IMS Offers Solution to ‘Defective Drywall’

Integrated Mortgage Solutions (IMS) now offers a cost-effective, long-term solution to defective drywall, a problem that has plagued thousands of homes, particularly along the Gulf Coast.

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The term ""defective drywall"" refers to a type of drywall that releases sulfur compounds, especially in warm, moist climates.

Between 2004 and 2006, hundreds of millions of sheets of defective drywall made their way into thousands of homes in the U.S. IMS estimates about 60,000 homes have been affected by defective drywall.

The dangerous sulfur gas drove families from their homes and destroyed metal within the buildings.

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Salvaging a home with defective drywall required major reconstruction to replace all the drywall in the structure, but IMS now offers an on-location solution that requires about one-third of the time and about one-half of the cost of traditional methods.

In recent years, defective drywall has augmented lenders' losses as they must address the problem before returning a property to the market.

IMS announced Monday that after testing its patented biochemical agent in 30 single-family homes and 150 commercial and multifamily buildings over the past three years, its solution has been successful in curing defective drywall.

IMS' product testing methods follow the Consumer Product Safety Commission specifications and included air corrosivity testing using the latest technology.

""With these results, homeowners, builders and lenders now have a proven, cost-effective alternative to replacing all the drywall in the affected homes,"" Cheryl Lang, president and CEO of Texas-based IMS said.

""This is a major milestone in bringing solutions to thousands of families wanting to return to their homes without suffering health risks,"" Lang added.

IMS' solution comes with a three-year warranty.

""This testing and NAHB-approved remediation service represents a potential savings of hundreds of millions of dollars over time to homeowners, property insurers and lenders,"" Lang said.