Fort Lauderdale Chinese Drywall

Fort Lauderdale, Florida is at the epicenter of the Chinese drywall issues. As one of the cities that has been seen the most dramatic impact of Chinese drywall in Florida. The houses that contain Chinese sheet rock in Fort Lauderdale are exposed to higher heat and humidity, similar to most areas of Florida. Both of these factors have been linked to the level of gases emitted by Fort Lauderdale Chinese drywall. It is no surprise that Chinese drywall problems have manifested more quickly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida than in other areas of the country.

My Fort Lauderdale home does not appear to have any symptoms of Chinese sheet rock. Do I need a Chinese drywall test?

Fort Lauderdale was a high growth area during the affected years. Without a doubt, many houses were built in Fort Lauderdale between 2001 and 2008. Certainly, these homes do not all contain toxic drywall. Many of them, however, do contain Chinese sheet rock. It is this uncertainty that creates an issue for anyone who owns a home built during the affected years. The risk and uncertainty associated with toxic drywall in Fort Lauderdale is paralyzing buyers. Obviously, deciding to buy a home is significant. The purchase involves a significant amount of money. The financial and health risks associated with their new Fort Lauderdale home containing Chinese drywall are huge. Repairing a home with Chinese drywall is no simple task and literally involves removing each and every piece of sheet rock from the home, rewiring if necessary, and putting the home back together. The cost of this repair can quickly exceed $100,000. In addition, the adverse health consequences are severe. If a single home in a neighborhood is simply rumored to contain Chinese sheetrock, potential buyers avoid the entire Fort Lauderdale neighborhood.

Sellers listing their Fort Lauderdale home as "Certified Chinese Drywall Free" do not have to drastically lower their price in order to sell their home.

In addition, some lenders and insurers are beginning to require more than a basic visual Chinese drywall inspection as a visual inspection offers no guarantees.
 

Fort Lauderdale Toxic Drywall Adverse Health Effects

Chinese drywall has been linked to various health issues, ranging from chronic headaches and nose bleeds to upper respiratory illness. Itching and irritation of the skin and eyes have also been reported as caused by Chinese drywall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. No report had officially linked these symptoms to Chinese sheet rock, but the litany of home owner reports is sufficient evidence to cause concern.

The risk of long term exposure to low levels of the gases produced by Chinese drywall in Fort Lauderdale is not known. Several health experts have advised those whose Fort Lauderdale home contains Chinese drywall to regularly open the windows in order to encourage air exchange. Some doctors have gone further and told home owners to “get out” and leave their home.
 

Fort Lauderdale Chinese Drywall Property Damage

Toxic drywall has been officially and conclusively connected to the severe corrosion that has been discovered within many homes. This is because the gas produced by Chinese drywall combines with airborne humidity to create a highly corrosive indoor air environment. Nearly every metal component in the home is affected by Chinese drywall. Computers are rendered useless nearly immediately, air conditionings fail regularly, and the copper electrical wires and plumbing inside the home corrode severely.

There is some evidence to indicate that Fort Lauderdale Chinese sheet rock contributes to increased electrical fire risk. Because the copper wires throughout the home are so corroded, these wires could lead to an increased risk of house fires.
 

Fort Lauderdale Chinese Drywall Inspectors -- Buyer Beware!

Throughout the country, including Florida, inspectors have begun offering Chinese drywall inspections. Fort Lauderdale is no exception to the rule. Many inspectors are offering inspections for Chinese drywall. Nearly all of these inspectors are offering a basic visual inspection for Chinese drywall problems in Fort Lauderdale. Typically, they look for labels indicating "made in China," and the tell-tale signs of Chinese drywall. Although the service offered by these inspections is better than no inspection, they are not guaranteed or insurable. They offer very little in the way of peace of mind to potential buyers, insurers, or lenders. Ask if your Chinese drywall inspector can guarantee that their findings are accurate! We can.

Some Chinese drywall inspectors go further and offer material testing as well. While these inspections have taken things further, they fall short in one critical aspect -- sample numbers. These Chinese drywall inspectors agree to visit the Fort Lauderdale home and sample drywall for further analysis. These inspections are significantly better than simple visual inspections, but still do not guarantee that the home is free of Chinese drywall and Chinese drywall problems. The results simply guarantee that the samples tested are not Chinese drywall. These inspectors often offer 5 or 10 samples; some take as many as 25 samples. The average home in Fort Lauderdale, however, contains more than 140 sheets of drywall. Many homes in Fort Lauderdale with Chinese drywall have been discovered to be built partly with Chinese drywall and partly with domestic drywall. For this reason, testing less than 20% of the boards of drywall in a home does not produce a comprehensive sampling. We test each and every sheet of drywall in the home to ensure accurate and comprehensive Chinese drywall test results.
 

Fort Lauderdale Chinese Drywall Problem: Property Values

The stigma associated is one of the most significant problems with Chinese drywall in Fort Lauderdale. The fear has caused property values to plunge even further in many neighborhoods. Realtors report that they are not aware of any homes selling in a neighborhood confirmed to have Chinese sheet rock. Regardless of the fact that not every home in the community contains Chinese drywall, reports indicate that it is nearly impossible to sell a home in a neighborhood that has been affected by Chinese drywall in Fort Lauderdale.

Certified Chinese Drywall Testing offers the nation's only insurable Chinese drywall testing protocol. Based on this protocol, a negative test for Chinese sheet rock in Fort Lauderdale guarantees that a home does not contain Chinese drywall. As part of the guarantee, homes that test negative for Chinese drywall can be insured by a policy that specifically covers any and all risks associated with Chinese drywall. Further, this policy can be assigned to future home buyers. This allows home owners attempting to sell their home to advertise this policy, making it possible to sell the Fort Lauderdale home without drastically reducing the price as has been necessary with homes containing Chinese drywall. This policy is able to overcome the Fort Lauderdale Chinese drywall fear.
 

Fort Lauderdale Chinese Drywall Builders

Certified Chinese Drywall Testing has recently been advised that some builders are offering to remediate the homes they built if they are affected by Chinese drywall. These builders are taking the initiative to repair homes that were built with Chinese drywall.

These companies are to be commended for their initiative. On the other hand, home owners should be cautious as the builder typically requires home owners to sign a release of liability prior to starting to repair the home. When presented with this situation, it is advisable to consult with an attorney knowledgeable of Chinese drywall prior to consenting. Further, the home owners should request, as part of the agreement, that a third party test and certify that all Chinese drywall was removed. It is likely that a home owner, when selling their repaired home, will be required to disclose the fact that the home was once contained Chinese drywall. A certified and guaranteed Fort Lauderdale Chinese drywall test will give them the comfort that the work was completed properly and that the home is guaranteed free of Chinese drywall.