Chinese Drywall, Should We Be Concerned in SoCal?

For those of you who don't know about Chinese drywall, don't feel bad. For some reason I haven't seen very much publicity on this in San Diego. The only reason I am even familiar with it is from a visit to Florida. In Florida Chinese drywall is as big as asbestos. My Mom who is a real estate agent in Sarasota, Florida had to attend a seminar about it. She started asking me what I knew about the product, and unfortunately I knew nothing. So I thought this might be an area specific problem, since I hadn't heard anything in San Diego. Well I thought wrong.

Chinese drywall was primarily used from 2003-2007 and was installed throughout the US, with concentrations in California, Arizona, and Florida. So why is this currently a bigger "stink" in Florida? One of the biggest complaints is a sulfur emission from the drywall that smells like rotten eggs which is corroding metal pipes, wires, appliances and even faucets. Experts are thinking that because of the combined high heat and humidity in areas of Florida, the sulfur emissions are more readily emitted.

So is San Diego next? We may start hearing about this more as we get into the Summer months, as things start to heat up. Let's hope a majority of San Diego County avoided this dangerous product. There was a lot of construction here in San Diego during the peak of Chinese drywall use. Some of the prominent construction areas from 2003-2007 included Del Mar, Fallbrook, La Jolla, Oceanside, El Cajon, and Carlsbad homes. But we won't know the full extent until the complaints start to surface.

If you are concerned that your home may be victim to Chinese drywall, you may want to set up an appointment with a qualified home inspector