Posted on Tuesday, 22nd December 2009 by Anna Kulbinski

ARGOSY INSPECTIONS
PAUL NOE
480-298-4643
www.argosyinspections.com

There’s an interesting article talking about the use of Chinese drywall in homes across the United States.  On November 23, 2009, the following drywall investigation reports, Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/nov2009status.pdf

Summary of the reports, and letter were released and posted on the Commission’s Drywall Information Center website: (www.drywallresponse.gov):

• Fifty-one home indoor air study

• Preliminary study of corrosion related to gas distribution, HVAC and fire Safety systems

• Preliminary study of corrosion related to electrical components

• An executive summary of the three investigation reports

• A letter concerning IRS casualty loss issues for homeowners

According to the article, nearly 500 million pounds of drywall were imported from China between 2004 and 2008.  Builders reportedly used the drywall during the market boom given the robust demand for new housing.  This is another example of using foreign products for U.S. use without proper guarantees or analysis as to their safe application.  In this case, the drywall is reported to contain a number of questionable substances including sulfur compounds, strontium sulfide, and other organic materials.  The concern besides reported damage to plumbing and other materials in the home is the potential health effects for occupants.

According to the (CPSC),

“CPSC has received about 1,501 reports from residents in 27 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico who believe their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to the presence of drywall produced in China. State and local authorities have also received similar reports.”

Could There Be Chinese Drywall in My Phoenix-Area Home?

Reportedly, most of the Chinese drywall usage took place in Florida.  However, as mentioned above, the CPSC has received complaints across 27 states.  Why did Florida take on the lion’s share of Chinese drywall?  The CPSC explains that most homebuyers indicate their homes were built in the 2006-7 timeframe when an “an unprecedented increase in new construction occurred in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.”

Further review of the complaints that the CPSC has received indicate that the number of incidents reported across Arizona are very limited.  So, there is likely a very low probability of Chinese drywall being used in homes across the Phoenix area according to geographic analysis of complaints received by the CPSC.  However, this may also be an issue that has yet to be fully understood and we could see more identifications of Chinese drywall in some homes across the Valley.

How Do You Determine If Chinese Drywall is in My Phoenix-Area Home?

Though some good home inspectors have likely already begun looking for Chinese drywall in homes they inspect, this should become a standard for home inspectors across the Phoenix area.  A home buyer should know if the drywall poses a potential hazard or not.  Given that drywall often has the manufacturer information on the back of the product, evaluation in the crawlspaces should reveal the nature of the drywall in a home.  So, if you are a homebuyer and the home was built during this period (even expand that to 2003 to 2009), then it may be prudent to ask the home inspector to specifically look for information that may answer the question, “Does my Phoenix home have Chinese Drywall?”

If you currently own a home, then climb into the crawlspace of your home where you would be able to see some of the backside of the drywall or wallboard.  It should indicate “Made in China.”

According to the CPSC, often times there is a rotten egg smell associated with the drywall.  In addition, look for pitting and changes in light fixtures and plumbing material colors as the drywall is known to effect other materials in your home.

The CPSC has a great page that shows pictures of exactly what the drywall is known to do.  You can see those pictures here – Chinese Drywall Effects.

As well, here are there tips on what to keep an eye out for:

  • “Consumers have reported a “rotten egg” smell within their homes.
  • Consumers have reported health concerns such as irritated and itchy eyes and skin, difficulty in breathing, persistent cough, bloody noses, runny noses, recurrent headaches, sinus infection, and asthma attacks.
  • Consumers have reported blackened and corroded metal components in their homes and the frequent replacement of components in air conditioning units.”

Does a Potential Major Liability Loom for Home Builders?

According to the article, a few insurers have dropped coverage for homes where they know Chinese drywall was used.  Some have reportedly denied claims.  This leaves recourse against the home builders who purchased and installed the drywall.  Though one argument might be that individual communities are separate LLCs or corporate structures than the larger builder companies, the question may be as to whether purchasing is centralized and that purchasing for large quantities of Chinese drywall were done at the behest of a corporate office.  This would seemingly expose the entire corporate entity (parent, subsidiaries, and separate affiliated companies) to legal ramifications and lawsuits.  One can also imagine that if a national builder used the materials, there will be people analyzing purchasing and shipping records to see where materials were sent and what communities are affected.

This will certainly be an interesting development to watch as this issue builds momentum.

Could Habitat for Humanity Help Here?

Though this gets out of Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build homes for needy people, perhaps Habitat for Humanity could offer a hand here to lend its manpower resources to helping some of these homeowners.  Replacing drywall across a home is a huge undertaking, from pulling out the wallboard, to putting in new wallboard, to applying ‘mud,’ to texturing and painting.  Cabinets and any fixtures must be taken down to allow for the replacement.  Basically, a homeowner has to strip the home back down to studs on the interior and then close it back up again.

Perhaps Habitat for Humanity could take abandoned homes over and revitalize them for new homeowners.

Paul’s Summary:

As a Home Inspector we do check for all components including the corrosion of copper wire and tubing within the home and note for such, Like any material manufactured, there is always that possibility of a defect as our guidelines are not enforced, I think we need better quality control Inspectors to Inspect all of the products made with in and abroad, There are standard to meet so why wasn’t this caught? Does it always take a catastrophe in order to fix the problem? Do we blame the Chinese? My answer is NO!!

Make sure when you order a home inspector ask him what do you check for, how long is your inspection, how many inspections do you do a day, are you affiliated with ASHI or NAHI, or others, This will determine if your inspector is using the standards of practice set forth by these associations and takes the time to thoral check you potential dream home.

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