Chinese Drywall Removal & Replacement

TERRE NEUVE REMEDIATING CHINESE DRYWALL HOME IN COBBLESTONE CREEK

Terre Neuve construction workers have removed all Chinese drywall from this Cobblestone Creek home

Now that owners of homes with Chinese drywall are receiving settlement payments, the process of restoring homes is underway.

Terre Neuve has been working for several years with homeowners in Cobblestone Creek in Boynton Beach and is now in the process of restoring a home to a safe, inhabitable condition.

“We’ve been removing all the contaminated drywall and are in the process inspecting all plumbing, wiring and other elements,” said Terre Neuve President Ken Flanz. “This is a time-consuming job, but it’s important to make sure the home is clean and safe.”

With average remediation expenses easily approaching $100,000, homeowners are naturally wary of potential scams and rip-offs by unqualified contractors. 

Everything but the tile floor in the shower has been removed and remediated “Our construction team is specially trained in all Chinese drywall protocols,” said Flanz, who also says that experience has enabled Terre Neuve to substantially lower the potential cost of repairs. “By analyzing the protocols, line-by-line and putting our 30-plus years of experience towards the problem, we’ve been able to reduce the average Chinese drywall repair cost to approximately $40 per square foot.

The renovation now underway in Cobblestone Creek is to a 3,600 square foot home. “We are just about ready to begin installing new drywall,” according to Flanz. “After that, the process should be much like that of building a new house. The most difficult part is in carefully removing the drywall and insuring no other elements, such as kitchen cabinets, are contaminated.”

Terre Neuve is taking on additional Chinese drywall projects in Cobblestone Creek and other locations in South Florida. Call 954-410-9643 to schedule an appointment.

LOWER COSTS TO REPAIR CHINESE DRYWALL

It should now cost less to repair homes with Chinese drywall.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are no longer recommending removal of all electrical wiring in homes with Chinese drywall.

A study simulating long-term exposure of wiring and other electrical components to hydrogen sulfide gas found that exposure over time did not cause smoking or fire.

Chinese drywall emitting sulfuric gases had been linked to metal corrosion and blamed for health problems.

According to the commission, of 3,628 U.S.-based complaints about defective drywall; 2,083 of those were from homeowners in Florida.

Is your home infected with potentially dangerous Chinese dry wall? South Florida homeowners beware!

• Protect the value of your home!
• Get your home tested today!
• If your home is infected, make a plan to remove, remediate and reinstall new, safe drywall!

Newer homes in South Florida have been plagued with problems caused by the installation of defective Chinese drywall.

Homeowners report the drywall smells like rotten eggs. Reports say the drywall emits a sulfur compound that can corrode wiring, air conditioning coils and other metals and could cause health problems, especially with long-term exposure.

More than 10 million square feet of the Chinese drywall was imported to South Florida during the building boom in 2004-2006, when drywall was in short supply. Although a number of drywall manufacturers may be implicated, the most commonly-cited is Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co., Ltd. (KPT), a China-based producer.

A class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of all Florida homeowners whose houses were built using KPT-supplied drywall. In addition to KPT, the suit names as defendants the Knauf Group, KPT's parent company; Banner Supply, a material supply company based in Miami; and Rothchilt International Ltd., an exporter located in China.

Frightened homeowners have been contacting attorneys and filing lawsuits, worried about how this situation will impact the value of their homes and the health of their families.

Checking for Chinese Drywall

The smell test. Defective Chinese drywall emits a sulfur-like smell of rotten eggs. The smell would have been noticeable from the time you moved in. It is not something that happens suddenly.

Check your air conditioning. Have you had frequent repairs on your home's air conditioning system, wiring or pipes? Air-conditioning evaporator coils, which are supposed to last a decade or more, are corroding and failing in homes only a couple of years old. Pipes and wiring may also be deteriorating because of the Chinese drywall fumes.

Go to your attic. Check out the back of the drywall and look for the letters: KNAUF or Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin).Those letters are a manufacturing ID that verify it is the Chinese version.

How are you feeling? Homeowners have complained of headaches, dry eyes, and bloody noses, among other allergy-like symptoms. The Florida Department of Health says that preliminary tests show no "immediate health threat," but is reportedly conducting further tests to determine the extent of health risks.

What to Do

If your home has Chinese drywall, what can you do?

While homeowners consider pursing legal action, what can be done to help make their homes safe and inhabitable? If you suspect your home may contain Chinese dry wall and you are experiencing any of the symptoms described above, consider the following steps:

• Get an environmental testing company to verify, for legal purposed, that Chinese drywall is in your home. It is not necessary to have lab tests.
• Have your home inspected by a certified contractor. We are a full-service residential and commercial construction company with more than 30 years experience in South Florida.
• Decide if you intend to continue living in (or return to) your home. Most homes containing Chinese dry wall have been declared virtually worthless, as they are unable to be sold.
• Come up with a plan for replacing your home's drywall. Get cost estimates and a timeline for removal, remediation and reinstallation. We can do the complete job, in most cases, in less than ___weeks (or days).
• We will work with your legal representatives and insurer to preserve all your options while potential litigation is pending.

Beware of Scam Artists!

Florida's Attorney General has issued warnings to home owners who may be vulnerable to newly created scams related to the Chinese drywall problem. Homeowners should be aware of and attempt to avoid the following scams which builders have reported to the Attorney General's Office:

• Sale of bogus test kits. These can be expensive, often costing thousands of dollars, and are generally ineffective. The presence of defective imported drywall can only be determined through visual inspection.
• Solicited home inspections costing thousands of dollars by "experts" with no apparent qualification. Homeowners should beware of cold calls and door-to-door solicitors.
• Sale of sprays and applications which allegedly claim to miraculously cure the corrosion problem. Not only are these products ineffective, the addition of moisture may accelerate the corrosion problem.
• Sale of ozone generators. Ozone will actually increase the chemical reaction between the drywall and copper and the corrosion will be accelerated.

Most homes that contain defective imported drywall were built between 2004 and 2008. If a home was not built during that time period it is unlikely that the product is present.

The Attorney General noted that a homeowner can determine if defective drywall is present in his or her home by asking the homebuilder or a qualified air conditioner technician to conduct a professional visual inspection. The presence of defective imported drywall cannot be determined by "testing" the air in the home.

Answers to your Questions About Chinese Drywall.

If your home was built using contaminated Chinese Drywall, you're probably being bombarded with information about the situation. It's been difficult to sort out fact from fiction in many instances and homeowners can easily become confused. I thought it would be helpful to share with you some of the questions we're hearing most often from homeowners, along with the latest information we have on what government officials are doing to help solve the problem.

"What assistance is the government going to provide to homeowners to replace the contaminated drywall in their homes?"

Last week, the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Shaun Donovan, met with homeowners at Cobblestone Creek in Boynton Beach, one of the developments in South Florida with many homes containing Chinese drywall. Mr. Donovan says HUD can provide grant money for home renovations once federal and state officials understand the science behind the problem.

Meanwhile, Florida Senator Bill Nelson has asked Florida lawmakers to set aside funds from the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Fund for replacing drywall in contaminated homes. According to the Miami Herald, the chairman of the state Senate committee overseeing those funds says the problem might be too big to be covered by that program and, instead, could look to FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for additional funding.

"How much longer will homeowners have to wait before being able to begin repairs?"

At this moment, federal and state health officials are analyzing test results to determine if the contaminated drywall is responsible for the the health problems reported by homeowners. U.S. Representative Ron Klein, who accompanied Secretary Donavan on his tour of Cobblestone Creek, said the comprehensive review takes time and would not commit to a date for when the test results would be released.

"What is being done to hold the Chinese drywall manufacturers responsible?"

According to the Wall Street Journal, the chairman of the Consumer Products Safety Commission will soon ask China to help pay for the billions of dollars of damage to U.S. homes caused by contaminated drywall manufactured in China. She is also prepared to ask Congress for mortgage relief for homeowners.

"What should homeowners be doing now?"

Homeowners planning to keep or return to their contaminated homes should get a comprehensive cost estimate for demolition and reconstruction. Such an estimate should be provided free of charge by a reputable contractor, should be based on the most accurate pricing information available and should be prepared using cost estimator tools acceptable to the insurance industry. Once you have an estimate, you'll be able to deal with all the various agencies, banks, insurers and regulators to move forward when plans are released.

Here's the Latest News About the Chinese Drywall Situation in South Florida

Scientist advises homeowners to rip out Chinese drywall and start over.

More than 400 experts gathered in Tampa recently for a two-day symposium to discuss methods for dealing with tainted Chinese drywall. The meeting, sponsored by the Florida Department of Health, the University of Florida and the University of South Florida, presented the latest information on the situation. A number of prominent scientists came out publicly to recommend total replacement of the tainted drywall as the preferred method for solving the problem.

"If you remove it, clean up the debris, ventilate the home and rebuild, there's no reason you can't expect success," said James Poole, an industrial hygienist for Environ International Corp.

Not all scientists agree. Steve Mlynarek, a health professor at the University of South Florida, said he's concerned that gases could contaminate a house even after the problem drywall has been removed.

"I certainly respect Dr. Poole's opinion, but I just want to collect a little more data to make sure," he said.

Homeowners who have had their homes fixed report no ongoing health or odor issues. It appears that extensive repairs that include complete removal of the drywall from the interior of the house is a sufficient solution to the problem.

Health Tests on Tainted Drywall Prove Inconclusive

Federal health officials, expecting to find contaminants in tainted Chinese drywall, were surprised when test results came back inconclusive. Initial tests of the imported drywall showed high levels of sulfur and strontium, but not high enough to cause the headaches and respiratory problems reported by homeowners.

Because of the inconclusive results, federal officials are reluctant to provide definitive guidelines and recommendations on next steps homeowners should take.

People living in homes with Chinese drywall are advised to keep their windows open, lower room temperatures and spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Some Builders Reluctant to take Action on Replacing Chinese Drywall

A recent story in the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports on efforts by owners of homes with tainted Chinese drywall to get home builders to pay for fixing their properties.

About 10 families in The Oaks development in Boca Raton are banding together to persuade their builder, Albanese-Popkin, to take action. But, the builder says it is taking legal action against the subcontractors and suppliers and is also looking to insurance carriers for coverage.

Attorneys representing homeowners are trying to get builders to pay for temporary housing or help residents get mortgage relief, but little progress has been made so far.

Large builders like GL Homes and Lennar have agreed to fix homes at no cost to homeowners, but smaller builders are not in a position, financially, to undertake such major renovations.

Some builders are waiting for the government to issue a protocol, but at a recent symposium in Tampa, scientists recommended the best solution to the problem is to completely remove and replace all tainted drywall from the contaminated home.

Coalition Creating Protocol for Chinese Drywall Repairs Stresses Need to Select Qualified Contractors to Make Reapairs

A group of medical, environmental and construction experts has published the first protocol for handling renovations of homes tainted with Chinese drywall. The Florida Professional Coalition for Chinese Drywall has released a comprehensive list of procedures and steps to safely handle the removal, disposal and replacement of tainted Chinese drywall.

According to one coalition member, Chinese drywall has impacted many parts of people's homes.

"The effects this drywall is having on the materials in homes includes failures of the AC coils, and corrosive deposits on electrical wiring systems, corrosion of plumbing fixtures (faucets, drain pipes, etc.) as well as corrosion of copper plumbing pipe and fittings which will eventually lead to failures. Metal studs used for supporting walls are showing signs of losing their galvanized protective exterior cover, which may eventually cause the studs to be compromised over time."

The comprehensive report details exact procedures for identifying, removing and replacing tainted drywall and remediating or repairing affected areas of the home. The protocol stresses the need for homeowners to select reliable, qualified general contractors and environmental services firms to insure the work is done correctly and achieves a permanent solution to the problem. The coalition suggests assembling a team of specialists to help solve the problem, including:

• A Certified Indoor Environmentalist
• A licensed Mechanical Engineer
• A licensed General Contractor

The coalition recommends the licensed contractor should include a cleaning team with experience in micro-cleaning, HEPA filtration and vacuuming. The contractor should also be highly experienced in renovation and repair work, with special care for furniture and personal belongings prior to being relocated to a storage facility.

The report cautions homeowners to resist the temptation to minimize expenses by trying to find "a better deal," saying less expensive or "easy fixes" generally result in a less than complete solution. To quote from the report:

"Do not be fooled by low-priced, "I can solve yor problem fast" offers. Such offers often come from contractors who are unlicensed and uninsured, but more than willing to profit from your misfortune."

The coalition also says that, while there are many highly professional drywall subcontractors, the ramifications of the contamination of a home go far beyond the drywall itself and, therefore, beyond the scope of a drywall contractor's expertise. Only a licensed General Contractor has the broad experience and resources to oversee the total reconstruction and remediation of a tainted home.

To read the complete protocol report, go to www.chinesedrywallprotocol.org.