I’m sure many real estate agents have seen similar situations to this more than once.  But a bit of knowledge could mean the difference between this couple walking away immediately, or at least waiting until a professional home inspector can fully evaluate the situation.

Finding moisture around air conditioning vents is extremely common in South Florida, especially in older homes.  While the cause of the moisture could be anything from a roof leak, plumbing leak, or some other deficiency; it is more commonly caused by condensation of the vent or the ceiling box (also known as the boot, or ductwork boot).

Condensation occurs on a surface that is below the dew point of the air.  The temperature of the cold air in the ductwork could range from 50 to 65 degrees (depending on many different factors).  During our summer months the temperatures can reach upwards of 100+ degrees which dramatically raises the dew point of the air.  The temperature is even higher in your attic which raises the dew point of the air even more.  When the cold metal on the ceiling box or the vent register gets below that dew point, condensation will occur.

Repairing this is often very easy.  All that needs to be done is to prevent the hot air of the attic from touching the cold metal surfaces of the ceiling box or vent register.  There is a wide variety of insulation or ductwork sealants that can be used for this.  The problem is usually an inadequate seal between the ceiling box and the vent register due to improperly cut drywall.  Hiring a contractor for this repair could cost anywhere from $75 to $150 per location.  This is a huge difference from a roof repair that could cost $500 or worse, a roof replacement which could cost tens of thousands of dollars!

Posted on Sunday, Mar. 07, 2010

Problems with Chinese Drywall

• Foul Odor (could smell like rotten eggs or ammonia)

• Corrodes metal surfaces, especially copper

• Potentially causes adverse health effects.

• Not yet proven, but the potential exists that the sulfur gases can penetrate and corrode wood and concrete, which can potentially cause structural failures.

• Note:  all of the above conditions can still exist after the drywall has been removed if it’s not remediated correctly.

Chinese Drywall Inspection

• Smell for foul odor when you first walk in.  Be aware that the chemicals temporarily cause your sense of smell to diminish so you won’t smell it for long.

• Look at all metal surfaces including plumbing fixture handles and faucets, kitchen appliances, etc.

• Remove all panel covers from the air handler unit and check the coils and wiring for corrosion or blackness.

• Remove electrical receptacle cover plates and check for corrosion or blackness.

• Remove the distribution panel cover and check for corrosion or blackness of the panel box, cover breaker and wires.  Pay close attention to copper wires.

• In the attic, look at the back of drywall.  Look for the following writing:

  • “Made in China”

  • “Knauf”

  • “Knauf Tianjin “

  • “KPT” (which stands for Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin)

Chinese Drywall

• No official protocols exist for remediation of drywall yet but contractors are having success with removing and replacing the following components:

• Drywall

• Insulation

• All electrical wiring

• Distribution panels including all breakers

• Appliances and similar equipment including alarm systems and intercoms

• Air handler units

For Real Estate Professionals:  For more information, a knowledgable representitive from Building Inspection Services can come to your next office meeting to discuss the Hazardous Chinese Drywall Inspections as well as the impacts it is having on our real estate market free of charge.  Call (800) 255-3317 and ask for Mike Jenkins for more information.

The cracking concrete in the following photos are floor joists, very important structural member which prevents the floor you walk on from collapsing.  They are cracking because the steel inside the joists are corroded (a condition known as spalling).

So the contractor’s response to correct this problem is to provide additional support to the floor.  Well if you ever played the game Jenga, it’s a bit like that. (everyone hold their breath!)

Or my personal favorite.  How much many pounds do you think your house weighs?  How much weight do you think a 2×4 can support?

Luckily, the buyer of the property hired an inspector because the owners and the property manager had no idea about this problem.

Nowadays, we have really moved away from conventionally framed roofs and moved towards trusses.  Trusses are engineered systems manufactured in a factory and then shipped out to the job site and then assembled on site.  Trusses usually consist of 2″x4″ lumber.  Because they are designed by an engineer, and manufactured under the supervision of an engineer, we can actually get more strength over conventionally framed roofs while using less lumber, which actually lowers the cost of construction.

It had towers, for bedrooms and even had a salt water moat stocked with fish and a drawbridge.  The fireplace was a huge hand carved masterpiece.  The interior walls were decorated like a castle with full suits of armor, tapestries and such. 

There was a giant pool which was pretty much the equivalent of three normal pools.  The pool had a “pirates of the Caribbean” theme complete with barrels of gunpowder and cannons.  The best part of the pool was that you could swim under the exterior wall and come up out of the water in the middle of the living room.

This was one of the most unique buildings in South Florida and it’s a real shame that it was destroyed.

See the full story about the fire from NBC: http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Miami-Beach-Castle-Mansion-Torched-by-Fire.html

The owners of this 15,000 square foot commercial building leased the property for a number of years to a fitness center.  It was an upper scale fitness center which included a swimming pool, running track, wet and dry saunas, masseurs, etc.  Recently, this fitness center decided to move out so the owners got a new tenant, a widely known drug store chain.

In preparation to move in, this drug store performed major demolitions to the structure including removing all the interior partition walls, the electrical system including panels, plumbing, flooring, running track, showers, restrooms, drywall etc.  In addition to that, they dumped all of the construction debris into the indoor swimming pool which destroyed the pool.  If you walk into this building, all you see, for the most part, is just bare concrete floors and walls.

For some unknown reason, this drug store decided they changed their minds and did not want to lease the property.  So after destroying all of the interior improvements to the building, they just walked away.  This is where we came in for a litigation inspection.

We were hired by the owner of the building as a construction expert witness to determine the cost of the improvements that the drug store demolished because there is a pending lawsuit on the matter.  We are still working on this case, however first estimates are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

1. Never meet a strange or unqualified prospective buyer alone at any property.  Always ask a prospective buyer to come to your office first - and consider it a danger signal if he or she refuses.

2. Most assaults are robbery-motivated.  You can help avoid them by not wearing expesive jewelry or carrying large cash amoutns during house showings.

3. While driving to and from appointments take the safest and best lighted route - night or day - and keep your car windows and doors locked.

4. If you have any suspicions or uneasiness about a buyer, do not go to the showing alone, no matter what time of day.  Instead, ask another salesperson to accompany you.

5. Before leaving for a showing inform your office where you’ll be, whom you’ll be with, and when you’ll next be in touch.  And make sure the person you’re meeting knows you’ve given your office this information.

6. Youir office should also keep a file on each agent’s automobile - make, year, model, color and license plate number.

7. Be aware of the neighborhood in which you’re showing a listing.  If that neighborhood poses any possible threat to your personal safety, have another salesperson go with you to the showing.

8. When showing a property let the client proceed ahead of you. This will cut down the possibility that you can be pushed intoa  room and the door closed behind you.

9. Make sure your ceullular phone is fully charged each day.  Keep it readily available.

10. At an open house keep all doors unlocked for easy escape.