COURTLAND
The three-bedroom home on the western outskirts of Hampton Roads, past farms and small houses, was Jason and Lisa Dunaway's dream home, built in the early months of 2007 after the couple decided to flee their cramped condo in Suffolk. They wanted plenty of space as their two children grew up, and rural life beckoned.
These days, the Dunaways spend as little time as possible in the house.
Two months ago, Jason discovered the walls were built with dozens of sheets of Chinese-made drywall, which has been the focus of complaints in several states by people who say it emits a corrosive gas that damages household electrical systems and causes respiratory problems.
Now, electric fans hum throughout the house in an effort to dissipate the unpleasant odor. Sheets of plastic cover large scars cut out of a half-painted living room wall. And the Dunaways debate moving their children to West Virginia to get them out of the home.
There were signs as far back as March 2007 that something wasn't right with their home, the Dunaways said.
Months after the family moved in, a new television stopped working, and soon after the air conditioner failed.
"We just chalked it up to bad luck," Jason said.
More and more appliances failed or broke down again. The Dunaways spent nearly $20,000 replacing practically new air conditioning coils, televisions and computers. With only one income to support the family, money was tight. They eventually cashed in Jason's 401(k) retirement plan to help pay for new appliances.
Then there were the bouts of sickness - nosebleeds, fatigue and watery eyes. The couple's daughter, Ally, 7, missed weeks of school with sinus infections. For months, Lisa couldn't shake bronchitis.
"My mother would call and ask me if I had started smoking," said Lisa, 37. "And when she would visit, she kept saying the house stinks."
The smell, which Lisa described as a chemical, acidic odor, has been a constant companion for the family since they moved in. They discounted it at first as a "new home" smell.
"Then after a while, you just get used to it," said Jason, 29.
Two months ago, Jason heard rumors around the local construction industry that the region's largest home builder, The Dragas Cos., had found Chinese-made drywall from Venture Supply Inc. in two of its developments and was planning to rip it out. Dragas has confirmed that Chinese-made drywall was used in some homes at The Hampshires at Greenbrier in Chesapeake and in Cromwell Park in Virginia Beach.
Jason, a construction worker, had overseen his home's construction, hiring local contractors he had worked with on other job sites. One of them was the wallboard installation firm Porter-Blaine Corp. During the building boom when drywall was scarce, the company's affiliate, Venture Supply, had imported about 100,000 sheets of drywall made in China to fulfill local demand.
Perhaps, he thought, the drywall was to blame for the family's string of problems.
Jason climbed into the attic, pulled back some insulation covering his ceiling board and saw the name "National Gypsum," a U.S. manufacturer of drywall. Relieved, he thought maybe the problems were being caused by something else.
Still it nagged at him. The next day he climbed into his attic again, this time using a ladder to access the back of another wall in the home.
"It was right there, clear as day: Venture Supply Inc., MFG Taihe China," he said.
The Dunaways have joined three other homeowners in a lawsuit against the local supplier, contractor and Chinese manufacturer of the drywall. The suit is one of several locally connected to the use of Chinese-made wallboard.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating complaints from homeowners across the country about Chinese-made drywall. Consumers have cited heath concerns and problems with electrical appliances. The commission has said it could be months before investigators will know whether there is a relationship between the drywall and the complaints.
While the legal battle over who is responsible for replacing the drywall and restoring homes that are affected could last years, families like the Dunaways worry that exposure to the drywall may have lasting health effects. They face a dilemma, Wait until the suit is resolved or get out and risk losing their home and savings.
"The thought of letting my house go and letting it go into foreclosure freaks me out," Lisa said. "But we cannot afford to rent an apartment or buy another house."
The family hasn't eaten a meal at home for months, driving to restaurants just to get out of the house. They spend hundreds of dollars a month on activities to stay away from home.
"It's scary," Lisa said Thursday afternoon. The couple's son, Ashton, 4, napped in a nearby bedroom. He was 2 when the couple moved into the home. "I don't know how I'll feel if in 10 years we find out he has a learning disability because we were living here."
They plan to send Ally to stay with her grandmother in West Virginia for the summer. Ashton will stay with them as they wait.
Josh Brown, (757) 446-2318, josh.brown@pilotonline.com
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Former resident of Hampshires
In our “new” Dragas Hampshires condo, we had: migraines, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, eye infections, organ infections, respiratory problems thanks to our chronic daily exposure to: Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Acremonium. Repots show Dragas directly responsible yet refuses to remediate and make our home safe. We now have hypersensitivity to mold (we never had this problem before). If you have health problems you may have mold in addition to the drywall. It doesn't take much mold but chronic daily exposure will be your demise; it’s the hidden stuff like what we have in our Dragas condo (attic, walls, and foundation). We are now facing foreclosure. I thank Yahshua we escaped. http://ggodard.free.fr/moldstory/
CPSC
f you believe you have defective imported drywall, it is VERY important you go on line to report to the CPSC your complaint regarding this defective drywall. The more complaints they receive the more likely the prospects of a recall.
Go to: https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
Chinese Drywall is Everywhere ......
Chinese Drywall is everywhere, any homes that were newly built during the housing boom, 2004-2007 and any homes that were repaired during the major hurricanes might be subjected to the tainted drywall as well... The builders around the USA, ran out of building materials , and imported drywall from a german company that imported the drywall from China.... There is a possibility of cross contamination if any wallboard was used in even a small repair !! Here is the problem with removing the drywall.... it's toxic !! and you probably need a gas mask to remove it !! it might release more gases in the process of removal.....it is a "hazmat " kind of toxic ! besides the drywall being bad... in Florida we are suffering the effects of all the a/c coils and internal wiring of being sulfated from the drywall gases, in addition to all of the electricial wiring,phone wiring, all of the plumbing is not good either throughout of the home...the only cure we see here is to gut the homes to the CBS SHELL..THE FOUNDATION, AND ADD ALL NEW ELECTRIC,PLUMBING , AND A/C DUCTS, AND WIRING... which require all new inspections by the city ..each step of the way ...as if we r building a NEW home .
Chinese Products
We asked for it! Cheaper! Cheaper! Cheaper! It's all our fault. But it's not stopping people from shopping at Wal-Mart, which might as well be the cash desk for China.
Sensitive, aren't we?
We MUST stop calling it "Chinese drywall!" How insensitive and racist! From now on, please refer to this as the "Drywall Contingency Operation."
LOL
Is it really the drywall?
Someone should check China to see if the homes recently built there have the same problem. Oh wait, maybe they imported all the 'good' drywall and exported all the crap. My bad.
enough
why does the paper keep doing the same story on the same people.this is the third time .i guess there isnt anything josh brown has to report on.quit beating a dead horse.
It wouldn't surprise me...
if some of that canned meat. Coming from China, might be some of their criminals, who have been executed. Excuse me, past the beef stew.
Too Late
This country is bought and paid for by the Chinese. You are stuck. And do not count on your corrupt politicians to see you through. The US of A has sold it's soul. Disgusting.
chinese drywall
I agree with HMP and joes, stop buying Chinese products. Pet food, candy, drywall, what's waiting to poison us next? I went to Farm Fresh recently to get pizza ingredients, all their canned mushrooms were made in China. We ate pizza without mushrooms that night..
In order to stop the
In order to stop the proliferation of imported goods (and outsourced services) our elected officials, who vowed to fix the economy and create jobs, must address the reasons why these options are attractive to business owners.
Contractors have a financial incentive to use the cheapest materials possible.
The government has two options: Make Chinese drywall prohibitively expensive through taxes and tariffs; or, make American drywall cheaper by decreasing operating expenses for the manufacturer (read: tax cuts and credits). If the Obama administration is going to manipulate the economy, they can at least do it in America's favor. (Yes, 'Chinese drywall' is a metaphor for any imported good that used to be manufactured proudly in the USA. You guys are quick...)
No "Made in China" Allowed
Can we not realize after all the problems with Chinese made products that it is dumb to buy anything "Made in China?" How many times are we gong to see death and sickness result from Chinese products to realize we cannot trust them? I say let us ban them and be safe.
Chinese Drywall
Read the CPSC's report on this drywall and then maybe you will understand!
http://www.cpsc.gov/drywall.pdf
Shakes head
This is evidence how horrible basic understanding of science has become...or maybe always was. The key to ignorance is assuming the conclusion. The same things would probably be blamed on fly ash, pesticides, mold, paint, carpet, infestation, or whatever the trendy headline of the month was, and the same people would believe it without thinking.
Read labels
You are goint to have to be pro-active and protect yourself from this type of problem. Do not depend on the Government to do it for you. Read the labels and do not buy any product from China! My wife reads every food label and if it is not made in the USA it goes back on the shelf. The drywall issue is a big problem, but think about the food your kids are eating. Almost all candy, especially the inexpensive stuff, is from China. What do you think is in that?
The guy is a contractor
The guy is a contractor right? Why not start with room #1 and start tearing that stuff out? Sue the builder/contractor/supplier (If I remember he acted as GC on the project?), but also move forward with rectifying the situation yourself. Also, is it possible they used American drywall near the attic entrance knowing that if anyone looked it would appear materials are of higher quality? Or just random mix of materials?
Study Common Sence?
If you drop a hammer on your toe and your toe swells up you don't need a government study to figure out what caused your toe to hurt.
Stop complaining.....start
Stop complaining.....start tearing out the bad drywall. It would cost no more than 20 grand to replace the dry wall in a 3 bedroom home. Its not going to fix itself. Repair what you have, get a loan, if you have to. Its not any good like it is. You will end up getting your money back, it just might take five years. This is a lawsuit that you can win. Then remember this next time you go to the store to buy cheap crap made in china. Let walmart, lowes and home depot know that if its made in china...you dont want it. In the late 80s, this country was in a BUY AMERICAN kick....what the heck happened to that! We all need to get back to that! Remember...you get what you pay for. If you want a custom home, stay away from big developers that build 20-150 homes per year. They dont care or have much oversight as to what goes into the product. This guy, as well as the others reported on here used a drywall contractor that specializes in quantity not quality. I am a builder and know first hand what goes on out there. I build no more than 4 homes per year and am hands on, on every home!
Interesting that yet ANOTHER
Interesting that yet ANOTHER item from China that the US has purchased/worked with has created negativity.
When does someone put two ant two together....
Common Sense and Science ... Yes It Is EvanJ!!!
When new Electronics become corroded it does not take "rocket science" to figure out why (chinese drywall). When other houses in the same areas not built with chinese drywall have no problems and the only difference in the plague house is "chinese drywall" it becomes a no brainer the cause is the difference....CHINESE DRYWALL.. simple cause and reaction!!! EvenJ do you not have a life other than to disagree with what the normal majority believes? Every comment you always take the opposite side.