Chinese Drywall Toxic?

Want to buy a house priced less than a new mid-size SUV or the same as the new Honda hybrid? Then the home for sale for $19,800 at 2840 N.W. 20th Place in Cape Coral is for you. One hitch: The home also has defective Chinese drywall. That fact is disclosed on the home’s listing [...]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Larry Kosakowski’s dream house has all the signs that it contains Chinese drywall, including copper ground wires that are now dark black. “That’s supposed to be copper, like a new penny,” explained Kosakowski, pointing inside an electrical outlet. Those still skeptical that Kosakowski has Chinese drywall, need only take a [...]

Owners of homes built using tainted Chinese-made drywall have been attempting to get the attention of not only lawmakers but the president, too. Virginia Beach resident Colleen Nguyen, who moved out of her waterfront home built with the problem drywall, sent e-mails in recent weeks to hundreds of friends and other homeowners with Chinese drywall [...]

FORT LAUDERDALE — Although defective Chinese drywall is plaguing houses throughout Broward County, only homeowners in Parkland received a discount in their new property tax assessments. The Property Appraiser’s Office thought the problem was largely isolated to Parkland when it was putting the final touches on the tax roll late this spring. The agency is [...]

Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast homeowners with defective Chinese drywall could get a tax break by working with their local property appraiser’s offices to reduce the value of their tainted homes. Hundreds of homes in the region have been found to contain the problematic drywall, which gives off sulfuric fumes linked to metal corrosion [...]

Shortly after buying their home in Cape Coral, Fla., in 2006, Keith and Denise Cramer noticed a peculiar acidic smell they thought was wet paint. The odor never left. There were other strange occurrences. Chrome-plated faucets and showerheads became pitted or turned black. The central air-conditioning unit faltered and failed. Their baby son, Gavin, suffered [...]

EAST MANATEE COUNTY – It might be every home buyer’s worst nightmare: purchasing a house on the market, not realizing that it contains tainted Chinese drywall. The problematic drywall, which emits gases tied to corrosion of wiring and metal components and that is suspected of causing health problems, can render a home almost worthless — [...]

Across South Florida and the country, distraught homeowners feel stuck in their stinky, corroding homes that are breaking down bit by bit from something leaching from defective Chinese drywall. For most, moving out, paying rent somewhere else and keeping up with their mortgages is far too expensive, so they continue living in the unsavory conditions. [...]

GAINESVILLE, Fla., July 31 /PRNewswire/ — A leading forensic expert on building envelope, water intrusion, toxic mold, and Chinese drywall, Spiderman S. Mulholland, senior forensic investigator and national consultant with US Building Consultants and US Building Laboratories Inc., is issuing a warning to those conducting remediation on homes and buildings across states including Florida. It [...]

PORT ST. LUCIE — On Monday, Tirzah Pestenski called the White House and invited President Barack Obama over to her house. Today, she plans to follow up and ask whether he prefers coffee or tea. “I need him to see what’s going on in these houses,” said Pestenski, who recently discovered her custom home in [...]