Tomorrow I will have more information, but after a random test of ten Habitat for Humanity house (our included) it has been determined that our house has Chinese Drywall. The report indicates that there is discoloration of the copper wiring on some of the electrical outlets, discoloration on the coils of the air handler and other corroborating evidence.
Habitat for Humanity has sent us a letter and we have set up an appointment to meet with them on Thursday at 4:00 pm. We will certainly have to move out of our house while the work to remove all affected things in our house are replaced. Don't know where we will be going yet. Though this will be a pain in the neck for us, when we move back into our house, it will be brand new again! Though at this point, I'd much rather not have to go through it all. I found this list of things that should be done at ChineseDrywall.com:
* Replacement of all drywall in the home;
* Replacement of all electrical wiring (insulated and uninsulated);
* Replacement of all copper pipes;
* Replacement of the entire HVAC system;
* Replacement of most appliances (particularly refrigerators);
* Replacement of electronics, such as TVs and computers;
* Replacement of all carpeting;
* Replacement of hardwood and vinyl flooring;
* Replacement of tile floor unless it can be protected during remediation;
* Replacement of cabinets and countertops (note, this ruling was based on
economics as the court found that it was more cost-effective in this case to
replace these items rather than attempt removal and storage);
* Replacement of trim, molding and baseboards;
* Replacement of all bathroom fixtures;
* After removal of all drywall, properties must be cleaned with HEPA
vacuum, wet-wiped or power-washed, and aired out for 15-30 days; and
* Property must be certified by an independent engineering company to
certify that the remediated home is safe.
This information is based on the first Chinese Drywall trial "Germano Vs. Taishan." It isn't written law, but it is something that I hope Habitat is going by.
So: goodbye house. Sure, it will probably look the same when we return, but that Chinese Drywall has seen and heard a lot since we moved into the house. It watched John boy grow from a pile of skin and bones on the carpet to a walking, talking two year old who knows how many persons the one God exists, and who they are. It heard the discussions of getting chickens for eggs. It heard songs sung from the hymnal and songs like Hey Jude. It saw the tears because of lost loved ones. It heard the rejoicing of the verification of new life. It smelled the smell of gross homemade wine that few could drink. It felt the brush strokes of friends and family, of color and Curious George. It felt the weight of family photos and sconces. It will kind of be missed in a weird way. Yet, good riddance.
That is all. I'll let you know what we have to do later, after the meeting.
Anybody you know have Chinese Drywall? What did they do?
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