• psst … I’m a Realtor! Thanks for stopping by my website. I would love to help you find your dream home and community in the Hampton Roads or Williamsburg area or to sell your existing home. This website is authored by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf. John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of Hampton Roads and the historic triangle, and his expertise in the local real estate market. His websites, WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com and Mr Williamsburg.com were created as a resource for folks who are exploring a move to Williamsburg, VA , Hampton Roads VA and the surrounding areas of the Virginia Peninsula. On his website you can search homes for sale , foreclosures, 55+ active adult communities, condos and town homes , land and commercial property for sale in Williamsburg, Yorktown, New Kent, Poquoson, and Gloucester, VA as well as surrounding markets of Carrolton, Chesapeake,Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth Mathews, Newport News Norfolk, Poquoson, Smithfield, , Suffolk, Surry, Va Beach, Yorktown and York County Virginia You can reach John by email John@MrWilliamsburg.com or phone @ 757-254-813

Judge awards VA Homeowners $2.6M in Chinese drywall case

Posted on April 9, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Consumer advocates hailed a ruling Thursday in Louisiana federal court that awarded $2.6 million to seven Virginia families who bought homes built with Chinese drywall.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon handed down the first award in a Chinese drywall lawsuit. He awarded property damages, personal property damages, and an amount for loss of use and enjoyment.

The case is considered a bellwether for numerous federal class action lawsuits consolidated in New Orleans. It also provides guidance for hundreds of other cases awaiting trial in state circuit courts.

The ruling lends legal weight to a recent federal policy decision that the only safe method of dealing with Chinese drywall is to gut a house’s interior of all drywall, wiring and plumbing.

Fallon used a formula of $86 a square foot for a typical home, and awarded $100,000 to most of the seven families for loss of use and enjoyment.

But, recovering from the Chinese company that made the drywall –Taishan Gypsum – may be more problematic. Taishan was served notice of the suit, but failed to respond, and a default judgment was entered against it in a previous ruling.

Continue reading →

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HUD and CPSC Issue Guidance on Repairing Homes With Chinese Drywall

Posted on April 2, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today issued interim remediation guidance to help homeowners struggling to rid their properties of problem drywall linked to corrosion of metal in their homes such as electrical components.

“This guidance, based on the CPSC’s ongoing scientific research, is critical to ensuring that homeowners and contractors have confidence that they are making the appropriate repairs to rid their homes of problem drywall said Jon Gant, Director of HUD’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. “The remediation guidance issued today is the latest step in an ongoing process that the Intergovernmental Task Force on Problem Drywall has undertaken to address this problem directly. We will continue to work with our Congressional, State and local partners as they seek policy solutions based on our guidance and the CPSC’s scientific findings.”

Based on scientific study of the problem to date, HUD and CPSC recommend that consumers:

  1. Remove all possible problem drywall from their homes, and replace electrical components and wiring, gas service piping, fire suppression sprinkler systems, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. Taking these steps should help eliminate both the source of the problem drywall and corrosion-damaged components that might cause a safety problem in the home. To view a full text of the remediation guidance, visit the federal Drywall Information Center website (PDF).

Earlier this year, HUD and CPSC issued a protocol to help identify problem drywall in the home. Today’s interim remediation guidance is being released in recognition that many homeowners want to begin remediating their homes and offers a next step to homeowners whose homes have been determined to have problem drywall.

Click here to read more about Chinese Drywall issues in Williamsburg, James City County and Hampton Roads Virginia

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Virginia forms Chinese Drywall Task Force

Posted on March 5, 2010 by mrwilliamsburg

Jim Cheng the, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade has appointed a task force to develop the state’s strategy for dealing with drywall from China that has prompted complaints nationwide.

chinese-drywall virginia Cheng decided to form the group after a visit last month to Newport News, where dozens of homes in Hollymeade have been identified as containing the Chinese drywall. Cheng says the panel will form a plan for responding to any action taken by the federal government on the drywall problem

Cheng’s office announced Thursday that the state would gather together a group of experts, state officials, lawmakers and homeowners  to try to come up with a way for the state to help people trapped in toxic homes The working group includes Del. G. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News, who helped arrange for Cheng to visit, and Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News.

More than 2,360 homeowners nationwide have said the drywall made them sick and corroded wiring and HVAC systems throughout their homes.

Locally, Chinese drywall has affected homes in Newport News, York County, Williamsburg and South Hampton Roads.  Neighborhoods where the product has been discovered include :Hollymeade,  Braemar Creek, New Town, Wellington and Kensington Woods, all in James City,  Overlook Point in York, The Hampshires at Greenbrier, and Cromwell Park on the Southside.

The Chinese Drywall Information Center is a great resource for homeowners who believe their home may have been built with defective drywall.  It seems as if the majority of homes constructed with Chinese drywall were built during the years of 2004-2008.  This period was an era of “Hurricane Reconstruction,” during which the supply of American drywall could not meet the levels of demand.  An influx in imported drywall ensued, now at the center of multidistrict litigation in federal court.

Read more about Chinese Drywall in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads here

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5395 This post was authored by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf.  John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of Hampton Roads and the historic triangle, and his expertise in the local real estate market.  His websites, www.WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com  and   www.MrWilliamsburg.com, were created as a comprehensive resource about living in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, with the hopes of selling a house now and again.  You can reach him at 757.254.8136 or John@MrWilliamsburg.com.

Filed under: chinese drywall issues, chinese drywall issues, hampton roads, james city county virginia, williamsburg va | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

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