Dallas, TX
Dallas condo owners live for a year with no walls — just a tarp
Two neighboring Dallas residents are living without walls.
That’s not hyperbole. The exterior walls of their condos have been removed and replaced with a large tarp. It’s been like that for a year.
No walls, only a tarp.
The homeowners association ordered the wall removal, citing mold and other problems. But the units also suffer from serious foundation issues.
Residents say they’ve endured this open-air existence because they believe they have no choice.
Where are they going to go? Who will buy their money pits with all these problems?
Carol Sullivan considers herself the fortunate one — at least she still has her interior walls. Her neighbor, Kate Phelan, isn’t so lucky. She’s missing both exterior and interior walls.
Both women blame the HOA, which authorized the wall removal and promised to rebuild. They say that promise has since vanished.
HOA Follies
In today’s episode of The Watchdog Presents HOA Follies, we go to the Lake Highlands neighborhood of Dallas — specifically to the 72-unit Oak Hollow Condominiums off Skillman Street.
The competition to be spotlighted on HOA Follies is fierce. The battles are constant, and that includes fighting outside management companies hired to run things.
In these squabbles, lies are told, stories are made up and the mantra that there are two sides to everything is proven false. In HOA disputes, there are often eight sides to every saga.
I cannot tell you the HOA side because the management group, Veracity of Plano, declined to speak to me. Veracity also declined to allow me to speak to HOA board members.
The word veracity, by the way, is defined as a devotion to the truth.
‘Terrified’
Sullivan says one holdup is the condo bosses demanding that doors and windows be removed during repairs.
“I’m terrified,” Sullivan says, fearing that once they are removed, they too won’t get put back.
Phelan describes constant dirt filtering in — weeds, grass and bugs. She’ll clean a room, then five minutes later, it’s all back. Especially the bugs.
“It’s like National Geographic in there,” she says.
How does she deal with it? Sometimes, she explodes.
In a draft she sent to Google reviews, she called the condo bosses “evil, sadistic, harassing, bullying, delusional, incompetent.”
“I don’t know what else to do, Phelan said.
Mold
Both women complain of sickness that they attribute to mold.
Health-wise, they shouldn’t be living there.
Phelan says her insurance company told her the responsibility is with the HOA. Her insurance will not fix interior issues until the outer walls are replaced.
Under Texas law, an HOA is responsible for the exterior common areas, while a condo owner is responsible for the inside.
Because the association removed the entire rear wall, they may be responsible for the follow-through, Phelan argues.
Solutions
What do you do in a situation like this?
Unfortunately, get a lawyer. Both women have hired a lawyer to help them. Several other owners have jumped in.
Phelan admits she was out of her league when house shopping. She didn’t know what to look for. She felt rushed. She saw problems before buying but didn’t think they were this bad. She paid $143,000.
Both women still pay $475 in monthly maintenance fees.
They neglected to file a formal complaint with Dallas’ code compliance department. An inspector might come out and write up violations.
Under city code for substandard structures, property owners are required to keep structures in good repair. Violations can be written for peeling paint, leaking roof, electrical and plumbing problems, holes in the wall, floor and ceiling, and decayed wood.
In some HOA’s, residents vote out existing members, and then fire the management company. I’ve seen it happen, but it’s rare.
Mostly, what’s needed is for condo bosses to live up to their promises. They need to display a devotion to the truth.
Without walls, condo owners use cardboard to provide safety from the elements.
Courtesy of Kate Phelan
DALLAS – Slow-moving thunderstorms brought localized flash flooding to parts of North Texas on Tuesday evening, blocking highways near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and dropping several inches of rain in portions of Tarrant and Parker counties.
Flash Flood Warnings
Local perspective:
Flash flood warnings are in effect for Hopkins, Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties until 7:45 p.m.
Flooding was reported along Texas 183 near Valley View Lane south of DFW Airport, where stranded vehicles and water-covered roadways created hazardous travel conditions.
A flash flood warning remained in effect near the airport, although rainfall rates had begun to diminish as the storm weakened.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Hood County, citing the potential for gusty winds and small hail. Forecasters reported hail ranging from pea-sized to marble-sized in parts of Hood, Parker and Denton counties.
Forecasters attributed the weakening storms in Denton County to an outflow boundary, a meteorological feature that can disrupt thunderstorm development.
The warning area was reduced as the storm weakened near sunset.
LIVE RADAR
What they’re saying:
FOX 4’s Kylie Capps said the storms moved unusually slowly from east to west, allowing heavy rain to accumulate over the same areas for several hours.
Rainfall estimates showed some locations in eastern Parker County and western Tarrant County received nearly 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period, while areas near DFW Airport recorded more than 2 inches.
Elsewhere in North Texas, northern Rains County received nearly 5 inches of rain.
7-Day Forecast
What’s next:
Forecasters expect a quieter overnight period, with only isolated showers lingering into the evening. Additional thunderstorms are possible Wednesday afternoon, though coverage and the threat of severe weather are expected to remain limited.
Temperatures are forecast to reach about 90 degrees Wednesday.
Rain chances are expected to continue through the remainder of the workweek and into the weekend as an upper-level low-pressure system sends multiple disturbances across North Texas.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Weather Team
Monday was a wild day for the NFL with two blockbuster trades. First was Myles Garrett, who both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were rumored to have interest in.
Cowboys fans never bought into these rumors, knowing that Jerry Jones was unlikely to make such an investment. The Eagles, however, have been known to get aggressive. Thankfully for Dallas fans, they didn’t make the move as the Cleveland Browns sent Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Verse and a package of picks.
Not long after that trade was finalized, the Eagles did wind up making a trade. After months of speculation surrounding A.J. Brown and the New England Patriots, the two sides made it official as Brown was reunited with Mike Vrabel in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
Dallas Cowboys could take the NFC East crown in 2026
The writing has been on the wall all offseason regarding Brown, who has been unhappy with the Eagles for a while. His departure seemed confirmed when they traded up with Dallas in the 2026 NFL draft for USC receiver Makai Lemon.
While Lemon has the tools to be a difference-maker, he won’t be able to perform at the same level as Brown during his rookie season. The Eagles do still have DeVonta Smith at receiver as well as running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
That said, there’s no denying that they’re weaker this season than they were with Brown. Just as important, however, is the fact that general manager Howie Roseman didn’t pull off a shocking move for Garrett, which would have made them the overwhelming favorites in the division.
Cowboys chances hinge on defensive changes
Another reason the Cowboys are confident they can hang with Philadelphia this season is the presence of Christian Parker, who they hired as their defensive coordinator after he spent the past two seasons as the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Eagles.
Parker brings in a new scheme and plenty of confidence, but more importantly, he has several new weapons at his disposal. Dallas traded for veterans Rashan Gary and Dee Winters, signed Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant, and selected Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence in the draft.
Those are just some of the moves they made on defense, and they’re banking on that to be enough to help propel them past the team that has won the division the past two seasons.
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