My New Blog

I have been traveling Florida this week visiting with Homeowners, Contractors, Insurance Executives, and Real Estate Professionals.  The most common topic of the week regarding Chinese Drywall was "What do the Homeowners do when they find they are stuck with a home containing defective drywall?". 

Many of the Homeowners wondered about all of the "Chinese Drywall Remediation" companies appearing all over Florida.  They often asked me "What makes them qualified to remediate a property with Chinese Drywall?". 

Operating the largest Inspection firm in Florida, this question is posed to me several times per day via our Chinese Drywall Hotline.  My simple answer is that since the federal government has not prescribed or endorsed any formal guidelines for remediation, as long as the Contractor is properly licensed and insured, then He/She is qualified.  However, qualifications do not necessarily mean that they will perform the proper remediation techniques that not only remove the defective drywall, but also heal the property of the symptoms that come with it. 

I have had the opportunity to visit 75 homes that have been "remediated" for Chinese Drywall.  Unfortunately, only a handful of those did not display any symptoms after the remediation project was completed.  

We all understand that with every catastrophe (hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and even Chinese Drywall), comes the opportunity for Contractors to capitalize on correcting the damage that has been created. 

The purpose of my writing today is to provide some guidance on what to look beware of when being solicited by a Contractor offering to perform Chinese Drywall Remediation services:

• Beware of Inspectors or Contractors that Inspect for Chinese Drywall, then offer to remediate the property.  Common sense tells us that the Contractor has more incentive to find Chinese Drywall so they can profit from the remediation job. 
•  Beware of those offering a solution that involves keeping the home's drywall and simply covering it up with a miracle cure.  Even if the cover up works, common sense tells us that the defective product will still remain in the home.  This is not a true remediation of the problem.
• Beware of Contractors/Builders that do not allow third party Inspectors to observe and document the remediation process.  This is a typical sign that they are taking short cuts that they do not want discovered.
• Always demand a written protocol prior to engaging the Contractor for the work to be performed. 

Of course, it is always recommended to involve an objective third party that documents all of the remediation efforts of the Contractor.  This protects the Homeowner, the Contractor, and any potential Buyer of the property. 

Please be careful out there.  As with any major disaster, the opportunists will come forth.  Make informed decisions and do not hesitate to contact an objective party for a consultation. 

Kross Inspectors was the first Inspection firm in the country to offer Chinese Drywall Inspections and has NEVER offered remediation services.  However, our experience in both diagnosing homes with defective drywall and observing remediations has provided us with the knowledge and experience to properly guide Homeowners through the process.  Feel free to call our Chinese Drywall Hotline at (877) 496-4662 for a free telephone consultation. 

Jim Kreider

Jim@krossinspectors.com