March 10, the white marks or stains were mostly<br />

flat or flush with the face of the brick <strong>and</strong> therefore not protruding from the face. His<br />

evidence further was that if the chunks, globs or mounds were "everyhere", the<br />

masonry was not a clean job. At the same time, a house would never be clear of all<br />

such materiaL.<br />

Hallatts notes from her February 3 attendance give a minimal description of the<br />

deficiency. This is in contrast to the other deficiencies such as the cabinets that<br />

were apparently entitled to considerable detail, but in the end were found not to be<br />

chargeable items. As for the mortar, there is no detail, for example, about the<br />

thickness of the splatter or the degree of protrusion from the brick face.<br />

The Supervisor's evidence coincided with that of the Builder's Representative. He<br />

stated that he <strong>and</strong> another employee, also from the Builder, came to the site on<br />

September 29, 2008. He instructed the employee to use a "bucket <strong>and</strong> brush" to<br />

clean the excess mortar. According to the Supervisor, this took the larger<br />

imperfections off the bricks. However, the Builder's Representative felt that the first<br />

cleaning did not come out as well as intended <strong>and</strong> arranged for the Supervisor <strong>and</strong><br />

the employee to reattend. They in fact did so on November 28, 2008. On this<br />

second occasion, there was no "bucket <strong>and</strong> brush" routine, but rather a second<br />

power wash. The Supervisor confirmed the evidence of the Builder's<br />

Representative, mainly that there was a third attendance, which he thought took<br />

place in approximately January, 2009, <strong>and</strong> just involved a power wash touch-up to<br />

the front of the house. His evidence was that there were, in effect, "two <strong>and</strong> a half'<br />

cleanings.<br />

The Supervisor testified as to the Builder's concern about using a high pressure<br />

power spray, his fear <strong>and</strong> experience being that it could displace mortar between the<br />

bricks <strong>and</strong> cause unintended damage.<br />

The Builder was conscientious in trying to resolve the matter, <strong>and</strong> also investigated<br />

the possibility of tinting the smear on the bricks through the assistance of a company<br />

10


experienced in changing the colour of masonry. The homeowner ultimately declined<br />

to pursue this tinting process.<br />

ASSESSING THE EVIDENCE<br />

No photos were taken by Tarion from a 20 foot distance. In fact, the only 20 foot<br />

photos taken in this matter were those taken by the Builder's Representative <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Builder's Supervisor a few weeks prior to the hearing. It was their evidence that they<br />

used a tape measure to insure that they were photographing from six metres, or 19.8<br />

feet from the house. The homeowners did not take photos either. As a result, I find<br />

that the only photographs taken from the distance required by the Construction<br />

Performance Guideline 4.16 were those taken by the Builder.<br />

Brown made no report of what he saw. Hallatt made notes, but these notes (exhibit<br />

No. 11) give a minimal description of the deficiency. This is in contrast to the other<br />

deficiencies such as the cabinets that apparently warranted considerable detail, but<br />

in the end were found not to be chargea~le items. This could be interpreted as an<br />

indication that the mortar problem was less significant than the other 19 items of<br />

complaint, but in any event there is minimal description of the deficiency such as the<br />

thickness of the alleged excess mortar splotches.<br />

While Construction Performance Guideline 4.16 sets out the acceptable<br />

Performance/Condition for mortar splatters <strong>and</strong> stains, there is an element of<br />

subjectivity inherent in the Guideline. Indeed, in any aesthetic issue, such as "<br />

excessive" splatter <strong>and</strong> stains on the brickwork, there is likely to be some element of<br />

subjectivity. It is hard to create a totally objective st<strong>and</strong>ard in taste or aesthetic<br />

situations. Thus where there is a discretionary element in "appearance" cases the<br />

Construction Performance Guidelines have attempted to minimize them. The<br />

masonry guideline in CPG 4.16 requires the masonry to be viewed from a distance<br />

of 6 metres. It also requires the observation to be made under conditions of "natural<br />

lighting" <strong>and</strong> "when dry". The CPG 4.16 further goes on to provide acceptable repair<br />

techniques if the masonry does not initially meet the acceptable condition set out in<br />

that very Guideline.<br />

11


It is noted that, unlike many of the BAF cases, no expert evidence was put before<br />

me. I did not have the benefit of expert evidence in assessing the industry st<strong>and</strong>ard<br />

<strong>and</strong> whether or not the mortar splatter was excessive or, on the other h<strong>and</strong>, routine<br />

In making her determination about warrantability, did the Tarion representative do<br />

everything required by the relevant Guideline? Did she view the splatters <strong>and</strong> stains<br />

from a distance of 6 metres? Her evidence was that she did so. Unfortunately, on<br />

February 3, she took no photographs from 6 metres. This was the case even though<br />

she acknowledges having been reminded by the Builder's Representative to take<br />

them from the required distance. She had a tape measure with her but admits not<br />

having measured the distance. Similarly, she made no contemporaneous field notes<br />

containing written confirmation of observation from 20 feet. As a result, we are left<br />

with the possibility that the 20 foot observation of the Guideline was not complied<br />

with. The burden of proof is on Tarion <strong>and</strong>, particularly bearing in mind the<br />

consequences on the Builder, I am unable to conclude that the 20 foot requirement<br />

was met.<br />

The Supervisor stated that excessive mortar splatter consists of raised or protruding<br />

mortar that is "chunky" or globular. Moreover, because it is raised <strong>and</strong> extends above<br />

the smooth face of the brick, he stated that such "globs" of excess mortar would be<br />

readily apparent from a 20 foot distance even if their dimension or "footprint" was<br />

only the size of a "Loonie" (the Canadian one dollar coin). The Supervisors<br />

evidence was that the Builder made the necessary "repair' by cleaning the masonry<br />

in the manner consistent with the Guideline ( power washing) <strong>and</strong> that as a result,<br />

the splatter was removed <strong>and</strong> any remaining stains do not detract from the<br />

appearance of the finished wall when viewed from a distance of 6 metres. He relied<br />

on the 20 foot photographs taken by him <strong>and</strong> the Builder's Representative (Exhibits<br />

6, 7, 8, <strong>and</strong> 9 ) a few weeks prior to the hearing, which he maintained show no<br />

detraction to the finished walls.<br />

In assessing whether the remaining stains detract from the masonry walls, the<br />

photographs I have viewed for this purpose are those forming Exhibits 4,6, 7, 8, 9,<br />

12, <strong>and</strong> 13. Of particular importance are those showing the front of the house. That<br />

is because the Tarion evidence indicated that the back of the house had less of a<br />

12


splatter problem than the sides <strong>and</strong> the front. Also, the sides of the house, at least<br />

past the first few feet near the front of the house, are largely obliterated from the<br />

street by the close proximity of the homes on each side of the subject house.<br />

Further, the Homeowner himself testified that the front of the house had the least<br />

problem.<br />

In summarizing the photographs reflecting the front of the house <strong>and</strong> including views<br />

of the second story <strong>and</strong> above the garage door, I find a few pale white spots of<br />

modest size the most substantial one appearing above the garage door but closer to<br />

the second story than the top of the garage door. These small spots are modest in<br />

number <strong>and</strong> frequency <strong>and</strong> with two exceptions, very pale <strong>and</strong> faint <strong>and</strong> almost<br />

indiscernible. Even the two most significant spots, over the garage door, are<br />

reasonably explained by the Builder's Supervisor as a possible chipped brick in one<br />

case <strong>and</strong> bird droppings in the other. In my view, these few remaining stains when<br />

viewed from a distance of 6 metres under natural lighting conditions <strong>and</strong> when dry,<br />

do not detract from the appearance of the finished walL.<br />

I note the e-mail from the Builder's Representative to Tarion made on March 9, 2009.<br />

It states that 9,200 bricks were incorporated into the home, apparently all of them on<br />

the exterior walls. The number of bricks affected by mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> stains, at<br />

least after the cleanings by the Builder, <strong>and</strong> based on the photographs, are a small<br />

fraction of that.<br />

THE LAW<br />

The Builder seeks a declaration that the disputed item in the Warranty Assessment<br />

Report ("the WAR") is not warrantable <strong>and</strong> that the costs of the conciliation are not<br />

chargeable to the Builder.<br />

As stated earlier, an item is not warrantable under section 13 of the Ontario New<br />

Homes Warranties Plan Act unless it fails to meet the requirements of that section.<br />

j<br />

13


This arbitration was conducted to determine whether the repair was done<br />

satisfactorily such that the exterior masonry walls did not constitute a breach of<br />

warranty <strong>and</strong> were therefore not chargeable.<br />

In determining whether the mortar splatter is excessive, in my view, I am required to<br />

assess the condition of the exterior walls as of the date of the conciliation, namely<br />

February 3, 2009. I have to decide if the Tarion representative's decision was<br />

correct on the date of the conciliation inspection.<br />

Repairs to the exterior masonry walls took place prior to the conciliation inspection<br />

<strong>and</strong> I have to determine whether the mortar splatter <strong>and</strong> stains on the masonry, after<br />

having been repaired (by way of cleaning), constitute a breach of warranty. More<br />

generally, I have to determine whether the exterior masonry walls were repaired or<br />

cleaned to a condition such that they resulted in walls "constructed in a workmanlike<br />

manner <strong>and</strong> free from defects in material".<br />

" Workman like manner" involves defects in construction but aesthetics can also be<br />

taken into account in determining whether there has been a failure to construct the<br />

home in a workmanlike manner.<br />

There is no allegation in this case that the mortar splatter affects the structure or<br />

function of the walls. Rather, this is a case involving an alleged aesthetic defect.<br />

Several cases refer to Re Belvedere v. Ontario New Home Warranties Programme.<br />

That case is cited for supporting the proposition that aesthetics is a matter to be<br />

taken into account in considering whether the workmanlike st<strong>and</strong>ard has been met.<br />

The appearance of the work plays a role in this concept, "neither of the highest<br />

importance or the lowest of importance but it is of some importance".<br />

Re Dirani. (20051 O.L.A.TD. No. 155, a decision of the Ontario Licence Appeal<br />

Tribunal, involved complaints regarding exterior stonework. The owners had<br />

expected the stonework to look like that of neighbouring homes. The owners were<br />

disappointed with the stone as installed. The final appearance struck them as rough<br />

<strong>and</strong> unfinished or unpolished compared to the other homes constructed by the same<br />

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uilder in the immediate vicinity. There were also complaints about the mortar<br />

placed among the stones <strong>and</strong> the owners considered these mortar joints to be<br />

messy. The tribunal considered the case of Re Goulet (20001 O.C.R.A.T.D. No. 51<br />

(a case involving uneven brickwork) which in turn had considered the case of Re<br />

Sirbu, another case of the LAT. In Re Sirbu (May 3, 20021 O.L.A.T.D. the tribunal<br />

found that many of the items complained of did not constitute a breach of the<br />

warranty to construct in a workmanlike manner because the defect was not a<br />

"glaring" aesthetics problem or a major defect. In determining whether or not there<br />

has been a defect of workmanship in the construction of a new home, the Tribunal<br />

stated that aesthetics is certainly a part of the consideration but not the predominant<br />

one. The Tribunal in Sirbu went on to say that the warranties stated in the legislation<br />

are founded on the concept of " what is reasonable, not on what is perfect". The<br />

decision essentially provides that the st<strong>and</strong>ard is one of reasonably acceptable <strong>and</strong><br />

not one of perfection.<br />

FINDINGS<br />

As indicated, there is evidence of some remaining mortar stains in a moderate<br />

number of locations on the brick at the front of the home <strong>and</strong> on the sides of the<br />

home for a length extending about 3 to 4 feet from the front face of the home. They<br />

are most apparent, <strong>and</strong> then not even overtly so, when viewed close up, such as 3 or<br />

4 feet away from the brick face as in the case of the photographs taken by Tarion.<br />

The Tarion photos purportedly showing poor workmanship were taken at this very<br />

close range <strong>and</strong> do not really reflect the appearance of the home from a greater<br />

distance. When viewed frontally from the st<strong>and</strong>ard 6 metre distance, as in the<br />

photos taken by the Builder, the stains are faint, subdued, sporadic <strong>and</strong> only vaguely<br />

noticeable in some spots. The overall appearance of the brickwork when viewed<br />

from 20 feet, while not perfect, is acceptable.<br />

I am unable to find on a balance of probabilities that the Tarion representative<br />

complied with the observable distance required by CPG 4.16 on the date of the<br />

conciliation, February 3, 2009 which was when she made a finding that the mortar<br />

situation was warrantable. I cannot uphold her finding of a breach of warranty in the<br />

absence of such a finding.<br />

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I have found that there are some mortar stains evident in the 20 foot photographs<br />

taken by the Builder. Nonetheless, they fall wìthin the category of "non-perfection"<br />

<strong>and</strong> do not detract from the appearance of the home such as to be warrantable.<br />

A breach of warranty is not made out <strong>and</strong> the concilation is therefore not chargeable<br />

to the Builder<br />

In accordance with the Builder Arbitration Forum Procedural Rules, the unsuccessful<br />

part is obligated to pay the Arbitratots fees. Tarion was wholly unsuccessful in this<br />

arbitration <strong>and</strong> is responsible for my costs. The Builder's deposit should be refunded<br />

to it without interest after delivery of this Award.<br />

DATED at Toronto this 18th day of September, 2009.<br />

L~, 0<br />

--------------------~<br />

BRIAN H. SOMER<br />

Arbitrator<br />

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