Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building

Chinese Drywall Insurance Company Must Pay! (Well, a little!) – Tampa Chinese Drywall

Eric — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:11:48 +0000

On Monday, April 9th an interesting Chinese Drywall ruling came out of a court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nothing terribly ground-breaking in terms of precedent-setting Chinese drywall litigation, but any ruling that involves compelling an insurance company to pay for something related to Chinese drywall is worth mentioning.

In Great American Fidelity Insurance Company et al v. JWR Construction Services, Inc., Great American – the insurance company for JWR Construction Services (who is being sued for properties they built with Chinese drywall) must immediately reimburse JWR for its defense costs thus far incurred in the underlying suits, establish a continual defense fund to provide for JWRs future defense costs, and pay attorneys fees for this action to JWR pursuant to Section 627.428, Florida Statutes.

As a homeowner with Chinese drywall you may read this and think “Why exactly am I supposed to feel good that a builder who used Chinese drywall is now being compensated for their legal costs?”. It is significant because insurance companies are refusing to defend builders who installed the Chinese drywall with fundamentally the same reasoning that they are refusing to help homeowners with Chinese drywall – the dreaded Pollution Exclusion. Although the judge declined to decide whether the insurance company has a duty to indemnify (yet), the fact he is compelling the insurance company to pay the legal fees of the builder client is some positive news.

One of the two major obligations of an insurance company is their duty to indemnify an insured in the event of a claim. The insurance company’s duty to indemnify is usually triggered when the insured’s legal obligation to pay damages is established either through a court judgment or a settlement. The judge has decided no further action will be taken until the underlying cases against the builder are settled.

Tampa Chinese Drywall Video Series – The video series walks step-by-step through an entire Chinese drywall remediation project. It also covers other issues homeowners should consider before beginning a remediation project.

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Tampa Chinese Drywall Twitter Feed – This twitter feed also focuses on those issue directly relevant to homeowners with Chinese drywall. The blog contains more in-depth information while the twitter feed contains the more timely issues relating to Chinese drywall.

Charter Bay Home Builders is a full-service Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor and Remediator, Remodeler, and Custom Home B uilder working throughout the greater Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee, and Sarasota. Charter Bay can help with your Chinese Drywall Problems and Remediation, Custom Home Building, Additions, Kitchen Remodeling, Bath Remodeling, Renovation, and Remodeling needs.

In addition, as one of the few Tampa custom home builders, or remodelers, with multiple green building and green remodeling certifications (FGBC Certifying Agent and NAHB Certified Green Building Professional), Charter Bay can also assist those clients who want green features and sustainable building practices incorporated into their projects.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Chinese Drywall Demolition With Evidence Protection (EPO) Tampa Chinese Drywall

Eric — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:44:29 +0000

In this video (from a current Chinese drywall remediation project in Brooksville, Florida (Hernando County)) we show the start of the demolition process. As the video shows, this project required evidence collection. If you plan to pursue litigation to recoup the costs of your Chinese drywall restoration, then it will be necessary to collect evidence in order to prove that your home actually had Chinese drywall.

The collection of the evidence will be one of the most important aspects of your whole project. Charter Bay can perform the evidence protection portion of your restoration project. Evidence collection must be performed in strict accordance with Judge Fallon’s most current Evidence Protection Order (E.P.O). At the time of this writing, the most current E.P.O is Pretrial Order 1(I) dated 1/24/2012. Collection of evidence must also be done in accordance with your attorney’s requirements. Unfortunately, and more than once, attorneys have shared with us that contractors did not perform the EPO correctly. When it comes to collecting the evidence, there are no do-overs. Those homeowners will not know until their trials begin whether or not the mistakes made in the EPO collection will negatively effect their ability to receive compensation. Charter Bay has developed a specific set of processes to ensure all aspects of your evidence collection are done correctly. All data is then compiled in a proprietary digital portfolio, and is then distributed to all parties.

The video can be seen at this link:

Chinese Drywall Demolition With Evidence Protection (EPO) Tampa Chinese Drywall

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Charter Bay Home Builders is a full-service Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor and Remediator, Remodeler, and Custom Home B uilder working throughout the greater Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee, and Sarasota. Charter Bay can help with your Chinese Drywall Restoration and Remediation, Custom Home Building, Additions, Kitchen Remodeling, Bath Remodeling, Renovation, and Remodeling needs.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Chinese Drywall Time Lapse # 1- Tampa Chinese Drywall

Eric — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 23:07:14 +0000

We’ve posted a new video which shows a portion of the protection, salvage, and pre-demo preparations of a Chinese drywall remediation. This video is different than the others we have posted. It’s a time lapse which compresses the activities into a very short timeframe. Among other things, you will see the cabinets and countertops being removed for later reinstallation. In almost all cases we are able to save all cabinets and countertops, which saves a large amount of money on the cost of a Chinese drywall remediation project.

The video can be seen at this link:

Chinese Drywall Time Lapse # 1- Tampa Chinese Drywall

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

New Video – Chinese Drywall Remediation Tour – Tampa Chinese Drywall

Eric — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:42:22 +0000

We’ve posted a new video which showcases our most recently completed Chinese drywall remediation project. This project was in Tarpon Springs, FL. Tarpon Springs is located in northwest Tampa Bay (Pinellas County). As the video shows, sometimes a Chinese drywall remediation is an opportunity to make improvements to a home. In addition to the remediation work we added a brand new kitchen remodel, master bath remodel, installation of an elevator, and numerous other upgrades.

The video can be seen at this link:

Completed Chinese Drywall Remediation Home Tour

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Chinese Drywall Relief Coming For Many Tampa Chinese Drywall Homeowners

Eric — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:26:20 +0000

Chinese Drywall Remediation

On Thursday – December 15th – the Chinese Drywall Plaintiff”s Steering Committee announced the much-anticipated settlement with drywall supplier Knauf – and the announcement is better than many of us who follow the committee even expected. This class action settlement is being estimated to be around $800 million dollars, and is very good news for homeowners with Chinese Drywall manufactured by Knauf. The details of the payout are not 100% clear at this point, but the estimate looks like thousands of homeowners who have been impacted by Knauf Chinese Drywall (Knauf Plasterboard Tanjin) will finally find relief through this class action settlement. The way it currently reads, the settlement is created with an uncapped fund to allow all homeowners with Knauf plasterboard to receive resolution. There will also be two separate capped funds pertaining to the settlement. The attorney fees fund will be capped, and there will be a capped fund for any claims pertaining to claims of personal injury damages, or other economic losses.

If you do have Knauf, and are part of the class action lawsuit, you will have three choices on how to handle your payout:

You can use the selected contractor from the Pilot Program – Moss Construction.
You can select your own Chinese Drywall contractor and be reimbursed through draws. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, and have questions regarding the remediation of your home, we would be happy to meet with you to discuss the process. As an experienced Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor, we would be happy to share our experience and knowledge of chinese drywall remediation.
You can choose to take a discounted all cash payout settlement.

Unfortunately, those homeowner’s who have Chinese drywall made by another manufacturer will not be helped by this settlement. Knauf is the most prominent of the Chinese drywall manufacturers, but there are at least nine (9) other Chinese drywall manufacturers which are not part of this lawsuit. Here in Tampa, in addition to Knauf, it is also common to find homes with non-Knauf Chinese drywall.

With the payouts looming, many homeowners will now start to decide how to best proceed with their remediation projects. The following links may be of value in that process:

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Video – CPSC Chinese Drywall Remediation Update – Natural Gas Piping – Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor

Eric — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 13:35:51 +0000

In this video (from our Tarpon Springs Chinese drywall remediation project) Eric discusses the new Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) remediation protocol revision (updated remediation guidance). The revision, which came out September 15, 2011, contained a couple changes, but the most significant one for homeowners relates to natural gas piping. The CPSC now says the natural gas lines in a home do not need to be removed during a Chinese drywall remediation. In the video, Eric discusses the revision, how any simple chinese drywall inspection proves this to be a good decision, and how this can amount to a good amount of savings for homeowners with Chinese drywall.

The video can be seen at this link:

CPSC Chinese Drywall Remediation Update – Natural Gas Piping

The full release for the updated remediation guidance from the CPSC can be found at:

CPSC Completes Final Studies to Help Affected Homeowners Remediate Problem Drywall

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

CPSC No Longer Recommends Removal Of Gas Lines – Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor

Eric — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 12:22:20 +0000

On Thursday, the CPSC made an important revision to their Chinese drywall remediation protocol guidelines. There were several revision items, but the one which will apply to the most homeowners is the new recommendation regarding natural gas and propane service lines. The new remediation protocol guidelines state the gas lines no longer need to be removed. This is a significant revision because it could save homeowners thousands of dollars on their Chinese drywall remediations.

We have always felt that the removal of the gas lines was completely unnecessary, but have removed them because both the CPSC and Judge Fallon’s remediation protocols state they need to be removed. The reality is that the gas lines are galvanized, very thick, and rarely show any signs of corrosion whatsoever. This remediation revision just makes good sense.

The protocol change comes about after Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) – a contracted lab – exposed smoke alarms, electrical components, gas piping, and sprinkler heads to concentrated levels of gases representative of problem drywall emissions, to simulate decades of exposure. SNL analyzed the effects of corrosion on the electrical components and found no degradation in performance and no acute safety events during testing. As a result of these, and other tests, the CPSC released their key findings and recommendations.

Key Findings

The key finding is that none of the studies performed at NIST on smoke alarms, fire sprinkler heads, or gas service piping found corrosion associated with problem drywall that provided evidence of a substantial product safety hazard, as defined by the Consumer Product Safety Act. Corrosion of gas service piping was uniform and minimal compared to the thickness of pipes. Some smoke alarms and fire sprinkler heads showed small changes in performance due to accelerated corrosion, but these changes were generally within accepted industry standards.

As a result, CPSC and HUD no longer recommend the removal of gas service piping in homes with problem drywall. This change may reduce the cost of remediation for many homes. In addition, the agencies no longer recommend that glass bulb fire sprinkler heads be replaced in homes. However, the agencies recommend that both glass bulb sprinkler heads and gas distribution piping in affected homes be inspected and tested as part of the remediation to make sure they are working properly; any test failures should be corrected according to all applicable building codes.

The agencies do recommend the replacement of all fusible-type fire sprinkler heads, because one fusible-type sprinkler head sample that had been exposed to accelerated corrosion did not activate when tested. The agencies note that this type of sprinkler head is generally found in commercial, rather than residential, applications and that the sole failure could not be causally linked to the problem drywall.

In addition, CPSC staff continues to recommend that homeowners replace smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms as part of remediation.

The release also mentions the CPSC’s previous remediation revision in which they no longer recommend the removal of the electrical wiring from a Chinese drywall home. For a number of reasons, including the fact that Judge Fallon reviewed the CPSCs findings and stated that the wiring should still be replaced, we are still recommending the complete removal of all wiring from all Chinese drywall homes. To learn more about this you can read our blog post regarding wiring:

http://www.charterbayhomes.com/blog/2011/04/16/cpsc-no-longer-recommends-removal-of-electrical-wiring-in-chinese-drywall-homes-should-you-still-remove-it/

The full release from the CPSC can be found at:

CPSC Completes Final Studies to Help Affected Homeowners Remediate Problem Drywall

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Chinese Drywall Demolition Photos – Tampa Chinese Drywall Contractor

Eric — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:58:50 +0000

We have uploaded a series of photos from our most recent Chinese drywall remediation project.

This project is located in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Tarpon Springs is in Pinellas Country and is part of the greater Tampa Bay area.

Chinese Drywall Demolition Photos

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Chinese Drywall Stair Protection – Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog

Eric — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:54:57 +0000

Chinese Drywall Stair Protection

In this video (from our new Tarpon Springs Chinese drywall remediation project) Eric shows how to protect stairs during a Chinese Drywall remediation project. A stair protection system must serve two primary purposes. First, the system has to be safe to use during the entire remediation and rebuild process. Once installed, the system cannot shift in place, or otherwise cause someone to trip and fall while using the stairs. The second purpose is to protect the stair treads and risers from the massive abuse they will experience during the demolition (and the lesser abuse during the rebuild). Even on our job sites – where cleanliness and order are extremely important – there are parts of the demolition days where disorder is unavoidable. A stair protection system must be able to stand on its own and take the abuse that Chinese drywall demolition can dish out.

This project posed a number of special challenges. The first challenge was that there are four stories worth of stairs to be protected. The second challenge had to do with traffic control. Both the front and rear of the home have exterior stairs that lead to interconnecting exterior porches. To prevent damage to the expensive decking and railings it was necessary to prohibit any traffic from these areas. This meant that all traffic needed to be funneled through the single interior stair well. To deal with these factors we devised a new system to meet the needs of the project, and in the process have devised a stair protection system that will work for nearly any stair system.

Tarpon Springs is located in northern Pinellas County (central Florida on the west coast).

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida

Tarpon Springs Chinese Drywall Project – Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog

Eric — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Just a quick blog to let everyone know we have started another Chinese drywall remediation project. This one is in Tarpon Springs, in Pinellas County. As we have been doing, we will share the details of this project in the hope that it will help other chinese drywall homeowners to make good decisions on their own homes.

This project is a 4-story home located at the outflow of the Anclote River with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. As a 4-story home it presents some unique challenges during the remediation process. We will share these, and other details during the project in upcoming blogs and videos.

For additional information on Chinese drywall, please visit the following Chinese drywall resources:

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog – The blog focusses on those issues directly relevant to any homeowner with Chinese drywall.

Charter Bay Home Builders is a full-service Tampa Chinese Drywall Remediator, Remodeler, and Custom Home B uilder working throughout the greater Tampa Bay area including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, Manatee, and Sarasota. Charter Bay can help with your Chinese Drywall Problems and Remediation, Additions, Kitchen Remodeling, Bath Remodeling, Renovation, Remodeling, Home Design, Cabinets, Design Build, and Custom Home Building needs.

Visit our website – www.CharterBayHomes.com – today to learn how “The Charter Bay Way” delivers:

“Yesterday’s Values • Today’s Technology • Tomorrow’s Vision”

(813) 357-9030

(CBC1255041)

Tampa Chinese Drywall Blog | Remodeling | Home Building - Charter Bay Home Builders - Tampa, Florida