The nightmare goes on…

The Katrina nightmare will never end for so many of us here on the Gulf Coast. I consider my ongoing Katrina problems a piece of cake compared to so many others here. At least 6 of my neighbors have found out they have Chinese drywall installed in their Katrina flooded homes. When everyone was just starting to rebuild here, because the entire region was devastated and wiped out, supplies were far and few to be found. So guess where most everyone’s sheetrock or drywall came from….yep, China. Good friend’s of ours have to file bankruptcy, walk away from their Chinese dry walled home, and start over with nothing but their lives. They put their life savings into rebuilding their home after Katrina. This past year after all their appliances started exploding, they investigated. Chinese drywall was the culprit, it erodes all the electrical wiring and appliances in the house. Everything in one’s home begins to smell like to rotten eggs (sulfur) and is no longer able to be salvaged. Not to mention the serious health effects that can be incurred if you live in a home with Chinese drywall. There are many law suits pending but for now there is little hope available for people that have to move out of their homes because of this issue. 4 of my neighbors have moved out, left their homes, who knows what will happen to these homes and my neighbors.

I pray every day that we don’t have Chinese drywall. I consider us lucky that we don’t, so far. We do have a myriad of other Katrina related problems due to faulty workmanship, rip-off artists, and unscrupulous subcontractors as we were so desperate to rebuild and get back home. This is our biggest issue and project #1. We have hired the PREMIER custom home builder on the Coast and are willing to pay more so that HE deals with the subcontractors, not me. And, yes, he started today, a week before Christmas. But I’m feeling lucky and blessed and promise to roll with it. My husband has been after me for 4 years now to get all this fixed. I just couldn’t deal with having workers in and out of my house. Until now. The week before Christmas. UGHH!

WARNING: These are NOT pretty pictures, so turn away now if you have a weak tummy!

I’ll be showing the progress of big issue #1: Our Master Bath shower:

All this was brand new, installed after Katrina. Almost lovely until you look closely at the details. The grout or lack of, was not applied correctly. The step-up that the glass frame and door sits on should have been beveled. It also was incorrectly grouted.

The shower seat as well, should have had some type of beveled edge, the grout is nasty and falling apart. You can see mold everywhere as the grout issue allows water to seep in.

See the hole right in front of the glass below? One of the many OOPS! And the nasty, falling off grout? I want gross you out anymore, I sure ya’ll get my point.

8:00am this morning, the glass surround and door was up.

A few minutes later, the glass company arrived to take it down. Assuming it would be an hour project. HA! 6 hours later, blow torches, screws sawed off and broken glass I now have this:

This is what should remain, ready for the granite guy to come in and start ripping up tiles. And the granite guy is Brazilian and really cute. Supposed to be the best around. I feel blessed. I wonder if he’ll let me take his picture?

No, really, I do count my blessings. We don’t have Chinese drywall.