Oct 10, 2022 - 11m read
How to Rehab a Meth House and Prep it for Sale
Owning and rehabilitating a home that previously housed a meth lab can be dangerous. Meth is a substantial problem throughout the entire U.S. Because of how popular this illegal substance is, it’s common for people to create meth labs for the production of this drug in their own home or the home of their parents. While meth houses are typically available at a very low price, there are reasons why many potential buyers avoid purchasing these homes.
Anthony Reinoehl
Co-Founder
Owning and rehabilitating a home that previously housed a meth lab can be dangerous. Meth is a substantial problem throughout the entire U.S. Because of how popular this illegal substance is, it’s common for people to create meth labs for the production of this drug in their own home or the home of their parents. While meth houses are typically available at a very low price, there are reasons why many potential buyers avoid purchasing these homes.
The main issue with owning and rehabilitating a home that’s housed a meth lab is that it could contain hazardous chemicals and dangerous equipment that was used to manufacture this substance. If you don’t understand how to handle these chemicals or safely remove the equipment from your home, your health could be put at risk.
Keep in mind that meth labs can be found in many different locations, which include motel rooms, storage units, houses, apartments, and trailer parks. These labs tend to be discovered after having exploded, which shows just how dangerous these properties can be. It may sometimes be difficult to identify if you’re living in a property that was previously a meth lab. If the home was never declared as a meth lab, you might need to seek assistance from local law enforcement to determine if your home is safe to live in.
When the meth cooking process occurs, vapors are produced and may spread to nearby materials. These materials can then absorb these vapors. Further contamination of your home may have occurred as a result of spilled chemicals or supplies. Materials like drapes, clothing, and carpeting will naturally absorb meth vapors that would have otherwise dispersed in the area while the cooking process was ongoing.
Depending on how uncoordinated the cooking process was, the absorbent materials in your home might have collected powder and dust from the chemicals that were used to create meth. In the event that these materials have become discolored or odorous, you should consider disposing of them before testing your home for meth residue. These tests can be performed by a remediation contractor who will be able to make sure that your home is safe and free from meth. This article offers a more in-depth guide on how to effectively rehab a meth house and prepare it for an eventual sale.
Understanding the Issues with Meth Houses
There are many notable issues of living in a home that was previously a meth house. As touched upon previously, the chemicals that are used during the creation of meth can produce vapors that seep into the air and walls. If your home is outfitted with drywall or sheetrock, these materials can radiate hazardous substances into the surrounding air well after the meth was actually produced.
Keep in mind that a single cook of meth can lead to surface contamination that amounts to around 860 micrograms for every 100 square centimeters. Over the course of a few months, any meth vapors that were produced during a cook will only degrade by around 20%, which means that it can take some time for meth vapors to leave your home for good.
To understand how dangerous it can be to live in a home that’s been contaminated with meth, contamination to this drug in a meth house can lead to short-term health issues like:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Eye irritation
- Headaches
- Respiratory problems
As for the long-term consequences, these aren’t fully understood at the moment. However, exposure to meth vapors from manufacturing can create issues with your liver, kidneys, and nervous system, which places you at a higher risk of cancer, birth defects, and miscarriages.
If you believe that your home may be contaminated with meth, look for glassware, stained coffee filters, hoses, red staining, and large quantities of chemicals that you can’t explain. If you discover chemicals like iodine and hydrogen peroxide in large quantities, there’s a decent chance that your home was previously a meth house.
The most common signs of meth use include pipes, syringes, and aluminum foil that’s been burnt. It’s possible that all of the evidence of your home being a meth house was disposed of, which is why you should consider having your home tested for meth residue. In the event that the meth residue and vapors have seeped into most of the materials in a home, it’s possible that the entire property would need to be gutted and cleaned, which would ensure that all meth residue is removed from the property.
Four Considerations Before Rehabbing a Meth House
If you’re thinking about rehabbing a meth house, there are a few things you should consider to make sure that you don’t waste time and money. Rehabbing a meth house requires precision as well as numerous precautions.
Finding the Right People
First of all, it’s important that you find the right people for the job. The people you hire should have experience with rehabbing and cleaning meth houses. In the event that hazardous materials are discovered, you’ll want to have professionals on hand who understand how to safely dispose of these materials.
Consider speaking with past customers to determine if the professional you’re thinking of hiring is reputable. One reason why it’s imperative that you hire the right people is because the new owners of your home could sue you if they become ill from meth residue or vapors.
Disclosing It Was a Meth House
Reselling a property that was previously a meth house is oftentimes difficult since you’ll need to disclose this aspect of the property to potential buyers before the sale goes through. Even though some families might feel comfortable in a home that has previously existed as a meth house, many other families will avoid this type of property.
Rental Property Conversion
Even though most states require that you disclose to potential buyers that your property was previously a meth house, not every state has this requirement. You could avoid this issue by converting your home into a rental property. While the property will still need a clean bill of health, you won’t be tasked with trying to appeal to buyers who don’t want to purchase a meth house. Some states don’t require landlords to disclose that their properties were once meth houses.
Selling to CC Capital
The fourth and most effective solution available to you is to sell your home to CC Capital, which is a surefire way to get the best offer for your home while also skipping all of the aforementioned steps. At CC Capital, we use a three-step process when buying homes from people who are looking to sell.
First, you should get in touch with us so that we can begin evaluating your home and identifying its value. Once this evaluation has taken place virtually or in person, we’ll provide you with a customized offer that matches your preferred purchasing price, closing date, and timeline. The third and final step is for you to get paid, which occurs immediately after you sign a few documents.
Two Rehab Options
There are only two real options available to you when rehabbing a meth house, which include hiring experienced professionals or completely gutting the home.
Hire Experienced Professionals
Hiring experienced professionals gives you the opportunity to make sure that any and all hazardous materials in your home are effectively removed. This step is crucial if you want your home to be safe to live in. While this option is relatively affordable in most cases, it can be expensive if there are many materials in your home that have been contaminated. Once this service is performed, every room in your home should be tested for meth residue.
Completely Gut the Home
Another option is to completely gut your home, which may be necessary for situations that are so bad that the home needs to be effectively gutted and rebuilt. While this option is available to you, it can be very expensive and usually only occurs after the home has been cleaned by professionals. This process is commonly used by individuals who want to renovate and flip a meth house for high profits. However, it might not be viable if you currently own the property and have lived there for years.
The Dangers of Meth Lab Cleanup
As touched upon previously, cleaning up a meth lab can be dangerous, which is why this process is best handled by professionals. The majority of cooking process for meth involve using volatile organic chemicals, metals, chemical salts, acids, and bases. During this process, additional chemicals can form, which means that dozens of different chemicals can contaminate the property over time.
If ever you’re exposed to these chemicals, the symptoms you might experience include vomiting, breathing issues, confusion, dizziness, headaches, and nose irritation. It’s possible for VOCs to cause cancer as well. Bases or acids may create a burning sensation around the mucous membranes or skin. Being exposed to salts and metals may lead to kidney damage, anemia, and respiratory irritation. Certain metals like mercury and lead are highly hazardous.
Trust Biohazardous Cleaning Professionals
If you want your home to be rid of any meth residue and contaminated materials, you should trust biohazardous cleaning professionals with this job. There are many cleaning experts that have ample experience in cleaning homes that contain meth residue. If you believe that your home was previously used as a meth lab, you should contact these professionals to have your home tested and cleaned. Keep in mind that these professionals will know how to safely remove all contaminated materials from your home.
Rehabbing a meth house is possible as long as you have the money needed to invest in this project. Instead of rehabbing the meth house completely, you could simply have it cleaned to prepare it for sale. Once the property has been cleaned and rid of any meth residue, call CC Capital to receive an offer on your home.
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