This has always been a rather touchy subject in the real estate industry. Here is your chance to tell your "horror stories" and how you dealt with them. Hopefully, we can all learn and benefit from the knowledge of your experiences, good and bad.
Let's see where this leads us; please try to stay on topic. Here we go.......
If the visible mold is less than 10 sq ft. the EPA says it can be cleaned up by anyone, just following some simple guidelines. Mold testing can get very expensive, since the recommendation is to swab test every color of mold seen separately, and also to perform indoor/outdoor air quality testing. That bill can quickly climb to over $500 easily. Make sure your inspector measures the visible mold areas. An easy cleanup, and treating with 10% bleach solution is more often than not a better route than testing. Especially if the mold area is confined, and there is/was an identifiable leak source that caused it.
If the leak source has been repaired, then the mold can not grow. Mold needs a food source (usually wood, or cellulose based products) and a moisture source to propagate. Eliminate one (usually the moisture) and the mold problem is contained. Removal of affected drywall, insulation, framing, and especially carpet is preferred.
I was doing a regular home inspection a while back on a home built in 1924 where some Einstein decided to block off the entire crawlspace. No access, no ventilation...nothing. Anyway, as I was doing the inspection I made my way into the kitchen area where there was a VERY strong mildewy odor. By also doing Mold testing myself, I could tell immediately there was a problem somewhere. (I still had the blocked crawlspace in the back of my mind).
I go over to the kitchen cabinets and opened up the door underneath the sink. Immediately I saw Mold bleeding up through the bottom of the cabinet right where the pipe went down. Now one thing, by me doing Mold testing you think I would have been smarter than this, but no...I stuck my head into the cabinet to get a closer look, the next thing I know I was flat on my back laying in the middle of the kitchen floor. The smell was so concentrated and so strong that I literally blacked out for a few seconds. I have NEVER in my time as a home inspector and a Mold professional ran across anything like that before. After I woke up, I was still dizzy and the smell was still in my nose. I immediately got out of the house and got my Mold gear out of my truck, and went back in to finish the inspection. I informed my client of my findings (she was a first time house flipper) and told her that in my opinion the Mold was coming up from underneath the home, probably due to the blocked crawlspace. I also told her this was some pretty serious stuff and not to take this lightly.
Long story short, I found out a while back. The flippers went to replace some sub-flooring in the living room, so when they went to do so, they found the problem alright. The ENTIRE crawlspace was black with mold. The odor was so bad they had to bring the Hazmat guys in to do their thing. They actually had to condemn the home and demolish it.
Do not let anyone tell you that Mold is not a problem and that "oh it's an easy cure and fix", or "oh you don't need to test for Mold" or " The EPA says this and the EPA says that..." blah, blah, blah. Mold is VERY serious and can cause VERY serious allergies, illnesses and even death. After that ordeal, I have a much greater respect for Mold and I do not take anything for granted anymore when inspecting homes. If you are a homeowner and you have any concern at all about Mold, you should have your home inspected, and air samples taken. Experts estimate that over 10% of the general public suffers adverse respiratory effects from toxins produced by mold.
Contrary to popular belief, sometimes you cannot always see or even smell the Mold, but that doesn't mean that it isn't there wreaking havoc on your home and upper respiratory system.
I hope my story helps someone
Peace
I am not trying to minimize mold or it's dangerous effects by any means. I have come across several similar situations to yours Mike, and I know how devastating a large concentration of mold can be. Actually, after doing years of mold testing, I believe that my own body has become a kind of "geiger counter " for mold, because whenever I get near a good sized concentration of it now, my eyes start to water, and my throat starts closing off. So, I pretty well know when I am near it. Anything approaching that level, I always recommend professional testing and mitigation.
What I was trying to say before is that, on the other hand, there are many instances where the mold source and extent can easily be idientified, and quantified. In those types of cases, treatment and remediation can be explained, simplified, and performed by non-professional personnel, so long as some basic guidelines are followed. So, not Every case of mold has to be a "run screaming" scenario.
The worst story I had heard was from a local mold inspector. It involved a rental home. Evidently, the tenants were kicked out of the house on bad terms in the fall, but the owners wanted to wait until Spring to sell. The agent cleaned out the house, swept up, and got it ready for sale, just before locking the doors that Fall. The next Spring, the agent went to the home with the thought that they would only have to dust appliances and such since it had been cleaned in the Fall. What he saw when he opened the door was a literal DISASTER. There was mold 1/4 inch thick on EVERYTHING, even the appliances. What had happened was the tenants were still angry about being kicked out. They came back to the home, presumably under the cover of night, climbed on the roof with a drill, and drilled about 50,000 holes in the roof. All the moisture from the snows and rain of the Fall and Winter had seeped down into the home and created a tear down situation. My friend, the mold guy, said he was advised to put on his gas mask before he even got out of his car!!
Kevin, I stop by in-order to check to see if you had started being active on your blog here agin or not.
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