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I live in Santa Fe - and I have a condo right behind Tomasita's, which is a great green chili place to eat.
I used to be able to walk from my condo to the farmers market that was held in the railyard...
but then I started to fall a lot. The worst was when I hit my head on my brick floor in my condo.
It turned out that my condo had been built over an old privy pit...
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And the reason I kept falling and losing more and more of my memory was that there was hydrogen sulfide in my condo.
So after teaching here when I was young, and loving Santa Fe, I now have to consider what the lack of concern for people's health has meant to my ability to continue to enjoy this city... or any other.
What I think is important, is that I've owned three properties here, and there was something significantly wrong in the building of each, which the inspectors let the builders and developers have a free ride on...
In my townhouse where I live the chimney to my lovely but useless kiva fireplace was built too close to the studs, so if used the fireplace could cause a fire.
My single family had very low water pressure until a pipe that had been bent without using a pipe bender finally sprang a leak... and the excavation to find the leak under my slab was extensive.
And then there's my condo with the privy pit... which the footing ran right through, so there's no way they didn't see it.
I love the smell of the desert... and the green chili... only now I'm housebound which I probably wouldn't be if there were more people oriented laws.
No matter how you slice it a government that does its job is better than one that doesn't. Crooked building inspectors are way more common than most people realize.
I doub't if there is enough H2S (Hydrogen sulfide) to harm you because you would recognize the smell of rotten eggs or, even if you are used to the smell, any of your guests would.
The only thing I can suggest is to install a fan that blows into your condo and keeps the place at a slight positive pressure.
I called dozens. Many said that they had previously worked for him... he's got a big real estate company.
Some said that some valued employee worked for him...
I filed a Third Party Complaint, naming him, and he never answered, so I should have had a default judgment against him. Only the court wouldn't ever file it, and one of the times I called to check the status, I was put through to this weird line with a recording about getting land for a new court house...
So I don't know if that was crossed wires, or if someone was telling me why I wasn't getting anywhere...
Last edited by Cornerguy1; 08-02-2007 at 12:21 PM..
Reason: advertising
No matter how you slice it a government that does its job is better than one that doesn't. Crooked building inspectors are way more common than most people realize.
I doub't if there is enough H2S (Hydrogen sulfide) to harm you because you would recognize the smell of rotten eggs or, even if you are used to the smell, any of your guests would.
The only thing I can suggest is to install a fan that blows into your condo and keeps the place at a slight positive pressure.
Hi Greg,
Yes, I know what you are saying. The amount that was shown on tests is an amount that is considered safe to work in... as for instance in sewer waste disposal plants.
However on other forums I have met women whose husbands had worked in those kinds of facilities for years, and now have severe nerve problems.
What you probably are unaware of is that the first nerve the hydrogen sulfide numbs is the olfactory nerve. So after that you can't smell it.
Plus, you may not be aware that since it is heavier than air, it sinks toward the ground... with the result that when you are in bed you get the most of it...
I was wheezing so badly it woke me up.
I had the whole pit excavated. So that took care of it, and I had the good air quality man come and do tests to be sure that there wasn't a second pit.
Then, when I had all that done, the state court had foreclosed it and sold it without noticing me about the judgment or sale. So the last $5,000 I spent was for the benefit of the real estate agent who bought it... who worked, I might add, at the same place I had it listed.
And if you think I could have redeemed, think again. The appeals court had previously decided that the first to file to redeem won. And since I didn't know, I sure wasn't first.
Last edited by Cornerguy1; 08-02-2007 at 12:22 PM..
Reason: advertising
Wow, how incredibly unfortunate. How does one know if the place they are moving into has the same problem? Is there some kind of detector available, like a carbon monoxide detector? Or do you just have to try and "notice" funky smells?
I know it sounds as if there would have been a funky smell, but there wasn't.
The only reason I called the air quality guy was because there was a loud bang one day, and I thought someone had shot out my window. But when I ran into my livingroom... nothing, except some dust rising from the floor.
When I called around, someone told me that there could be... nitric something, I think it was, which is combustable or something, and they said I should get some tests.
So I did. (by that time the pit had been identified, but the structural engineer hired by the insurance company said the only problem with it was that it kept causing holes in my garden as there was subsidence.)
Everyone I called said it wasn't a part of their job description.
Someone in state government said that if I didn't clean it up then I would be responsible and liable now that I knew about it.
They said it was a danger to the underground water.
But how come they let my home be built over it?
My first kitty was sick a lot and died. Then my second kitty was sick a lot till we moved.
I think that's because animals are nearer the floor.
Also, my computer desk was right on top of the part of the pit that went under my bedroom... and I went through 5 hard drives in one year.
It was like I was jinxed... until I learned about the hydrogen sulfide, which is corrosive.
I think that one safeguard is state law that's in place to protect people.
Here in New Mexico, I found that the idea was to protect the state, or the city... not me.
The City wouldn't take any kind of responsibility for letting my home be built over the pit.
My City Councilor thought I should try to see it from the architect's perspective.
I need to switch to the other screen... so I can use the little EEK smilie.
I just moved in a friend of mine to SF to a studio. I've never seen such a half-assed, code violating structure in my life. You walk outside and the posts to the tenants upper patio deck were sitting on rocks, not securely bolted to the ground. A car in the lot could easily plow through them. Telephone wires pulled through screen window, strung through like christmas lights. A kitchen counter with plumbing, sink and disposal shoved into a corner unleveled and unsecured. All kinds of weird stuff that you think would be done right the first time.
This problem is statewide, slack, finger-pointing and incompetence. The notion of buying ANY house out here is scary, we've looked at some already.
I plan on being a real pain in the ass to real estate companies, builders and the city of my choice if I do. I don't want to end up like this person in this thread...what a sad tale.
I do yearn for more strict codes, who doesn't? they are enacted for a reason! Ohio was very strict, but it was for the good of all who ever chose to live there. If Ohio codes were enacted here, one could imagine how many structures would be red tagged or condemned... but... I do love green chiles too!!!
Last edited by newmex; 08-03-2007 at 07:07 AM..
Reason: addition to content
We have been trying to learn EVERYTHING we can learn about builders/laws/codes/building practices before we have the construction started on our house in Eldorado.
We plan on making frequent trips to Santa Fe during the progress of our house, as well as having our cousin in ABQ (a retired general contractor) make weekly visits to the site to check on things.
My main problem is: what if we see things being done wrong or sloppily? What recourse will we have to get things corrected? That is one reason we are taking such a long time to check out builders to determine who is the BEST person we can afford to build our house.
I just added the name of the builder of my condo to my page about it... it's under the picture of his broker, the developer who sold me my condo. url removed
I hope you find a good, ethical builder. I'm glad you have supervision in place.
Last edited by Marka; 08-09-2007 at 01:58 AM..
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