Sawdust on the Floor

I came across this article that I wanted to pass along to all home owners. Apparently, sometime between 2001 and 2007, the US imported some drywall from China. Reportedly this drywall was defective. The off gassing from the product can cause a very offensive odor that resembles rotten eggs that can permeate your entire home. The drywall has also been known to cause corrosion of electrical wiring within the wall of the affected homes. Some damage was also reported to the electrical circuit breaker panels. Copper pipes which are commonly used for water supply can also be affected by the tainted drywall.

This defective drywall was manufactured by a company named Knauf Gips. Most of the defective drywall was sold in the popular 1/2″ thickness, however some 5/8″ drywall was also sold here in the US. Most of the defective drywall was sold in southern US states, however the defective drywall has been found in some 30 states and the District of Colombia. The attached map shows the ports of import for the defective drywall.

While the debate continues to go on about the actual technical reasons for the problem, home owners need to be aware of the issue. One important thought is that even after the defective drywall is removed from the home, the lingering effects can still be in the home. If your home was built or remodeled after the 2001 date, and you are experiencing any of the above problems, I would recommend that you investigate the drywall in the home. For further information check the following link.

http://www.cpsc.gov/info/drywall/index.html

I will admit to having a love affair with the Craftsman styles of woodworking and home decorating styles. I really can’t get enough of the look that was popular in years gone by. Sometimes I think I was born into the wrong generation. What I don’t love from that era were the old single pane windows and storm windows. There is nothing romantic about wasting money and energy on windows and doors that leak air. In fact it’s down right ugly.

There is nothing at all charming about having to bundle up just to be comfortable in your own home. With those old drafty windows and doors, you are not only wasting money on the heating and air conditioning bills, you are also wasting energy. Unless you are related to Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, then I think it would be safe to say that you can’t afford to waste energy either. Actually thinking about it, they maybe able to waste money, but no one should waste energy.

With that in mind, the federal government is working to encourage home owners to replace those windows and doors with Energy Star units. The government is offering you a 30% rebate, up to $1,500, for installing qualify units. For more information on the requirements on windows and doors as well as many other qualifying home improvements you can do, check the following website and click on the 1040 Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency box on the left side of the page.

http://www.energystar.gov

How hard is it to replace a exterior door or window? Replacing exterior doors is not really any harder then it is to install interior doors. You have to make sure that the door is installed plumb and level, and is properly secured to the frame, just as you would for an interior door. The complexity of installing an exterior door will depend a lot on the material that covers the outside of your home. When you remove the old door or windows, then you will have to remove the exterior trim work. If your home has traditional wood siding or brick facing then replacing the trim work is as easy as installing new trim boards and sealing the edges with quality caulk. If your home has either aluminum or vinyl siding, then the issue gets a little less clear.

A quality siding job normally will include “capping” of all exterior wood. What this means is that all of the exterior wood is rapped in either aluminum or vinyl that is bent to fit the exterior wood. A specialty tool called a Metal Break is used to form the bends in the capping material. When you remove the old door or window it is very likely that the capping will either be damaged or will no longer seal the area correctly. So unless you have access to the metal break and a source of the capping material, then you may want to contract to have the door and capping replaced.

The same logic holds for windows. It is not hard to replace a window, but making the outside look right may take special tools and skills that the average home owner doesn’t possess. It may make more sense to have the doors and windows replaced by professionals and you concentrate on the interior trim.

Which ever way you go, it only makes sense to replace those windows and doors now. And since the federal government is willing to help, and it’s not often that it does, the timing couldn’t be any better.