Chinese Drywall: Did they know?
It is the story that everyone was hoping we would not hear—did builders/installers suspect or know that Chinese Drywall was defective (or at least was not quite right) when it was being installed? Did anyone know and install it anyway or even attempt to cover it up?
Well, according to the The New Times of Broward-Palm Beach, FL, they may very well have, and some may have gone to great lengths to hide the issues with the drywall. It's too early to jump to any conclusions, but according to several sources involved with the investigation of Chinese drywall who spoke to The New Times, some Florida construction workers are claiming that Chinese Drywall was emitting foul odors while they were installing it.
The New Times article states that, “some union workers even refused to work with the Chinese drywall because of the severe sulfur-like smell.” And that “Other employees of developers figured out that the smell would subside after the drywall was painted, so workers were told to paint quickly in order to mask the smell.”
It will (most assuredly) be months before we—and more importantly the affected homeowners—receive answers about this alleged development in the story. Currently, there are over a hundred different lawsuits open on the issue and the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation is deciding whether to have all the cases heard by one judge.
When it comes down to it, let the chips fall where they may, but let’s just hope that at some point soon the result of these investigations is that someone takes responsibility for the problem drywall and that resources become available—whether by the result of a lawsuit or from government agency involvement—for these very unlucky homeowners to finally get some relief and make repairs to their homes.
Once again, stay tuned for further developments…
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More from David on Chinese Drywall: What is Chinese Drywall?
Chinese Drywall: First Congressional Hearing Held Yesterday
Chinese Drywall: Poised to give market a boost?
Comments
Chinese Drywall
The defective Chinese drywall debacle has been making news for months now, with homeowners plagued by sulfur fumes that smell like “rotten eggs” and cause air conditioning coils to corrode. Residents complain of sinus and respiratory ailments, eye and skin irritation, persistent runny or bloody noses, headaches, and asthma. Some situations were so severe that residents had to vacate their homes. In some cases, victims have been harassed by builders into signing unfair, one-side remediation agreements. The issues surrounding defective Chinese drywall are confusing and worrisome. Here is a good blog that has been providing emerging and valuable information on the problems: www.chinese-drywall-answers.com
Re: Andrew's Comment
Yes, Andrew, you are right--there have been several developments as of late, and so much has happened already since this post was written as well. The whole situation is unfortunate and the result of so many factors, and of course as you may know, at this point the issue is being looked into by local and federal officials. Whatever the results of these many investigations, I just hope we can start addressing the issues that homeowners are facing soon.
Chinese Drywall
While I'll bet there were some construction people who noticed that the drywall they were using was subpar and installed it anyway, I don't think most did so maliciously. This is a case where almost everyone was using the cheapest available materials that just happened to come from China and there are probably other cases out there where drywall from China was above board. What we really need to look at is who was the manufacturer, seller and contractors - the whole supply chain around the defective drywall. I bet its use in some homes has not affected the homes, while others are affected due to other variables. Plus, the same manufacturer could have used poor ingredients in one batch, which should be recalled, while not in another. I think there is a lot of investigation that still needs to occur.
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