Ground zero in drywall dispute

Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 6:31 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - As the investigation into toxic Chinese drywall continues, a single street in Manatee County appears to be ground zero for the largest cluster of problem homes.



The residents, many with small children, are experiencing an outbreak of the same chronic symptoms -- respiratory problems, painful sore throats, headaches and nosebleeds -- which they attribute directly to the drywall chemicals filling their homes.

Lennar, a Miami-based company that is this region's largest builder, would not discuss any pending repairs, residents' health problems, or any other aspect of this story. Company officials said they stand by an earlier statement that the drywall is not a health risk and that Lennar is responding promptly to owners.

Residents of Montauk Point have seen their air-conditioners fail on a regular basis -- so often that the presence of a white HVAC repair truck became a running joke in the neighborhood. Metal within their homes corroded and turned black: piping, electrical wiring, even silver jewelry.

Electronics also began to fail and short-circuit. Residents say they have gone through multiple televisions, computers and cable boxes. Light switches stopped working altogether, or only intermittently.

"I'm on my third TV," said homeowner Dan Tibbetts. "Everything just dies."

A number of the homes are supposed to be repaired by Lennar in coming months, which could involve ripping out all the drywall and other guts of the house. It is still unclear at this point, though, whether the wiring and electrical systems will be replaced.

Even the dog

Dan and Janet Tibbetts bought the home at 7111 Montauk Point Crossing in 2006, moving in during August 2007.

Almost immediately they noticed a foul, chemical-like odor, but chalked it up to the house being new.

"We figured it's a new house, it would have a little smell and just need to be aired out for awhile," Tibbetts said. "We figured it would go away."

But it only got stronger. The family began having breathing problems, sore throats and then occasional nosebleeds, as did their son. Even their dog, a two-year-old dachshund, began acting strangely.

"He began throwing up, he didn't want to eat," Tibbetts said. "We thought, what is going on here?"

Like the others along Montauk Point, the family's air-conditioning unit failed repeatedly. Wiring and piping turned black.

After repeatedly complaining to Lennar, the company conducted air quality tests and told the family there was no health hazard.

"I told them they're not testing for the right things. They didn't want to hear it," Janet Tibbetts said. "They still won't tell us exactly what they did find."

To date, Lennar officials maintain that homes along Montauk Point are safe.

A Herald-Tribune reporter who spent time inside several of the homes this week, including the Tibbetts', experienced discomfort in his throat, lungs and sinuses.

A strong chemical-like odor was present and all visible wiring had turned black. The discomfort lingered for several hours after he left.

Elizabeth and Jeff Ranck, who live down the street at 7152 Montauk Point Crossing, bought in June 2006, and moved in with their young daughter and two dogs. About a year later, they also started smelling strange odors.

"It wasn't sulfur, it was something else, like chemicals or metal," Elizabeth Ranck said. "I was at a loss to describe it. I still am."

Then their air-conditioning coil failed for the first time. During the next nine months, it would need to be replaced twice more.

Ranck began losing her voice, and she and her husband began having nasal drip and trouble breathing.

Their daughter had nose bleeds several times a month. Their two dogs began acting erratically, and the family eventually had them euthanized after one became oddly aggressive and the other would not drink water.

The Rancks say their relationship with Lennar grew increasingly contentious, and that things came to a head after the family spent a long vacation at Disney World in August.

"By the time our Disney trip was over, we were feeling so much better. It was like a fog lifted and we felt more normal again. But then, once we returned, within a few days we all felt awful again," Jeff Ranck said. "That's when I said that's enough, something just isn't right here. How can you tell me it's not the home causing this."

When Lennar offered to gut the drywall and replace it, Ranck wanted some assurance of what would happen if the problem returned. He says he did not get one.

Then the couple insisted that Lennar buy back the home. They were told that would not happen.

Finally, in the fall, the Rancks agreed to be moved out by Lennar and have the work done. They even began picking out new cabinets and carpeting. But for reasons that remain unclear, they were never moved, and they claim that Lennar stopped talking to them.

"I just couldn't get a call back anymore. So finally we just moved ourselves. I did not want my wife and daughter getting any sicker," Jeff Ranck said.

The couple is living in a rental house at their own expense. They stopped paying the mortgage on the Montauk home, which triggered the first stages of a foreclosure on Oct. 31. They tried putting the house on the market as a short sale, but are not optimistic.

"We've told people Lennar is promising to fix the problem, so the buyer would know, but the truth is, I don't think any sale will ever happen," Jeff Ranck said. "We're resigning ourselves to the fact that we may have to start over."

Ranck thinks Lennar officials stopped dealing with his family once they thought they would instead be dealing with the bank.

"If it's the bank, then maybe they don't have to fix it after all," he said.

Others moving

Meanwhile, other homeowners, including the Tibbetts family, agreed to be moved.

Bree Rizzo and her husband also took the Lennar offer and moved out of their home at 7123 Montauk Point Crossing.

Rizzo, who is pregnant, allowed a reporter inside her Montauk Point home this week, but did not follow, preferring to remain outside.

"With the baby, I don't want to take any chances," she said.

Sections of drywall have been removed from the Rizzo's home, exposing the interior wall. No manufacturer name appears on the visible drywall, but there is a section of board where the word "CHINA" can be seen.

Rizzo, like other homeowners, wants Lennar to buy the home back.

"If they won't take it back, then maybe just trade mine for one of their other houses that is sitting empty right now. I'll take any of them," she said. "But they said absolutely not -- that's not an option."

Since leaving, the strange symptoms that Tibbetts and his family experienced have improved. "It's like night and day for all of us," he said.

Even the dog is better, he said, back to being peppy.

This story appeared in print on page A1


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