A Slingerlands, N.Y-based company announced today that it’s apparently found a quick, permanent and relatively inexpensive way to rid houses of Chinese drywall.

Chinese drywall, which emits sulfur gases into a structure where it’s used, was first identified late last year. For the most part, the houses with Chinese drywall are believed to have been built during the housing boom from 2004 to 2006 with defective drywall imported from China.

Sabre Technical Services held a press conference this morning at Bell Tower Park, the south Fort Myers community where the company tested its process in July — pumping a Chinese-drywall-infected house full of chlorine dioxide gas in an effort to rid the structure of sulfur compounds in the air, drywall and other parts of the structure.
In addition, said John Mason, chief technology officer for Sabre, the chlorine gas isn’t harmful to the house and destroys only the harmful substances. “It’s very picky about what it reacts with.”

Bob Hensley, president of Grosse Pointe Development, the builder of Bell Tower Park, said that if the method proves to be reliable he’ll have the other 28 affected homes in the community treated.

Other methods to fix the problem range from removing some or all of the bad drywall to actually stripping the house down to the wooden studs — removing any material that could have absorbed the sulfur gases.

But no method, however extreme, has proved universally successful, said Gary Aubuchon of Cape Coral-based Aubuchon Homes, who is also a state representative.

“From every part of my being, I’m pleased,” said Aubuchon, who attended this morning’s press conference. “This is the first sign of hope. It’s the best solution I’ve heard of so far.”

It’s also not as costly as the more extreme methods also being used, which can cost as much as $100,000 to strip down a house and use a high-powered vacuum cleaner to remove all the particles in the air.

Sabre Chief Executive Officer Steven Osterle said his company’s price will vary depending on the exact circumstances of the job, but that it likely will cost $15-20 per square foot. That would be $30,000 to $40,000 for a typical 2,000-square-foot three-bedroom, two-bath single-family home.

Aubuchon said that as a builder, he is interested in the process but that he likely wouldn’t contract to have it done until a warranty agreement guaranteeing the work is available from Sabre. “That’s the piece that’s missing.”

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