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As the first Inspection firm to offer Chinese Drywall Inspections and having performed over 6,500 Chinese Drywall Inspections throughout Florida, consumers turn to Kross Inspectors as the leader in the industry. Kross Inspectors does include a Chinese Drywall Inspection for FREE with all Full Home Inspections (For a limited time, receive $25 OFF of our Chinese Drywall and FULL Home Inspection Fees! Appointments are available within 24 hours of your call.
Below are a few frequently asked questions. If you do not see your question here, please email Info@krossinspectors.com or call our Chinese Drywall Hotline at 1-877-496-4662 for a free telephone consultation with one of our experienced Inspectors. Inspectors are available Daily from 8am-8pm to take your call. You may also sign up for our weekly "Chinese Drywall Update" at the bottom of this page.
What is Chinese Drywall?
2005 was the most active hurricane year in recorded history. This along with the housing boom during that time caused a shortage in supply of American made drywall. An estimated 550 million pounds of drywall from China was shipped to U.S. ports to help keep up with demand.
During 2007 and 2008, a new phenomenon of rapid corrosion of copper evaporator coils began to occur in newly constructed homes. In many cases, the air conditioning systems failed within 6 months of occupying the home. Several tests conducted by government agencies and private sector companies revealed that the drywall installed in these homes was producing a volatile sulfur gas that created tiny pin holes in the air conditioning system's evaporator coils. These tiny holes allowed the unit's refrigerant to be released, disabling the unit's cooling properties. It was also found to be affecting all of the home's ferrous metal components, including copper ground wires, copper & brass plumbing components, etc. Personal property such as precious metals and mirrors also were affected.
Many of the occupants of these homes complained of respiratory problems including sore throats, coughs, nose bleeds, and sinus headaches.
Since the drywall associated with this problem was imported from China, the media quickly labeled the phenomenon as "Chinese Drywall".
What makes the drywall defective?
The composition of the defective drywall was found to have higher concentrations of elemental sulfur and strontium than that found in non defective drywall. (See Executive Summary Released On 10/29/2009 by the Interagency Task Force on Chinese Drywall)
The Consumer Product Safety Commission serves as the lead agency within the interagency task force that also includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as the Florida Department of Health, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Virginia Department of Health, among others.
The general public is encouraged to monitor the federal government's drywall investigation at www.drywallresponse.gov.
Great progress has been made by the Federal Interagency Task Force in identifying homes that may contain problem drywall. Please visit www.krossinspectors.com/chinesedrywallinspection to find out more about the latest techniques recommended by the Task Force.
How can I tell if my home has defective drywall?
There are many different methods of identifying homes with defective drywall. The most popular method is a protocol developed by Kross Inspectors, the first Home Inspection company to offer Chinese Drywall inspections. This protocol is popular due to its comprehensive and invasive, yet NON destructive method of identifying symptoms of defective drywall. To find out more about the Kross Inspectors Chinese Drywall Inspection, visit www.krossinspectors.com/chinesedrywallinspection.
What do I do if I have Chinese Drywall?
Our best advice to give to a homeowner if we have confirmed that their home is affected by defective drywall is to contact an attorney immediately. Although some builders are assisting in remediating the problem, it is always a good idea know your rights in a situation as sensitive as this. Many law firms across the country have turned to Kross Inspectors to provide expert witness and inspection services for their clients.
On April 2, 2010, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Consumer Product Safety commission (CPSC) issued interim remediation guidance to help homeowners. This release can be found by clicking HERE. The guidance issued does outline a very common sense approach that simply entails removing the source of the problem (the defective drywall) and replacing the components that are affected. Consumers are cautioned to be wary of companies and contractors offering these services. Not only should consumers verify that the contractor is licensed and insured (specifically for Chinese Drywall Remediation), consumers are encourage to hire a non affiliated third party inspector to oversee and document the remediation process. To find out more about remediation inspection services, visit www.krossinspectors.com/drywallremediation. Please call our Chinese Drywall Hotline at 1-877-496-4662 for a free consultation PRIOR to hiring a contractor to remediate your home!
Update: 4/8/2010, the Federal Court in Louisiana has awarded $2.6 Million in Damages to 7 Virginia Families!
Federal Court Judge Eldon Fallon has ruled that the seven plaintiff families are to have their homes completely remediated from Chinese Drywall. Download the ruling Federal Court Ruling 04082010.pdf
I am considering purchasing a home. Is there a certain age range of homes that I should avoid?
This is very complicated. Defective drywall is suspected of being imported to the U.S. from 2004 through 2006. The most predominant year built of homes found to have defective drywall is 2006. However, it should be noted that defective drywall has been found in homes as old as 1965 (home was remodeled with defective drywall).
Kross Inspectors has conducted over 3,000 Chinese Drywall Inspections since early 2009. These inspections have revealed that only 5% of these inspected homes that were built between 2004 and 2008 were found to have defective drywall installed. That may not sound like a large percentage, but if you take into consideration that the U.S. Census reports over 8 million single family and multi family housing units were built in this time period, then approximately 400,000 of those homes may be affected by defective drywall.
Is there a license required in Florida to perform Chinese Drywall Inspections?
No. The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulations has confirmed that individuals performing Chinese Drywall Inspections DO NOT have to be licensed. Unfortunately, this does allow many inexperienced individuals into the field of Chinese Drywall Inspections. As the leading provider of Chinese Drywall Inspections in the country, we caution consumers to verify that an individual is experienced and qualified to perform a Chinese Drywall Inspection. All of our Inspectors undergo rigorous training in our proprietary Drywall Inspection protocol. You can rest assured that you are receiving an accurate inspection from Kross Inspectors.
We at Kross Inspectors are committed to helping keep the public informed about this phenomenon now found in 37 states. Please visit this page often, along with our blog at www.krossinspectors/blog to see more information as it is released by government agencies and from our research team. To receive immeidate notification of new events and information regarding Chinese Drywall, subscribe to our newsletter below:
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