Maryland Retirees Should Check For Chinese Drywall

NC and Chinese Drywall.  Last April the first Chinese drywall lawsuit was filed by a family in Holly Springs, North Carolina.  Holly Springs is about 30 minutes from Raleigh, North Carolina.

I had thought the Chinese drywall issue was mainly confined to Florida but apparently it is also showing up in many other regions as well.

The Holly Springs family had purchased their home in 2004 and at that time they noticed a sulphur smell but were told it would dissapate with time.  Kinda like the formaldahyde smells that used to be so prevalent in carpets, etc.  Since that time the family had issues with corroding furnace coils and other metals.  Plus they have experienced numerous health issues.  For a report on this family's experience and the lawsuit published in April 2009 visit here.

As if the housing bust in itself is not enough, issues of these sorts certainly can devastate a homes value even further and destroy families lives with health issues and unbearable expenses.

Now, almost a year later on April 2, 2010 HUD and CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) have issued guidance on dealing with Chinese drywall.

They recommend that the Chinese drywall should be totally gutted and that electrical wiring, outlets, circuit breakers, fire alarm systems, carbon monoxide alarms, fire sprinlers, gas pipes and drywall need to be removed!  For anyone who suspected they had Chinese drywall and when tested it was positive the remedy is herculene!  For many folks the price of this cure would probably cost as much as the house did when purchased and in many markets today that price is very skewed.  Not to mention the inconvenience and health issues.

37 states have reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission suspected cases of problem drywall.  Surely the Class Actions Lawsuits will be many.

Indications of Chinese drywall:

*  When a piece of drywall is cut out you will see the words MADE IN CHINA (they love us)

*  The rotten egg smell of sulphur

*  Failure of copper piping in air conditioning units

*  Copper piping, coils or wires become blackened and corroded

*  Metal fixtures attached to walls made of problem drywall can become pitted and corroded

Hopefully you and your home are not experiencing any of these syptoms, but if you are you may want to contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission or HUD.  The sulphur smell seems to be very prevalent in detecting Chinese drywall.

On a lighter note -- if you are looking for listings and information on Hendersonville or Western NC visit Robin's Website.