email: nyfraninflorida@aol.com
- Wellington/ West Palm Beach
- 2335 S State Road 7 Suite 500
- Wellington, FL 33414
- Tel: 561-868-2644
- Fax: 561-868-2645
- Dir: 561-307-0471
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – May 12, 2009 – Home builder G.L. Homes has begun temporarily relocating homeowners in its Canyon Isles community near Boynton Beach, where homes have been found to have defective Chinese drywall.
The Sunrise-based home builder began investigating homes in the development more than a month ago, homeowners said.
In a statement, G.L. Homes Division President Marcie DePlaza said the company did an investigation and discovered that independent contractors installed tainted Chinese drywall in a limited number of homes built between April and November of 2006.
“G.L. Homes continues to proactively investigate and address homeowner concerns,” DePlaza said in the statement. “We are committed to completing all repairs as expeditiously as possible.” Believed to have been installed in thousands of homes in Florida and other states between 2000 and 2008, some Chinese-manufactured drywall has been found to emit foul-smelling sulfuric odors and gases responsible for corroding metal components such as electrical wiring, air conditioning coils and jewelry.
People also have complained of health issues, including nosebleeds and respiratory problems.
Canyon Isles homeowner Joe Araneo, who is moving out of his home on Friday, said the vice president of G.L. Homes came to his house last week to discuss exactly what the company planned to do.
“They’re moving everything out at their cost and will take everything down to bare walls,” Araneo said. “They had an air consultant measure inside and out of the house, and they will do the same testing when they put the new drywall in.” Araneo said the company is giving him a $3,000-a-month housing allowance for temporary accommodations while his home is being fixed.
Fellow Canyon Isles resident Andrea Suhajcik has already moved her family of six out of her home; she said she didn’t realize her home had a problem until G.L. Homes came out to do testing.
Suhajcik said she and her husband go back to her house almost every day to see how work is progressing.
“They said it could be eight weeks or more,” she said. “I miss my house terribly, but as hard as it is, our health and safety come first.” Araneo, who last week expressed concern that the builder was taking too long to respond to the issue, said he now thinks the company is doing the right thing.
“I think it took a little while to start to move people out because everyone’s in helter-skelter because they didn’t know they had it in their homes,” he said. “But they’ve been really great about it.”
The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Allison Ross. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
The New Issue to Hit Real Estate
Revised April 14, 2009
Written by Michael Rowan
It is alleged that as many as 36,000 homes in
Homeowners have registered complaints with the state that their systems and appliances are constantly breaking down, their homes have unusual rotten egg odors, their copper piping and jewelry are turning black, they are experience breathing and respiratory problems, nose bleeds, headaches and more.
Many of these homeowners have now led the charge for a class action law suit and have pressed Senators and congressmen to do something about it.
Most of the complaints come from homeowners who own homes built between 2003 and 2007, although it is now coming to light that homes dating back as far as 2001 may also have this product! The cause and effect of this problem has not been finalized, but it is believed that humidity causes the sulfur in the drywall of off gas, which in turn is the prime reason for noxious odors and corrosive action on the metal products and materials within homes. If you believe you have this product you should not steam clean carpets, walls, floors etc. until you have had your home inspected and analyzed.
From an initial investigation by the Department of Health in the State of
The testing commissioned by the Florida Health Department found that the defective Chinese drywall contained sulfur-containing gases including strontium sulfide which turns into hydrogen sulfide when exposed to heat. According to other published reports, another laboratory conducted air samples of homes that were built with Chinese drywall and found traces of carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide and dimethyl sulfide.
At this time the Consumer Product and Safety Commission is also conducting investigations to check on this matter so we expect more results in time.
It is alleged that almost 550 million pounds of Chinese drywall was brought into the
Some builders have already taken decisive action and have worked with some of their homeowners to fix the problem, but this is becoming much bigger than any builder could probably handle in this already difficult market. Initial investigations by a professional inspector, air quality testing and material testing are all part of the identification process needed to eliminate the fear of this problem. This investigation is expensive let alone the remedial repairs needed if found.
If this drywall is identified, the cost of remediation can be enormous because the entire interior of the home may have to be rebuilt from the shell in addition to replacing any furniture, drapery and other belongings affected by the gases. Add to this the cost of relocating the affected homeowners during the course of the work and you have a huge bill on your hands!
It is for this reason that Congressman Wexler and Senator Nelson have been proactive with this problem, introducing legislation and petitioning Governor Crist and the Federal government for financial assistance to affected homeowners in addition to more investigations by the consumer Products Safety Commission.
There is no question that neither the real estate industry nor the building industry needs any more negative news, but the reality is that homeowners need to be extra cautious not only when buying a home but also with the ones they live in, if they in fact suspect any problems with their home.
For today’s Realtors selling existing homes built since 2003, it is recommended that some disclosure be made as part of the real estate transaction and a professional inspector is hired prior to listing in order to eliminate or determine if the drywall is present in your client's home.
How do I know if I have "Chinese drywall"?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. At present, there are two options for homeowners/buyers concerned about this problem, the DOCUMENTATION METHOD and the DETECTION METHOD.
DOCUMENTATION METHOD - The documentation method is widely used and the most commonly accepted method of determining the risk of having Chinese drywall present. This method consists of a visual inspection of the exposed metal components in a home to document the extent of their exposure to corrosive vapor.
Discoloration and pitting corrosion are the markers identified. In addition, the inspector will identify the brand of drywall if possible.
This inspection takes between 1-2 hours to complete and the cost can range from $175-$375 depending on the size and complexity of your home. Determination inspetcions should be performed by an experienced building inspector, building contractor, architect, engineer, air-conditioning contractor, electrician or indoor air quality inspector due to its subjective nature.
This method is subjective as different levels of exposure will cause different levels of discoloration and corrosion. The subjective margin of error increases in homes with low vapor levels or just a few boards of Chinese drywall in the home.
DETECTION METHOD - If it is determined through documentation that the drywall is present, you should move to the detection method to determine its significance and impact in your home.
There are a multitude of detection methods available. The two most commonly used approaches are air sampling and material testing. Both can be expensive, ranging from $1200-$2200 per sample. The samples must be taken by a qualified inspector and sent to a certified laboratory to be analyzed.
Air sampling will require a sample of the air inside the home to be taken and sent to a lab which will analyze the components that comprise that air sample and determine the levels of gases and whether they are above average. Material testing requires a sample of the drywall be taken, documented with a chain of custody and analyzed in a laboratory. Both detection methods have inherent issues, but produce the most accurate results to date.
Combined, the documentation and detection method will provide the highest degree of accuracy.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if you need us to come out and inspect...
· Was your home built between 2003 to 2007?
· Does your home have a slight or strong, sulfur, rotten egg or even acid type smell?
· Is your Stove top, oven element, air conditioning coils, and/or refrigerator failing at an unusually high rate?
· Is your silver jewelry or flatware tarnishing or are your mirrors turning black?
· Are you or any of your family members experiencing symptoms of severe allergies, nose bleeds, or upper respiratory problems since moving into the home?
If you answered yes to one or more of these, you MIGHT have Chinese drywall.
WHAT IF I HAVE CHINESE DRYWALL?
If our inspection report finds you have Chinese drywall, you should first, notify your builder, especially if your home is still under warranty. Your lender, insurer and an attorney should also be contacted.
If Chinese drywall is found, it must be removed. The problem is that the scope of how it is to be removed must be agreed first. At the time of writing there are no clear remediation requirements or protocols in the industry so there is still a lot of confusion with the builders and contractors. Many experts believe that all affected components need to be removed, from piping, wiring and other systems that have been exposed. ON the same note yet there are very few coming out and saying that entire homes should be demolished and re-built.
As more testing and investigations are completed by CPSC and the DOH it is probable that we will see more standards for remediation of Chinese drywall in the near future, similar to that of the mold remediation industry.
Before you allow anyone to start the remediation process it is advisable to consult an attorney. Make sure all documentation is cataloged and proper remediation protocols are agreed. You should hire a third party quality assurance inspector to ensure these protocols are being followed so when the works are complete your home has been completely eliminated of the problem. It may also be wise to conduct clearance testing on your home from an air quality perspective at the end of the project.
About the Author: Michael Rowan has been involved in the building inspection industry for over 20 years and completed over 10,000 inspections. Some of Michaels qualifications, include licensed General contractor in the State of
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