How to handle the mold problem in the basement?
 

I just found a quite serious mold problem in my unfinished
basement---after peeling off the plastic covers and isolations (the
first owner or the builder covered the isolation with the plastic
sheets), I found an area of 10ft. X 5ft size on the wallboard are
dark-black with several small spots rotten...I guess it's so-called
black mold due to the long-time dampness. It's my first time buying a
house and I feel very panic and depressed...would you please tell me
how to do next? Contact my insurance company first? or find a mold
cleanup company to have a free estimate first?

Since the bad situation and it involves some vertical supporting wooden
poles for the first floor, I don't think the mold cleanup would do the
work...maybe those wallboard and poles should be replaced---it's the
huge work I think, which kind of company should I turn to? A
construction company? I really don't have any experience about this
issue. Please teach me. Thanks a lot in advance. - Mike

wrote:
I just found a quite serious mold problem in my unfinished
basement---after peeling off the plastic covers and isolations (the
first owner or the builder covered the isolation with the plastic
sheets), I found an area of 10ft. X 5ft size on the wallboard are
dark-black with several small spots rotten...I guess it's so-called
black mold due to the long-time dampness. It's my first time buying a
house and I feel very panic and depressed...would you please tell me
how to do next? Contact my insurance company first? or find a mold
cleanup company to have a free estimate first?

Since the bad situation and it involves some vertical supporting wooden
poles for the first floor, I don't think the mold cleanup would do the
work...maybe those wallboard and poles should be replaced---it's the
huge work I think, which kind of company should I turn to? A
construction company? I really don't have any experience about this
issue. Please teach me. Thanks a lot in advance. - Mike


Don't panic! And don't make any hasty decisions.

Spend some time on the Internet studying about mold problems.

Mold cleanup (remediation) companies are generally rip-off,
quick-buck firms, although there may be some reputable ones.

Step #1 should be to find out *why* the mold grew.
Is it too humid in the basement? If so, that needs to be
fixed (dehumidifier).

If it is wallboard (drywall) that is moldy, the best answer
may be to remove it rather than attempt remediation. The "poles"
(studs?) could be saved, perhaps.

Here are a few links to get you started :

http://www.dehs.umn.edu/iaq/fungus/
http://www3.sympatico.ca/ross.fraser/Richard9.htm
http://www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/moldsigns.htm
http://www.moldcheck.com/MoldCleanUp.asp
http://www.molddamagecontrol.com/list.htm
http://www.moldinspector.com/mold_removal.htm


Do a
http://google.com/
search for: Mold + Remediation

Thousands of pages.
Many are from commercial "cleanup" companies,
but there are some helpful sites out there as well.

Jim

On 17 Jul 2005 12:40:28 -0700, wrote:

I just found a quite serious mold problem in my unfinished
basement---after peeling off the plastic covers and isolations (the
first owner or the builder covered the isolation with the plastic
sheets), I found an area of 10ft. X 5ft size on the wallboard are
dark-black with several small spots rotten...I guess it's so-called
black mold due to the long-time dampness. It's my first time buying a
house and I feel very panic and depressed...would you please tell me
how to do next? Contact my insurance company first? or find a mold
cleanup company to have a free estimate first?

Since the bad situation and it involves some vertical supporting wooden
poles for the first floor, I don't think the mold cleanup would do the
work...maybe those wallboard and poles should be replaced---it's the
huge work I think, which kind of company should I turn to? A
construction company? I really don't have any experience about this
issue. Please teach me. Thanks a lot in advance. - Mike


Speedy Jim's websites offer some good advice, though one has an
outdated link for the NYC Guidelines for Remediation of Fungi blah
blah. The current link is
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/epi/moldrpt1.shtml (look under
"remediation"). It looks as though your situation is level III.
However if the problem is behind the wallboard, you may have a more
severe hidden issue that might take professionals to handle.

If not, then get rid of the wallboard ASAP, break it up and put it in
closed bags. The important thing is to know what you're doing (read
those websites), plan how you'll do it, have everything ready ahead of
time for contained disposal, and be sure to wear protective items
(gloves, eye protection, filter mask, old clothes that can be washed
right away in bleach or discarded). Get an extra filter for your shop
vac and throw it away when you're done with the mold cleanup.

After you get rid of the material, figure out what caused the mold.

There should be no reason to tell the insurance company unless the
contamination is greater than what you have described. If the
contamination is minor, you are better off not telling them and biting
the cost yourself. Just get the cause of the problem fixed.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Most insurance companies do not cover mold at all. Calling your
insurance company could be a big mistake. Most likely the previous
owner's insurance company will not cover mold either. Unless it is a
HUGE problem, calling in the lawyers will be a mistake. Wash the walls
with detergentb and water, and install a dehumodidier. Make sure there
are no plumbing leaks or water leaks from the outside. A dehumidifier
cannot dry out things like that.

Stretch

On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 22:30:11 GMT, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Before committing yourself to spending a lot of money call your
insurance company and investigate the possibility that the prior owner may
be responsible.

Be careful. If the house gets labeled as one with a mold/water
problem, he might find himself without insurance. Insurance companies
have a sort of rating code regarding claims that stay with the house
even for different owners. (I read that recently; unfortunately, I
don't remember where. Reader's Digest, perhaps?)

From the article, it seems that the insurance companies for the buyer
can't get access to the report with the code until the buyer owns the
house, so a buyer could get a policy only to have it revoked after
closing or find out the policy will cost a lot more than the price
quoted before the purchase.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Thank you all! It's very kind of you and I really appreciate. Do you
know, say in the yellow book, what kind of companies (remodeling?
improvement?) I should ask to remove the wallboards? I don't think I
can do it myself since the large board under vinyl is not easy to take
off from the studs and also too heavy. Thanks again. - Mike


Speedy Jim wrote:

Don't panic! And don't make any hasty decisions.

Spend some time on the Internet studying about mold problems.

Mold cleanup (remediation) companies are generally rip-off,
quick-buck firms, although there may be some reputable ones.

Step #1 should be to find out *why* the mold grew.
Is it too humid in the basement? If so, that needs to be
fixed (dehumidifier).

If it is wallboard (drywall) that is moldy, the best answer
may be to remove it rather than attempt remediation. The "poles"
(studs?) could be saved, perhaps.

Here are a few links to get you started :

http://www.dehs.umn.edu/iaq/fungus/
http://www3.sympatico.ca/ross.fraser/Richard9.htm
http://www.toxic-black-mold-info.com/moldsigns.htm
http://www.moldcheck.com/MoldCleanUp.asp
http://www.molddamagecontrol.com/list.htm
http://www.moldinspector.com/mold_removal.htm


Do a
http://google.com/
search for: Mold + Remediation

Thousands of pages.
Many are from commercial "cleanup" companies,
but there are some helpful sites out there as well.

Jim

Curly Sue wrote:
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 22:30:11 GMT, "Joseph Meehan"
wrote:

Before committing yourself to spending a lot of money call your
insurance company and investigate the possibility that the prior
owner may be responsible.

Be careful. If the house gets labeled as one with a mold/water
problem, he might find himself without insurance. Insurance companies
have a sort of rating code regarding claims that stay with the house
even for different owners. (I read that recently; unfortunately, I
don't remember where. Reader's Digest, perhaps?)

From the article, it seems that the insurance companies for the buyer
can't get access to the report with the code until the buyer owns the
house, so a buyer could get a policy only to have it revoked after
closing or find out the policy will cost a lot more than the price
quoted before the purchase.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

I can not speak for every situation. I do have a friend who last winter
had a power outage, resulting in several water pipes leaking resulting in
serious mold and and other damage. The insurance company is covering all
the repair and restoration work. Note: the actual cause of the mold was
know to be the water leak. Each policy is different so it is possible that
some may not cover mold or would only cover it as a secondary issue.

I should also note that about half of the contractors contacted were
rip-offs. They really are playing the deadly mold issue.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

wrote:
I just found a quite serious mold problem in my unfinished
basement---after peeling off the plastic covers and isolations (the
first owner or the builder covered the isolation with the plastic
sheets), I found an area of 10ft. X 5ft size on the wallboard are
dark-black with several small spots rotten...I guess it's so-called
black mold due to the long-time dampness. It's my first time buying a
house and I feel very panic and depressed...would you please tell me
how to do next? Contact my insurance company first? or find a mold
cleanup company to have a free estimate first?

Since the bad situation and it involves some vertical supporting wooden
poles for the first floor, I don't think the mold cleanup would do the
work...maybe those wallboard and poles should be replaced---it's the
huge work I think, which kind of company should I turn to? A
construction company? I really don't have any experience about this
issue. Please teach me. Thanks a lot in advance. - Mike


Mildew has been around a long time, but it is only a recent problem. It
is in the air everywhere, and will grow when/where conditions are
right. Don't panic. Look for the reason you wall is wet and rotten,
and correct the moisture problem. Got a crack in outside wall?
Downspout dropping water at that location? Yard not sloping AWAY from
wall? Leaky window? Leaking pipe or plumbing fixture? Outside wall,
right? Then the "poles" are not likely load-bearing, which makes it a
simpler solution. That is important, and you need to make sure. A
reputable, licensed general contractor, or a good handyman might be
appropriate. Talk to neighbors you know and get references for someone
who has done good work. Then get written bids which specify problem,
corrective steps, materials, cost, payment schedule.

If you are totally unfamiliar with building methods and components, get
a book at the library about remodeling and just read up on basic stuff.
You will probably be relieved and probably have something with a
fairly simple solution. There may be minimal moisture, just have had it
trapped for a long time by the plastic cover. Basements are not
"finished", by custom, for a good reason :o)

In alt.home.repair on 17 Jul 2005 12:40:28 -0700
posted:

I just found a quite serious mold problem in my unfinished

My only think worth saying is that I had a little mold and after I
rearranged the downspout extensions outside and the basement was dry
again, I thought the blackened sheetrock would turn white again. Boy,
can I be stupid. I had to paint it again.

Meirman
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clean it with bleach

Mark