Defective drywall, believed to have been imported between 2005 and 2008 from Chinese manufacturers and used in the construction of tens-of-thousands of new homes in Florida, has many homeowners concerned about the effects the drywall may have on their health.
One of the components of the drywall is sulfur, and many experts believe that when combined with the high humidity levels, it emits a gas that smells like rotten eggs. In addition to the foul odors, air-conditioning related problems, and copper pipe corrosion has been reported, according to a recent report by MSNBC Fort Myers.
Both homeowners and home builders are the victims in this situation. It is currently unknown as to how many homes may have been constructed with the defective drywall, however the state attorney general has launched an investigation into the matter, at the request of the Florida Home Builders Association.
Jay Carlson, president of the Florida Home Builders Association, said, “any time homeowners start to question the safety of the products in their home, we have a serious problem that we need to address right away.”
Lennar and Taylor Morrison are two of the most notable home builders affected. Lennar filed a 105-page lawsuit earlier this month, and has worked with homeowners to have their defective drywall replaced with a suitable substitute.
Kristin Culliton, a Lakewood Ranch resident whose Taylor Morrison home was constructed with defective drywall manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin Co. Ltd., filed a class-action lawsuit against the firm. Knauf Plasterboard has reportedly shipped millions of pounds of drywall to Florida since 2006, according to a recent article by the Herald-Tribune.
In an analysis conducted by the Herald-Tribune, of Chinese drywall shipping records, the amount of drywall imported to the United States was potentially enough to construct over 60,000 homes.
Florida Senator Bill Nelson has requested that the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission investigate the Chinese drywall. If determined hazardous, further sales of the product could be halted.
For more information contact:
U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission: (301) 504-7923 http://www.cpsc.gov
Florida Home Builders Association: (800) 261-9447 http://www.fhba.com
Senator Bill Nelson’s Office: (202) 224-5274 http://billnelson.senate.gov
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A friend of mine had bought a new home from Lennar, in Florida, which was constructed with this defective drywall from China. She has been reassured that her health is not at risk, and she now waits for the builder to replace her drywall. Hopefully, she won’t have to wait too long!
I would like some info about how I would find out if drywall from China is in my house. I had drywall installed after Hurricane Ivan in Gulf Breeze, FL. I have been to my doctor about headaches I get everyday, but he can’t find any reason for me to have them.
Doubt it will be a big issue for a builder to remove and replace all the drywall in a home that is finished and currently being occupied. I’m sure each builder is lining up all their homes to do this simple task.. oh yeah, back to the real world, where all the builders are likely lawyering up trying to make sure they do not have to incurr the time or expense for doing such a thing.
We have a Mercedes Home with chinese drywall and they will do nothing to help. We are on our own. It is estimated to cost almost $100,000 to fix (1/3 of the value of the home) because the house will have to be taken down to the studs and everything replaced. Absolutely everything. This is devastating. And Mercedes Homes has just washed their hands of it with the true but convenient excuse of being in Chapter 11.
Higgins-
Where is your Mercedes Home? We have a Mercedes in Tampa.
@Marlog – Mercedes Homes does build in several cities in Florida. They also build in Texas as well as North and South Carolina. Thanks for stopping by our blog.
Marlog – our home is in Parrish, FL (near Sarasota)
After all the troubles we still have with asbestos hazards, we now confront the drywall problem. I thought that drywall was imported more than a decade ago and now I learn it was important few years ago. We have no excuse for accepting this toxic material in construction without researching the real health risks. That’s the proof that we didn’t learn from the past mistakes…
I don’t know about anyone else, but I certainly do not want sulfur in the walls of my house. The thought alone upsets my stomach…
I think that this is ridiculous that they would import stuff like that to us for three years, especially how they are supposed to be advanced in many types of technology. The thing is I have a home in Fort Myers, but the drywall was just done this year so if they found it in 2008 then I should be alright.
Why didn’t they check the walls’ quality before imported tons of it?
-Megan
Does anyone have a home in Cape Coral by Enchanted Home Builders? The Chinese drywall problem is ruining a/c coils but doesn’t smell and seems like a mild case. Any ideas? Class action or simple remediation?
Apparently Crist is looking into seeing if he can declare the Chinese drywall problem a state emergency. Apparently he had just been briefed about the problem upon his arrival in Charlotte County last month. Last month?? And he wasn’t aware of this issue before last month??
Who pays for all these repairs? I have clients with multiple units in Florida and the sheetrock has caused corrosion of the electrical wiring. I am guessing that the ‘builders’ are quickly lining up for Chapter 11. Anyone know, please advise me of any decisions you may find.
We are currently looking to buy a house in Cape Coral Fl by Villa Homes of SW Florida built in 2004 at auction. i am not able to find a list of dry wall homes. does anyone know how to locate this info? No one seems to want to accept blame for all this..
@Bob- It’s likely the company in China won’t be paying for the repairs and good luck trying to file a lawsuit against a company from the Peoples Republic of China. If I were you I would contact the home builder to make sure the units are safe.
The construction team of Kogen Construction, Inc has reach removing over 1 million boards of defective Chinese drywall. Overwhelming for homeowners this simple uncomplicated construction project leaves homes restored to a better then before condition. So simple a girl can do it.