Professional Colonia, NJ on Feb 17, 2012

A new mold project my crew and I will be working on the next six weeks.

This is an example of just how bad mold can get in a very short period of time. Entire flooring system, sub-floors, main floor, tile must come out on entire lower level of home. This is a real important issue. The poor client is not covered by insurance as most people are not.

Check your home owners insurance to see if you can add a rider just to cover yourself.

I will post progress photos as we move along the next six weeks.

28 Comments Displaying 25 of 28 comments | See Previous

Donna Dixson Buford, GA

How old is the house?

on Feb 18, 2012 · Like 0
Carol M Alpharetta, GA

Is this a basement or crawlspace? How did the homeowners know there was a problem?

on Feb 18, 2012 · Like 0
Homework Remodels ~ Tri-L... Phoenix, AZ

Thanks for posting this mess. We all need to know more about the causes and dangers of mold.

on Feb 18, 2012 · Like 0
Nichter's Home Services C... Islesboro, ME

I've seen worse. That is nothing that five gallons and a match couldn't fix
LOL

on Feb 18, 2012 · Like 1
Susan S Fredericksburg, VA

EEEEEEEWWWWW!! What a health hazard from all those mold spores! YUCK!! Will watch for updates on how you solved this issue - really gross!

on Feb 18, 2012 · Like 0
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

house is a split level with part basement part crawl. The primary cause was the heating boiler had a air vent that was allowing water to escape much like a fine mist so the humidity level was quite high. There was also a bit of water in crawl space, but this was not in my opinion the primary cause of this issue.
Odors were part of the equation, but the owner really did not go into the crawl space so they ...»
had no real idea that there was such a large issue. We went there to do energy audit, and as part of this process we look for mold, asbestos or anything else that could become an issue when we run our fans. Needless to say we did not do audit.
I will, be posting before during and after shots. As we completely gut the first floor level. Monday we all go for fit tests for our breathing respirators and we being to move the furniture out of the rooms. Then the kitchen cabinets come out after we remove the new granite tops. Not going to be easy. Once done with that, all ventilation equipment, air scrubbers and Hepa filters begin to do their jobs.
We will be ozone blasting the area every night to kill off any live mold that is exposed as we remove the flooring thought out the house.
Nichter, I also have seen worse as well, but this was the first time the flooring system was destroyed such as this. Normally it is the Sheetrock walls that suffer. But other then a slight odor you could not even tell that there was an issue until you went down stairs. But we will soon see.

on Feb 18, 2012 · Like 0
Nichter's Home Services C... Islesboro, ME

The worst I saw was also from a fine mist coming from a pinhole leak in a water line in the crawl. Close to that source of moisture, the mold was hanging in strings 18" long .
The reason I went in and found it was they called to say the refrigerator was tilting, and they could not get it level. I found the floor under the sheet vinyl was soft and punky, so I went down under to find out why. What I found was like a scene from a horror movie. ...»

I made an estimate for the fix and long story made short, the family moved out of state and defaulted on the loan. three years later, the bank had a low-ball type contractor in there for a few weeks. I doubt that they really dealt with things properly tho.
Looking forward to seeing your photo string of the progress on this

on Feb 19, 2012 · Like 0
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

Nichter that is pretty much the same thing here. The fine mist of the water coming out of the air vent raised the humidity really high. While there was additional water on the floor from a poor drainage system which we plan to replace, the misting is what raised the humidity levels so high to trigger the mold development.

on Feb 19, 2012 · Like 0
Mark Potter Lagrangeville, NY

Nice! Similar issue I saw but glad I didn't work on was wondering why all the cobwebs and spiders were completely white something out of a syfi horror movie then found the hot heat line misting from a crack nasty stuff :(

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

The saga continues. Two ten hour days and we managed to remove mud tile floor, and two other poorly installed tile floors over linoleum. We have managed to remove the floor in the family room, kitchen, after removing the granite counters that were glued in and seamed. Another story for another day. Then pulling the base cabinets. Got the kitchen done and finished the dining room. So far we have created about 10 cubic yards of debris. ...»

The interesting thing was the few of the mold people who were going to come in and clean..... I am so glad we are tearing the floors out. The layers between the plywood, and not the areas that looked ok were completely filled with mold between each laminated layer of the plywood. So much so as when we removed the hardwood floor areas we began to fall through the sub floor area.
So a surface cleaning and spraying would have done nothing to fix the issue other then to hide it.
on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Peace Painting Co., Inc. Alpharetta, GA

Yamini, That mess is a place.
Nitcher in the olden days, they were known to have torn down the house if it had mold, check out Leviticus 14:33-
Looks like they really need your help here Bob.
CP

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 1
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

Your exactly correct about Leviticus. If they attempted to clean and the mold came back they were to tear down the home and remove it out of town it in a unkempt place. This is exactly what is done today. An attempt to clean is first done. Then if that does not work, removal to a dumpster and then a landfill. I learned about this in one of my very first mold classes many years ago.

on Feb 21, 2012 · Like 0
Nancy F

This is definitely a replacement project, but for situations that are not this bad, I have had great success with a product that kills and then inhibits regrowth of mold... was called ZymoCat and now called Moldzyme. It's available online if youcan't find a retailer. A non-toxic enzyme removes mold and discoloration, and keeps it from redeveloping.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Janet Cagle Hoschton, GA

I have a mold question: We are in a new home..less than 4 years old. Right after we moved in we had a leak in the master bath shower that dripped into the garage ceiling. The ceiling fell in. The bulider came out, found the leak,let the wetness dry out for a couple days, replaced insulation and replaced drywall. BUT there have been many times I feel like I can smell mold in the shower area. They said once mold no longer has moisture it cannot grow. Is this true?

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Bernice H Yakima, WA

Nichter....a good chuckle from me...I don't think I have the patience to deal with something like this. Yep, 5 gallons and a match if I could get away with it, which I am too honest and fearful to do.
Thank you, Woodbridge, for posting this and keeping us up to date. I am sure many people have mold and don't know it, they just keep getting sick and saying it is allergies, sinus etc! You are ...»
doing a good service for us all, besides a very interesting and informative post!
I will seriously follow this.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Regenia S Chesapeake, VA

Question: One day I came home to an awlful smell in one of the guest bedrooms. I checked the attic, pulled out everything fromthe room, checked all the other rooms and found nothing. So, I opened windows (during the winter, yes) and eventually within a few days the smell was gone. To me it smelled as if something died in the walls, but my sister seems to think it was a damp smell. I cannot find leaks, or holes or anything out of the ordinary to determine where this smell may have come ...»
from. DO you have any suggestions? I'm just afraid we might have mold issues and not realize it until it is too late or so out of control that we can't control it. Thanks

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Mark Potter Lagrangeville, NY

Janet, how bad was the leak? If it was behind your shower wall and just ran down the line it might have gotten the wood wet. Do you have access behind the shower wall? Maybe needs a second look just because the Sheetrock was replaced doesn't mean that it was all replaced was remaining Sheetrock cleaned out? The answer to the question is yes it won't grow anymore but doesn't mean that it won't smell.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
Mark Potter Lagrangeville, NY

Regenia, it's hard to tell it could have been a mouse that has died in the wall it happens. If your really concerned about it you can get a moisture reader to test walls with or have a plumber come out with one I don't know if you can rent them though. Can also check around your windows make shore there arent any openings that water might be getting in just a little water that comes in the windows and then underneath because maybe someone who installed them put a screw were there shouldn't be screws or nails.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 1
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

Regenia,
The first thing you need to understand is that any mold issue can be corrected if indeed you have this happening.
The 2nd thing is to understand a bit about mold and once you do, you will not be worried as quite as much. ...»

The project I am working on now is one of those extreme conditions which is why I posted information about it. Its not any ones fault that it got this bad, but it has to be dealt with the the home owner is doing just that.
I would say about 95% of the homes that I visit because of a mold concern is something that the owner can fix on their own. And the remaining 5% is something that they really need professional guidance on. But even that small amount if properly instructed most of those can be done by someone willing to put the right effort in and follow the directions from the person who evaluated the job.
With all of that said. I must add my 1Cent to molds.
Mold has been around sense the beginning of time. And its not going anywhere. As we all begin to become more energy wise we are making our homes more tight. This is causing the molds that have been in homes sense they were building them to show up as odors that normally would have just vented out because of the air loss in the structure.
As a result of this many cottage industries have developed and a few have done quite well. However most of them are just plain old snake oil salesman, playing on the fears of those who do not really understand what is going on and what to do about it.
Hundreds of labs and testing centers have sprung up. Most of them offer "Certifications" for those who want to claim they are certified as a mold testing company. When all these labs are doing is teaching these folks on how to sell their products. If you visit many mold testing companies sites and spend a bit of time looking at them. You will find somewhere there is a magic cure that they are selling to fix your mold condition once and for all.
There has even been posted on this site many times product brands that I am sure will clean up mold etc, but really have no foundational facts on their products. Some say they kill the mold and prevents it from coming back. And perhaps they do. But if the leak is still occurring, you will find that mold back quite quickly. Even with the special products that I use, and in order for me to use them I need to be licensed as a pest control person and company as these products actually do kill the mold. And even though I use these special products the mold will come back if I did not find the source of the moisture and correct it.
My personal experience tells me that its harder to find and fix the moisture or water issue then it is to remove the mold.
So in your case, if the smell does not go away in a few days after venting out the area, you need to choose a professional contractor who in more interested in finding out why you have this smell and how to correct it, then to just sell you all sorts of fancy gadgets, air filters, sprays and odor eliminators to solve you issue at hand.
Feel free to reach out to me via email and I will be sure to help you out if you cannot figure out the source of your issues.
Keep us posted on how you proceed.

on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 2
Janet Cagle Hoschton, GA

Hi Mark...THANKS! The leak was from improper sealing under a ledge in the shower....the place where you could sit while in the shower. That wall is half tile (inside the shower) and half glass. It butts up to the tub decking. I was wondering if mold could have gotten under the shower floor....there is a fiberglass basin on the floor. Is there anything I can do to get the mold smell out? If it weren't for the fact the tile is no longer made I would rip everything out...well have my ...»
hubby do that....and see what was going on. We only bought enough extra tile to replace a tile that perhaps would break over time.AND what's worse...the builder is no longer in business from the down turn in the housing market.

on Feb 24, 2012 · Like 0
Mark Potter Lagrangeville, NY

Have him check as far back as he can if the leak accrued there and what was the perverted maintenance you did retile, silicone, did you take the wall out cheetrock cementbord this if it hasnt been replace. Once you check under tub and the problemed area and doesnt look good start a new post so we can better help you don't want to clog up Woodbridge post here lol thanks.

on Feb 24, 2012 · Like 0
Woodbridge Environmental ... Colonia, NJ

If the mold is due to a leak around the seating area and they did not remove the entire seat and discard the damaged material, they did nothing to fix the issue. There is no option other then removal which is what I would suggest you do. Simply sealing the seat area is not the correct method of fixing. If the house is not that old you should be able to get something that will go with the existing tile color. But if seat is bad, so is the entire pan area I would assume. So be prepared to gut the entire area out.

on Feb 24, 2012 · Like 0
Mark Potter Lagrangeville, NY

Correct I have never seen or heard if there was that bad of leak from faulty tile the Damage behind the tile would be that of none. So if that wasnt replaced behind the tile then it's time to gut it out water doesn't pick and chose were it wants to destroy anything in its path will be ruined.

on Feb 24, 2012 · Like 0
Glkirk Builders Inc. Chesapeake, VA

Regenia,
I too think it is the smell of a dead mouse you are experiencing.
Often they will borough into flex-duct and die (I have seen one half way in and half way out.)
It's a terrible smell!

on Feb 26, 2012 · Like 0
Terri J York, PA

Glad you posted this, as many peole really don't realize how fast mold can take over a house. I know from first hand experience, but thankfully it only cost me about two feet of drywall and carpeting being cut out of a finished basement. Entire homes can be condemned because of mold, so now I check every so often if my basement floods to make sure non has come back. Had it professionally treated, but still...

on Feb 29, 2012 · Like 0