Newport News, Virginia Builder to Inspect for Chinese Drywall September 14, 2009

Atlantic Homes, LLC recently sent letters to homeowners in the Richneck neighborhood to let them know that some homes in the area may have been built with defective drywall imported from China.  At this time, it is unknown how many of the 68 units are effected and what steps will be taken. That being said, it is good to see that Atlantic Homes is willing to own up to this problem and begin the inspection process – this is more than can be said for many builders.

The letter states that Atlantic Homes hired Porter-Blaine Corp. to install drywall in the homes. This company does business with Venture Supply, Inc. of Norfolk. Venture Supply has acknowledged the fact that they imported roughly 150,000 drywall boards from China.

While Atlantic Homes is only in the inspection phase, there is a very good chance that they will turn up several homes that were built with Chinese drywall. Many homeowners in the community have already contacted the builder with concerns over failing appliances and other problems that are often times related to defective drywall.

For now, homeowners will have to take the “wait and see” approach. It is probable that some homes in the community will turn up Atlantic Homes.  From there, it will be interesting to see what Atlantic Homes does to solve the problem.  As one homeowner has said, “So far the builder has not given me any alarm bells that they’re not going to help us resolve this.”