While Chinese drywall may have been seen a few years ago as a quick solution to dwindling supplies of
American-made drywall, it has now become a massive health and building hazard.
Constructed from iron sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, sulfur dioxide and carbon disulfide,
Chinese drywall is said to give off gas as well as a rotten-egg smell....
Continue reading Consumer Alert: Toxic Chinese-Made Drywall
The money you can save when buying online is mind boggling. Big savings are available for members of DirectBuy. This wholesale internet site offers great deals on name brands, but membership is required in order to reap the benefits. They advertise 50% in savings on top name brand items, but you have to pay the fee to join. It’s not unlike Sam’s Club or some other wholesale provider.
Other online shopping sites offer no-hassle returns and free shipping or other online savings. This is great if the item wasn’t what you had in mind. Online shopping can be easy and save money but be careful, it can also be full of loopholes and scams. To help you save money in remodeling costs, check out my list of 20 direct buy sites.
DirectBuy.com. Everything you need to remodel your home can be found at this site. It’s the one-stop-shop for the home remodeler. (Membership required.)
Direct kitchen remodeling. This is part of DirectBuy.com and is solely dedicated to improving the kitchen. They have new sinks, flooring, countertops. They place a high value on this room and provide can’t-miss options.
Directtile.com. Another part of DirectBuy.com. Here tile is the name of the game. You’ll find an awesome array of tile for the modern or traditional bath. They also provide a great selection of sizes and styles. Top name brands at manufacturer’s cost.
Bathroomtiledirect.com. This website is totally dedicated to different bathroom tile styles and sizes. Flooring, showers, walls and tubs – all made of various types of tiles. Take the free tour and see what kind options are available.
Kitchenandbathwarehouse.com. They have everything you need to start remodeling that old bathroom or kitchen. Free shipping and online chat consultation.
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Photo credit: http://trends.move.com
You don’t hear much about asbestos anymore - except for the occasional and annoying “if-you-have-a-phone-then-you-have-a-lawyer” commercials warning about mesothelioma. Chances are you will never have to worry about asbestos in your life, but there is always that slim chance, and knowledge is power - if you know what to do if you are ever exposed to asbestos, then you stand a better chance of averting catastrophe.
Today’s housing market may be increasing risks of asbestos exposure. Many people are finding it much more appealing to renovate or remodel their homes, as opposed to making a new purchase. Some of these old homes contain asbestos in roof shingles, floor tiles, boilers, furnace ducts, and other materials. The problem isn’t so much that there may be asbestos in the house, the big deal is in removing it properly so that no one is exposed to it during the remodeling process.
If you think you may have been exposed to asbestos, you need to see a doctor immediately. Even if nothing ever comes from the exposure, having it noted on your medical record can be helpful in quickly and correctly diagnosing any ailments that may be related to asbestos in your future.
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Photo Credit: Jeremy Levine Design
It is endlessly amazing the way that animal and human life mimic each other. We chuckle and watch the way birds court each other or watch a unique dog whose bark somehow sounds like an English word. But are there more concrete similarities? How do we, as humans, play house just like animals? It may be surprising how often the lines are crossed.
First, the reasons our houses stand out from our mammalian cousins. One, our human inventiveness has facilitated the creation of new materials (concrete, polystyrene, etc.) that have revolutionized home building over the centuries. Two, we have no predators. We don't mind letting the world know where our houses are.
Yet the growing movement toward green building is bringing natural building materials back to the forefront. And whatever is natural to us is natural to the birds and bees just the same.
The Bees
Photo Credit: BotheredByBees
Aside from their ability to colonize and deal painful blows, bees’ construction expertise is also an inspiration to modern designers. Have a look at honeycomb paper. This interesting honeycomb-like cellulose material creates flexible but strong boards that are also excellent insulators. Are honey-paper houses our future? For a more visual (if not structural) example of our buzzing inspiration, see Frank Lloyd Wright's Hanna-Honeycomb House on the campus of Stanford University.
The Birds
Since the dawn of their species, birds have been using twigs, grass, straw, and mud to build sturdy (and lofty) homes for their young. And in times past, so did many humans. For some time now we've largely ignored the benefits of straw bale housing, including its small footprint and cheap price tag. Again green home building is changing all that. Straw bale houses have incredible insulation value and are relatively easy to build. Any questions? Ask the birds.
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Does your house smell like rotten eggs? Do your lights flicker for no reason? Are you suffering from dizzy spells, swollen joints, nose bleeds, rashes, or headaches? If you’re nodding your head yes you may be a victim of a Chinese drywall nightmare.
Other symptoms include corroded household wiring and air conditioning coils and discoloration in wood furniture. The alleged cause is high levels of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas that affects the nervous system, issuing from contaminated drywall made in some Chinese factories.
There have been at least four class action lawsuits filed in Florida and others have been filed in California, Louisiana, and Alabama against builders that used the toxic drywall in the construction of new homes.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the complaints and if the drywall proves positive, there will be tens of thousands of potentially affected homes involved. Recently a preliminary report was released by the Florida Department of Health that shows samples of sulfur gases were found in samples of Chinese drywall.
It’s feared the affected homes will add to the already huge numbers of foreclosures. Most of the homes built with Chinese drywall were built during the housing boom between 2005 and 2006, which were also the homes that lost the most in value. Add to that the health risks of living in such a home and it seems the easiest way out for many of these homeowners might be to just walk away.
During the housing boom drywall became a hot commodity; supply couldn’t keep up with the demand which prompted suppliers to look for other sources such as China. During the “boom” more than 550 million pounds of it was imported and shipped to the U.S. with the bulk landing in Florida. Chinese drywall was used to build over 60,000 homes in over a dozen states.
Who’s suing whom? The homeowners are suing the construction companies, the construction companies are suing the suppliers, the suppliers are suing the manufacturers in China, and China is denying any wrongdoing.
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