It appears that Hurricane Earl may not cause as much damage as first feared, but as I told the Fox & Friends audience this morning, the danger isn’t passed yet. In fact, homeowners facing cleanup, flooding or wind damage should be on the lookout for the next threat: shady contractors.
 
A recent Angie’s List poll, found that 34 percent of respondents who had storm damage were approached by a stranger at their door offering help. Most of those who accepted the help suffered for it.  One member got some hard-sell tactics from an unscrupulous contractor who came uninvited to his door and insisted that a new, $13,000 roof was needed. Our member was smart, though. He called in another company to get a quote. Turns out, there wasn’t anything wrong with his roof at all. What a great example of why homeowners should just say no to high-pressure sales tactics and do their homework before they hire anyone for home repairs.

That’s not to say there aren’t good people out there who truly do want to help, but pay attention to these two warning signs and review our tips on how to avoid storm-chasing contractors. Remember:

• If it’s a good deal today, it will be a good deal tomorrow.
• Never sign anything pushed on you by a stranger who comes knocking at your door.  Sometimes they’ll have you sign what they say is a waiver for them to get up on the roof, when really it is a contract for work.

Yesterday’s heartbreaking news of a U.S. Army’s investigation into whether toxic Chinese drywall is to blame for the deaths of babies at Fort Bragg struck a huge blow to everyone at Angie’s List. We’ve been trying to sound an alarm on this issue since April 2009, when it first came to our attention.

We have lots of information to help you determine if you are at risk. If you’re living in a home built or repaired from
2004 to 2006 in southern Florida or along the Gulf, please take a look at it and hire a qualified, reputable, local contractor to address the situation. Replacing only the drywall might not be enough to fix this problem. Homeowners may need to get new carpet and insulation, and rewire their homes. Once the work is complete, dust should be removed with a HEPA air scrubber.

Quick Tips to determine if your home has toxic Chinese drywall:

• Your home was built or renovated between 2004 and 2006.
• You notice a persistent foul, rotten egg smell.
• You notice metal and copper corrosion, or a black coating on air-conditioning coils and electrical wiring.
• You see a Made in China stamp on your drywall, or it could also be identified as manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin, Knauf Gips, and Taishan Gypsum Co. (all are targeted in various lawsuits.)
• Your home was built by one of these companies: Lennar Corp., Aubuchon Homes, Meritage Homes, Ryland Homes, Standard Pacific Homes, Taylor Morrison and WCI Communities (are have been confirmed to have used Chinese drywall.)

If you think you might be affected, know that tomorrow, September 3, 2010, is a deadline for some homeowners to sign on for free to one of many lawsuits regarding the Chinese drywall issue. After this deadline, becoming part of that suit could cost $15,000. Learn more here: http://www.chinesedrywall.com/