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GREENSBORO — After a recession and a potentially life-threatening building error in some of its town houses, Portrait Homes is all but gone from the area.

The Chicago-based developer came to the Triad in the past decade and built hundreds of residences in neighborhoods stretching between Whitsett and Winston-Salem.

But they’re leaving half-built buildings and plenty of unanswered questions.

In fall 2007, the company discovered it had installed substandard fire walls between at least 100 town houses in communities here. After several months of negotiations with homeowners, inspectors and independent engineers, the company reinstalled fire walls of the proper thickness.

“As far as we know, all fire wall problems have been addressed,” said Portrait spokesman Jonathan Dedmon, offering few other details on the company’s exit.

Calls to Portrait’s listed office here have not been returned.

A lawsuit against Portrait by the company initially contracted to install the fire walls was settled out of court this year, but numerous liens from other contractors are filed in the Guilford County Courthouse against Portrait.

Neither residents nor local building inspectors know who is in charge of construction in many of the incomplete communities.

In places such as Ridge Creek in Whitsett, half-completed units have stood with their windows boarded since last fall.

“In the majority of our communities in the Triad area, we have negotiated settlements with the banks in which the properties have been returned to them,” Dedmon said. “We are still in negotiations with our lenders over several properties.”

Banks foreclosed on some unfinished developments.

“It’ll be picked up by the bank and if (the units) are not completed then they’d be torn down,” said David Jones, chief building inspector for Greensboro.

As for those fire walls, some residents are having trouble getting documentation.

“I don’t think they’ve gotten the letter saying it has been done,” said John Mattey, president of the homeowners association at Bridford Downs in southwest Greensboro. Fixing the problem fire wall was handled between the owners and the company, not through a homeowners association.

But now that the company’s gone, who will handle lingering construction problems?

“The contractors are not going to respond, of course,” Mattey said. A resident there had an issue with weatherproofing around a window — it leaked during rain, causing mold problems in the house, he said.

The problem was solved, Mattey said, with a combination of insurance from the homeowner and the neighborhood association’s insurance.

“(We’re) using the master policy and homeowners policy, even though it is a Portrait issue,” Mattey said.

The only development the company’s Web site recognizes with having homes for sale is Ridge Creek in Whitsett, even though the words “A Portrait Homes Community” can be seen in other places such as the Tuscany development in northwest Greensboro.

“Nobody’s called me back in a long time here,” Jones said, adding that he feels as though Portrait handled the fire wall repairs.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com