Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 5:49 a.m.
LAKE WALES | Two years ago, Ron Maness of 5305 Nicklaus Drive, bought a new investment home in the gated Lake Ashton golf community in Lake Wales.
Stencil on back of drywall in the attic of Ron Maness 1,300 sq. ft. house at Lake Ashton in Lake Wales, Florida November 20, 2009. Maness says his house in Lake Ashton was built using Chinese drywall.
Ron Maness owned 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house at Lake Ashton in Lake Wales, Florida November 20, 2009. Maness says the house was built using Chinese drywall.
Problems started earlier this year when the vacant home's air conditioner suddenly failed and needed a new coil. Maness' first tenant arrived in September but moved out a few weeks later, complaining of a strange sulfur odor that wouldn't go away.
A home inspector found blackened copper wiring, and a subsequent lab test confirmed the home was built with defective Chinese drywall. Maness, 54, says his $250,000 investment is now a liability.
"The house is uninhabitable. It's unrentable. It's unsellable," the Winter Haven resident said. "It's basically worthless in this condition."
Despite the rash of complaints across Florida from homeowners with imported Chinese drywall, Polk County seemed to be largely unaffected. Of a total 638 cases reported to the Department of Health, just five originated in Polk, according to the most recent available data.
Scott Coulombe, director of the Polk County Builders Association, said none of the group's members has reported issues with defective Chinese drywall.
However, the tenant who complained of odors in Maness' home was living there because her own house had been constructed with defective Chinese drywall. That home, built by Lennar in the Traditions at Lake Ruby development in Winter Haven, is currently being renovated by the developer.
"Lennar is continuing to do the right thing by repairing homes built with defective drywall imported from China," the division president, Mark Metheny, wrote in an e-mail to The Ledger.
Lennar officials would not comment on how many homes are being fixed in Polk. According to an October filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company has about 500 homes statewide with defective drywall.
Maness said he contacted Lake Ashton's developer about the drywall in his home but hasn't received a response in weeks. The developer, Mastercraft Homes (part of the Lakeland-based Century real estate group), did not return calls seeking comment.
Michael Woodard, who inspected Maness' home, said he has inspected three other houses in Lake Ashton with signs of defective drywall.
"Homeowners are being cautious," said Woodard, of AmeriSpec Home Inspection Services in Winter Haven. "They're scared to bring it to people's attention" because of concerns about insurance and resale value.
The U.S. Product Safety Commission has counted more than 2,000 reports from homeowners who think their homes have defective Chinese drywall. Most were built in 2006 and 2007 and are in Florida.
The commission has released a report showing a "strong association" between defective drywall and the corrosion of metals in homes, identifying hydrogen sulfide gas as the cause. Many homeowners with the defective drywall also have complained of respiratory problems and other ailments.
According to a recent report by the St. Petersburg Times, property appraisers in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties are lowering the assessed values of affected homes by as much as 50 percent.
The Polk County property appraiser's Web site has added a form for local homeowners to report Chinese drywall. A spokesman for the office said it has written down the value of two local homes with Chinese drywall - one by 30 percent, the other by 40 percent.
Following the lead of other affected owners, Maness said he has joined a class-action lawsuit against Knauf, the manufacturer of his drywall, but says he is dismayed by the lack of response from Lake Ashton officials.
"If someone is made aware of a problem, how could they not do anything?" he asked.
For information about Chinese drywall, visit www.doh.state.fl.us and click on the "Imported Drywall" link.
The Polk County Property Appraiser's Web site can be accessed at www.polkpa.org.
[ Kyle Kennedy can be reached at kyle.kennedy@theledger.com or 863-802-7584. ]
No comments:
Post a Comment