Misfit
06-29-2012, 07:38 AM
Meth Rehab: Former labs a nightmare for unwitting homebuyers | Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/27/meth-rehab-former-labs-nightmare-for-unwitting-homebuyers/)
Soon after John Bates and his wife moved into their first home, the euphoria of realizing the American Dream gave way to a nightmare of foul odors, unexplained illnesses and spiraling costs.
A standard home inspection had revealed no problems with the home, in Suquamish, Wash., near Seattle. Bates, a Navy veteran and pipe fitter, and wife Jessie were thrilled to get the home on a 2-acre lot for $235,000, and they moved in with their then-7-year old son, Tyler, in March 2007. But soon after, the boy developed breathing problems, John Bates became "perpetually sick" and Jessie Bates developed strange skin rashes. It was a mystery until a year and a half later, when a neighbor casually mentioned what the previous occupant did for a living.
The Bates family was living in a former meth lab, soaked to the studs with dangerous chemicals. After tearing up walls and flooring, the Bates' worst fears were confirmed.
“I would hate for other people to go through this. It’s such a crazy situation.”
- Jaimee Alkinani, who bought a home that had been used as a meth lab.
“It came to us when we were tearing up the master bathroom, after the floor starting sinking and got spongy,” Jessie Bates told FoxNews.com. “That’s when we found the iodine-like staining on the walls and human feces under the floor.”
There was no meth lab disclosure law in Washington in 2008, when the Bates' bought their home. Faced with an estimate of $90,000 for repairs, they instead chose to demolish the house and build anew — at a cost of $184,000.
“It’s an insane amount of money,” Jessie Bates told FoxNews.com.
More than two years after rebuilding on the property, Jessie Bates says the family has put the meth nightmare behind them. Tyler, now 11, is healthy and getting good grades.
"But really, we were very, very lucky," she said. "We know that we’re the exception.”
Jaimee Alkinani and her husband were not as fortunate. They learned in 2007 — also from a neighbor — that their three-bedroom home in a Salt Lake City suburb had been used as a meth lab. The contamination was later found to be 63 times higher than the levels deemed safe by the state Department of Health. The Alkinanis moved out and nearly went into bankruptcy before reaching a settlement with their mortgage company.
“Because there were no [disclosure] laws at the time, there was nothing we could do,” Alkinani told FoxNews.com. “We were constantly sick. We blamed it on allergies and didn’t think it could be our house.”
McKinley Alkinani, now 5, still undergoes breathing treatments and takes steroids regularly, his mother said.
“It’s rough, anytime he gets sick, it goes right to his lungs,” Jaimee Alkinani said. “We thought he was just born with bad lungs.
“I would hate for other people to go through this,” she said. “It’s such a crazy situation.”
Soon after John Bates and his wife moved into their first home, the euphoria of realizing the American Dream gave way to a nightmare of foul odors, unexplained illnesses and spiraling costs.
A standard home inspection had revealed no problems with the home, in Suquamish, Wash., near Seattle. Bates, a Navy veteran and pipe fitter, and wife Jessie were thrilled to get the home on a 2-acre lot for $235,000, and they moved in with their then-7-year old son, Tyler, in March 2007. But soon after, the boy developed breathing problems, John Bates became "perpetually sick" and Jessie Bates developed strange skin rashes. It was a mystery until a year and a half later, when a neighbor casually mentioned what the previous occupant did for a living.
The Bates family was living in a former meth lab, soaked to the studs with dangerous chemicals. After tearing up walls and flooring, the Bates' worst fears were confirmed.
“I would hate for other people to go through this. It’s such a crazy situation.”
- Jaimee Alkinani, who bought a home that had been used as a meth lab.
“It came to us when we were tearing up the master bathroom, after the floor starting sinking and got spongy,” Jessie Bates told FoxNews.com. “That’s when we found the iodine-like staining on the walls and human feces under the floor.”
There was no meth lab disclosure law in Washington in 2008, when the Bates' bought their home. Faced with an estimate of $90,000 for repairs, they instead chose to demolish the house and build anew — at a cost of $184,000.
“It’s an insane amount of money,” Jessie Bates told FoxNews.com.
More than two years after rebuilding on the property, Jessie Bates says the family has put the meth nightmare behind them. Tyler, now 11, is healthy and getting good grades.
"But really, we were very, very lucky," she said. "We know that we’re the exception.”
Jaimee Alkinani and her husband were not as fortunate. They learned in 2007 — also from a neighbor — that their three-bedroom home in a Salt Lake City suburb had been used as a meth lab. The contamination was later found to be 63 times higher than the levels deemed safe by the state Department of Health. The Alkinanis moved out and nearly went into bankruptcy before reaching a settlement with their mortgage company.
“Because there were no [disclosure] laws at the time, there was nothing we could do,” Alkinani told FoxNews.com. “We were constantly sick. We blamed it on allergies and didn’t think it could be our house.”
McKinley Alkinani, now 5, still undergoes breathing treatments and takes steroids regularly, his mother said.
“It’s rough, anytime he gets sick, it goes right to his lungs,” Jaimee Alkinani said. “We thought he was just born with bad lungs.
“I would hate for other people to go through this,” she said. “It’s such a crazy situation.”