Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house and we just went through it
with the engineer. This house is a split level, and while checking the
attic crawlspace above the master bedroom, he noticed that the plywood
on the roof looked a little damp and there was mold growing on the
wood. The insulation is blown in and whoever did this never installed
any kind of vapor barrier. Now my questions a

1) How hard would it be to install a vapor barrier? I know everything
has to be sucked out, then the barrier has to be installed, then new
insulation has to be blown in. This sounds pretty tricky since the
only access is the attic crawlspace and I don't believe the joists
would handle a lot of weight.

2) I don't believe I saw any soffits on the outside of the house.
Would adding soffits and making sure there was adequate airflow in the
attic correct the problem?

I know we're going to be busy taking care of a lot of things when we
move in, so I'm not going to have much time to take care of this
stuff; and I want to get this taken care of ASAP.

Does anyone know approximately how much this would cost to have it
professionally done? We might be able to get this cost taken off of
the offer. Thanks for any help!

wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house and we just went through it
with the engineer. This house is a split level, and while checking the
attic crawlspace above the master bedroom, he noticed that the plywood
on the roof looked a little damp and there was mold growing on the
wood. The insulation is blown in and whoever did this never installed
any kind of vapor barrier. Now my questions a

1) How hard would it be to install a vapor barrier? I know everything
has to be sucked out, then the barrier has to be installed, then new
insulation has to be blown in. This sounds pretty tricky since the
only access is the attic crawlspace and I don't believe the joists
would handle a lot of weight.

2) I don't believe I saw any soffits on the outside of the house.
Would adding soffits and making sure there was adequate airflow in the
attic correct the problem?

I know we're going to be busy taking care of a lot of things when we
move in, so I'm not going to have much time to take care of this
stuff; and I want to get this taken care of ASAP.

Does anyone know approximately how much this would cost to have it
professionally done? We might be able to get this cost taken off of
the offer. Thanks for any help!


Ventilation, either passive or powered, may solve it.

Instead of ripping out the insulation, paint the ceiling
with vapor-retarding paint before decorating. This can be
very effective. Ask at the paint store.

Jim

I question whether the lack of a vapor barrier has anything to do
with the problem.

I would suspect an exhaust fan that is not ducted to the outside
or lack of an exhaust fan above the shower area. The money and
effort would be better spent ensuring ducted exhaust, adding a
bathroom exhaust fan, and proper roof venting. Make sure you have
soffit vents, make sure they are not blocked, and add ridge vent
or attic vent as required.
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house and we just went through
it
with the engineer. This house is a split level, and while
checking the
attic crawlspace above the master bedroom, he noticed that the
plywood
on the roof looked a little damp and there was mold growing on
the
wood. The insulation is blown in and whoever did this never
installed
any kind of vapor barrier. Now my questions a

1) How hard would it be to install a vapor barrier? I know
everything
has to be sucked out, then the barrier has to be installed, then
new
insulation has to be blown in. This sounds pretty tricky since
the
only access is the attic crawlspace and I don't believe the
joists
would handle a lot of weight.

2) I don't believe I saw any soffits on the outside of the
house.
Would adding soffits and making sure there was adequate airflow
in the
attic correct the problem?

I know we're going to be busy taking care of a lot of things
when we
move in, so I'm not going to have much time to take care of this
stuff; and I want to get this taken care of ASAP.

Does anyone know approximately how much this would cost to have
it
professionally done? We might be able to get this cost taken off
of
the offer. Thanks for any help!

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house and we just went through it
with the engineer. This house is a split level, and while checking the
attic crawlspace above the master bedroom, he noticed that the plywood
on the roof looked a little damp and there was mold growing on the
wood. The insulation is blown in and whoever did this never installed
any kind of vapor barrier. Now my questions a

1) How hard would it be to install a vapor barrier? I know everything
has to be sucked out, then the barrier has to be installed, then new
insulation has to be blown in. This sounds pretty tricky since the
only access is the attic crawlspace and I don't believe the joists
would handle a lot of weight.

2) I don't believe I saw any soffits on the outside of the house.
Would adding soffits and making sure there was adequate airflow in the
attic correct the problem?

*BINGO* Most likley the problem is in adequate airflow in the attic. You
need soffit vents to let air in, and ridge or can vents to let air out.
This is a new house you say? If so proceed with caution. If the builder
made an ameture mistake such as this (which could be quite costly to fix
correctly I might add)
then there's no teling what else they did. (or did not do). If your serious
about buying this house, then I'd hire an impartial 3rd party home inspector
and have the house checked out.
Good Luck!

In article , "DanG" wrote:
I question whether the lack of a vapor barrier has anything to do
with the problem.

I would suspect an exhaust fan that is not ducted to the outside
or lack of an exhaust fan above the shower area. The money and
effort would be better spent ensuring ducted exhaust, adding a
bathroom exhaust fan, and proper roof venting. Make sure you have
soffit vents, make sure they are not blocked, and add ridge vent
or attic vent as required.

That's all likely true. However, before working on all
of this the OP needs to eliminate the possibility of
a actual leak. Maybe some flashing needs repair or
perhaps water is leaking in via a poorly placed nail.

Proper ducting of bathroom vents and adequate ventilation
of the roof space are both really important.

However, the first task is to locate the source of the
water (leak, condensation, whatever). Fix that and then
consider other "improvements" that will help maintain
a nice dry roof space.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 13:49:56 GMT, Speedy Jim wrote:

wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house and we just went through it
with the engineer. This house is a split level, and while checking the
attic crawlspace above the master bedroom, he noticed that the plywood
on the roof looked a little damp and there was mold growing on the
wood. The insulation is blown in and whoever did this never installed
any kind of vapor barrier. Now my questions a

1) How hard would it be to install a vapor barrier? I know everything
has to be sucked out, then the barrier has to be installed, then new
insulation has to be blown in. This sounds pretty tricky since the
only access is the attic crawlspace and I don't believe the joists
would handle a lot of weight.

2) I don't believe I saw any soffits on the outside of the house.
Would adding soffits and making sure there was adequate airflow in the
attic correct the problem?

I know we're going to be busy taking care of a lot of things when we
move in, so I'm not going to have much time to take care of this
stuff; and I want to get this taken care of ASAP.

Does anyone know approximately how much this would cost to have it
professionally done? We might be able to get this cost taken off of
the offer. Thanks for any help!


Ventilation, either passive or powered, may solve it.

Instead of ripping out the insulation, paint the ceiling
with vapor-retarding paint before decorating. This can be
very effective. Ask at the paint store.

Jim

imho:

Good advice about the paint. I was concerned about my house too, no
vapor barriar. I got Kilz, and used that. I can't claim it worked,
but I got a better peace of mind.


As for the house, personally I would shy away from anything that had
clearly visible mold, not typical bathroom mildew. But that is is me,
since I heard there are usually more than one house on a market at a
time.

later,

tom @ www.FreelancingProjects.com

On Mar 17, 10:45 pm, wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house and we just went through it
with the engineer. This house is a split level, and while checking the
attic crawlspace above the master bedroom, he noticed that the plywood
on the roof looked a little damp and there was mold growing on the
wood. The insulation is blown in and whoever did this never installed
any kind of vapor barrier. Now my questions a

1) How hard would it be to install a vapor barrier? I know everything
has to be sucked out, then the barrier has to be installed, then new
insulation has to be blown in. This sounds pretty tricky since the
only access is the attic crawlspace and I don't believe the joists
would handle a lot of weight.

2) I don't believe I saw any soffits on the outside of the house.
Would adding soffits and making sure there was adequate airflow in the
attic correct the problem?

I know we're going to be busy taking care of a lot of things when we
move in, so I'm not going to have much time to take care of this
stuff; and I want to get this taken care of ASAP.

Does anyone know approximately how much this would cost to have it
professionally done? We might be able to get this cost taken off of
the offer. Thanks for any help!

Don't disagree w/ other comments but...are you being represented in
this transaction? If not, you should be. Did you place a non-
contingent offer? It would be far more advantageous to you in all
likelihood to require the seller take care of any problems before the
sale closes and a legal beagle can make sure you will have recourse.
If you choose to simply make a lower offer, you need far better data
than a guess from a usenet group to have any idea of what the actual
out of pocket costs could be in order to have any basis whatsoever for
what a fair compensation would be. Particularly if you are not
interested in doing the work yourself, you may be surprised
(astonished/shocked/horrified???) at how fast contractor costs can
escalate, particularly if in repairing one problem you uncover
others...

In short, my recommendation is to proceed far more slowly than not and
with deliberation and wise counsel...

Btw, damhikt...

--

On Mar 17, 10:45 pm, wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house

snip

Stop! No new house should show this kind of problem. Don't even think
about band-aiding the turkey. Take your money and find a better place
by a competent builder, maybe even a one or two year old place in a
more settled subdivision. What you're looking at now sounds like a
money pit of sloppy wormanship and cheap materials that will keep you
strapped for years. You've had your warning, don't get conned by
aggressive sales people.

Joe

"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 17, 10:45 pm, wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house

snip

Stop! No new house should show this kind of problem. Don't even think
about band-aiding the turkey. Take your money and find a better place
by a competent builder, maybe even a one or two year old place in a
more settled subdivision. What you're looking at now sounds like a
money pit of sloppy wormanship and cheap materials that will keep you
strapped for years. You've had your warning, don't get conned by
aggressive sales people.

Agreed. The only thing I have ever seen mess up an attic that quickly would be
a furnace flu that is dumping the exhaust into the attic. That would take only
weeks to ruin the decking boards on the roof. More "typical" problems would
usually take many months or even years to cause noticeable damage.

I should have been more specific. I didn't mean new as in brand new.
It was built in '78. I meant new as in "we're getting a new
house".

I'm getting a mold test done tomorrow to see what type it is, then i'm
going to have a specialist do a free quote to see how much it will
cost. Then, if the seller decides to pay for the fix, i'll buy the
house, otherwise i'm able to walk away. Thanks for all the
recommendations. Now, I have to look around for reputable company to
check everything out for us.


Rick Brandt wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 17, 10:45 pm, wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house

snip

Stop! No new house should show this kind of problem. Don't even think
about band-aiding the turkey. Take your money and find a better place
by a competent builder, maybe even a one or two year old place in a
more settled subdivision. What you're looking at now sounds like a
money pit of sloppy wormanship and cheap materials that will keep you
strapped for years. You've had your warning, don't get conned by
aggressive sales people.

Agreed. The only thing I have ever seen mess up an attic that quickly would be
a furnace flu that is dumping the exhaust into the attic. That would take only
weeks to ruin the decking boards on the roof. More "typical" problems would
usually take many months or even years to cause noticeable damage.

On Mar 18, 11:03 pm, wrote:
I should have been more specific. I didn't mean new as in brand new.
It was built in '78. I meant new as in "we're getting a new
house".

I'm getting a mold test done tomorrow to see what type it is, then i'm
going to have a specialist do a free quote to see how much it will
cost. Then, if the seller decides to pay for the fix, i'll buy the
house, otherwise i'm able to walk away. Thanks for all the
recommendations. Now, I have to look around for reputable company to
check everything out for us.



Rick Brandt wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 17, 10:45 pm, wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house

snip

Stop! No new house should show this kind of problem. Don't even think
about band-aiding the turkey. Take your money and find a better place
by a competent builder, maybe even a one or two year old place in a
more settled subdivision. What you're looking at now sounds like a
money pit of sloppy wormanship and cheap materials that will keep you
strapped for years. You've had your warning, don't get conned by
aggressive sales people.

Agreed. The only thing I have ever seen mess up an attic that quickly would be
a furnace flu that is dumping the exhaust into the attic. That would take only
weeks to ruin the decking boards on the roof. More "typical" problems would
usually take many months or even years to cause noticeable damage.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Type of mould seems rather immaterial. If you have an almost 30 year
old house with moisture and visible mould in the attic proceed very
carefully. Maybe don't buy?
The roof may be rotting or popping nails! Building codes specify
certain area of venting and also that there must be cross ventilation.
Also where is the moisture coming from? Improper ventilation,
something vented into attic (nothing should be!), leakage of air into
the attic due to poor ceilings/missing vapour barrier etc. And yes
certain types of paint can provide a measure of vapour barrier.
Hope you haven't got an expensive lemon on your hands!

On Mar 18, 9:49 pm, "terry" wrote:
On Mar 18, 11:03 pm, wrote:





I should have been more specific. I didn't mean new as in brand new.
It was built in '78. I meant new as in "we're getting a new
house".

I'm getting amoldtest done tomorrow to see what type it is, then i'm
going to have a specialist do a free quote to see how much it will
cost. Then, if the seller decides to pay for the fix, i'll buy the
house, otherwise i'm able to walk away. Thanks for all the
recommendations. Now, I have to look around for reputable company to
check everything out for us.

Rick Brandt wrote:
"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 17, 10:45 pm, wrote:
Hi,

The wife and I put a bid on a new house

snip

Stop! No new house should show this kind of problem. Don't even think
about band-aiding the turkey. Take your money and find a better place
by a competent builder, maybe even a one or two year old place in a
more settled subdivision. What you're looking at now sounds like a
money pit of sloppy wormanship and cheap materials that will keep you
strapped for years. You've had your warning, don't get conned by
aggressive sales people.

Agreed. The only thing I have ever seen mess up an attic that quickly would be
a furnace flu that is dumping the exhaust into the attic. That would take only
weeks to ruin the decking boards on the roof. More "typical" problems would
usually take many months or even years to cause noticeable damage.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Type of mould seems rather immaterial. If you have an almost 30 year
old house with moisture and visible mould in the attic proceed very
carefully. Maybe don't buy?
The roof may be rotting or popping nails! Building codes specify
certain area of venting and also that there must be cross ventilation.
Also where is the moisture coming from? Improper ventilation,
something vented into attic (nothing should be!), leakage of air into
the attic due to poor ceilings/missing vapour barrier etc. And yes
certain types of paint can provide a measure of vapour barrier.
Hope you haven't got an expensive lemon on your hands!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

There is some type of moisture problem. But if you got a 25 year
warranty against mold growth- I bet that would change how you looked
at the house. I agree inspect it all. then treat the attic with a
Mold Prevention product. Mycodyne gives you a 25 year warranty. I know
this for a fact.

www.moldshield.org