TOPIC: How Can Tens of Millions of Square Feet of House Be Recalled?

I'm not sure the value of tearing out a section of wall, but you cannot do it.  If she wants to see a brand, you may be able to see the back side of drywall from inside the furnace room, under a stair case, or from another unfinished room in the basement.  The Chinese drywall problem seems to crop up after a year or more in humid climates or near oceans.  I don't know how you could tell at this point.

Good point on the time and humidity issue Jay. I am learning alot about this stuff first hand. I know I live up North, but my mother lives in FL. And guess what, her h ome is starting to smell like rotten eggs. Her builder is in the process of validating the drywall this week. Quite an education for me, he has been in contact with me several times and keeping me in the loop. Real stand up guy. I will let you guys know what I learn onn the fly here. Also, like Jay said, you may be able to find some areas where you can see the back without destruction being done. Good luck.

PS Can you believe this, mom did not have an inspection done like I told her when she bought the new one. Couldn't believe it when she called last week and asked about this smell.

PSS  John, you should have  had that agreement signed BEFORE the inspection. I know she lives a long way away, but for your protection you need to get that part taken care of before the inspection.

John let me get this straight, she hired you for a home inspection, you completed said inspection, she has yet to sign your contract, she has yet to pay you, she wants you to go back and verify the brand of drywall. I am sure that we all have had good and bad experiences dealing with the public, having said that, I spent five years in my own business as a home improvement contractor. These are five years of my life that I have completely written off. I will never get them back. This is mostly due to the fact that I was Mr. Nice Guy and I looked out for everyone but me. People can and will take advantage of that. Now that I have that out of my system, you need to diplomatically tell this lady that you can find free work anywhere.

Good luck, and remember who you need to look out for.

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is the loneliest number you can ever doooo...

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can be as bad as 1, it's the loneliest number since the number

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uuhh huuuhh...

Oh no, the job has been paid for!!!  ;D  I'm soooo glad too.

I normally would have had her sign the contract before I start the inspection but in this instance she was trying to change from this house to another identical house at a different address.  I couldn't complete the contract until I had the correct address. 

As for charging extra, I'm seriously thinking about it.  I'm think of charging her for an update inspection (my term for re-inspection as I don't want to construe that I did a poor first inspection!  lol) at 95 more dollars!!! 

I'm sure she is going to love me for that!!!

Considering it'll take you time to drive both ways, document the issues and convey it to her, that seems reasonable.

John,

If there is a completed attached garage that is the best place to check. I have read, look for chinese writing or the name of the German Company that imported it, Knauf Tianjin, on the back of the sheetrock.

Hear is a link to an article I found.
online.wsj.com/article/SB123171862994672097.html

Davin Strand