INSPECTING YOUR NEW HOME FOR MOLD
[BEFORE YOU BUY IT]
So, you're buying a new home. Well, mold is probably not the first concern that pops into your head when you think about moving into that dream house. But, you should at least be aware that mold problems are an issue in many states and localities.
For example, the standard real estate contract that you will sign when you buy that dream house may contain a “mold exclusion”. This basically states that you, the buyer, are responsible for having the house inspected for mold before you buy it. If you do decide to have the house inspected for mold, this will probably be in addition to the standard home inspection. Although a number of home inspectors are beginning to learn about mold, a qualified mold inspector is still probably your best bet.
Many of the experts who are knowledgeable in both construction and indoor air quality believe there has been a real increase in the number of problem buildings over the past 25 years. Indoor mold is more of a problem today because of construction practices, materials of construction, loss of craftsmanship, increased energy efficiency, and a lack of builder education about mold. However, the general public has recently become aware of indoor mold as an issue, and that awareness can only increase.
Mold in the indoor environment may be of concern for three reasons. First, mold tends to grow where there are moisture problems. Wherever mold is growing, there may be moisture damage. Sometimes mold is easier to detect than the underlying construction defect that may have caused the mold growth. For example, if a window leaked during the last rain, which was six months ago, the window will probably be dry when tested with a moisture meter. However, the wall cavity under the window may contain a significant amount of mold. In this case, the mold is used as an indicator of previous water damage.
Since your home is probably your largest investment, avoiding mold problems actually protects that investment from physical deterioration and loss of value.
Second, mold can affect the health and well being of you and your family. A variety of health effects may be associated with exposure to mold; including allergies and asthma; infection; irritation; and cytotoxic and neurotoxic effects.
Many of the symptoms associated with exposure to mold affect the quality of life. For example, who wants to wake up every morning with a sinus headache, post nasal drip, irritated throat, or persistent cough? Many people who have fixed a mold problem in their homes have been able to rid themselves of such symptoms.
The third reason to be concerned about mold is because attorneys are concerned about mold. The seller, the buyer (who will one day be the seller), the real estate agent, the mortgage lender, the insurance company - those and others will have a stake in the mold issue. For example, if a home owner in California has a mold problem in their house, they are required to disclose that fact to a prospective buyer. If the mold problem is not disclosed, then the seller could be liable for any resulting damages (OK, so you're not sensitive to mold; but what if the buyer is?).
Mold problems tend to occur where there is moisture damage. If a significant leak or flood has affected a property, then you may need a mold inspection. How do you find out if there's been a problem? At the very least, ask the seller to disclose, in writing, any water intrusion incidents that have affected the house, and to describe what was done to fix the problems. Obviously, having the house specifically inspected for mold doesn't hurt either.
Just because you do not see any visible mold during your buyer's walk-through does not mean there's not a mold problem. As many as two-thirds of the “problem” houses that I inspect (those that have had water intrusions) have hidden mold, although there isn't any visible mold . Where's the mold? In wall cavities, under base cabinets and vanities, inside air return plenums, and beneath carpets and flooring.
Let's summarize some of the times when a mold inspection might be beneficial:
1. You are considering the purchase of a house and you don't know it's “history”, which is typical ;
2. A major water intrusion incident has affected the property and you are uncertain how it was addressed;
3. Mold is visible on surfaces or other items;
4. You can just “feel” the high humidity indoors.
There are some things you can look for yourself when you are buying a house. However, just because a particular house has one of the following characteristics doesn't mean it has either a water or a mold problem. But, these characteristics do suggest that a concerned buyer may wish to have a mold inspection.
1. Plumbing walls (behind showers, toilets, sinks, laundries) appear to be moisture damaged, buckled, or discolored..
2. Sky lights, sliding glass doors, french doors, and cantilevered beams penetrating perimeter walls.
3. Planter boxes adjoining perimeter walls.
4. Exterior areas lacking adequate drainage (covered weep screed, foundation plants that can't drain), perimeter walls that are below-grade.
5. Irrigation system visibly impacting the perimeter wall, soil level above siding, poor drainage around foundation, excessive drainage from neighboring lots.
Just one simple thing: Request that the seller's Agent ask the occupants to keep all doors and windows closed from at least the evening prior to the mold inspection (or earlier if possible); and turn off all air cleaning devices at the same time. Does this mean the occupants can't open and close doors? No, just don't leave them open. The occupants can use the heating and cooling as required.
Air samples are typically collected both indoors and outdoors, and the mold concentrations indoors are often compared to the concentrations outdoors. This comparison doesn't work very well if the inspector arrives and finds all the windows open.
A screening inspection for mold is a cost-effective inspection that is limited in scope and that can provide a “yes/no” answer within two to three days. It is limited to a visual inspection and the collection of air samples throughout the house. A screening inspection is an inexpensive option when a mold problem is not expected, such as when purchasing a new home.
Besides a thorough visual inspection, air samples are collected in every room of the house. Why is it important to sample the air in every room? Let's assume that only the air in the living room was sampled. No unusual airborne spores were detected, and the inspector stated that no significant molds were detected in the inspection report - which was true. But, sampling the air in the living room didn't tell the inspector anything about the air in the master bathroom.
The prospective buyer purchases the house, only to discover that a significant mold problem exists in the master bathroom. Now, the real estate agent, the seller, the inspector, and the buyer get to spend the next two years learning about our legal system. It's simply good practice to sample every room.
The air sampling attempts to address the issue of hidden mold. The question that's trying to be answered is “are mold spores affecting the indoor air?”. If they are, then it's assumed there is a hidden mold reservoir, that was not found during the visual inspection, affecting the indoor air. If no airborne mold spores are detected, then it is assumed there aren't any hidden mold reservoirs affecting the indoor air.
The visual inspection should include the necessary elements from the following list:
1. A visual inspection of the exterior of the building;
2. A visual inspection of the interior of the building;
3. An occupant interview (age of building, other hazards, time of residence);
4. An incident history (number of incidents, when they occurred, areas affected, what was done to fix the damage);
5. Measurement of moisture content using a moisture meter; and
6. Photographic documentation of the condition of the property.
Personally, I don't include crawl spaces or attics in the visual inspection. I leave those areas to the home inspector. I limit the mold inspection to the occupied spaces of the house. For example, the relevant question is not “is there mold in the crawl space?”. The question I want to answer is “if there is mold in the crawl space, can it get inside the house and affect the occupants?”.
Hidden mold can exist in wall cavities, under base cabinets, in attics, or in crawl spaces, for example. These mold reservoirs can most easily affect the indoor environment when there is a lower pressure indoors compared to the pressure in the wall cavity, attic, or crawl space. This “pressure differential” allows mold spores to move from the area of higher pressure (crawl space) to the area of lower pressure (living room).
One method of testing for the presence of hidden mold is to collect an indoor air sample (near the return air grill, for example) with the furnace and all the exhaust fans (kitchen and bathrooms) off. Then have the inspector turn on the furnace fan and exhaust fans for about 15 minutes, followed by a second air sample in the same location. Any significant difference in the results could be due to the presence of hidden mold.
What happens if you find a house that you really like, but it has a mold problem? Well, you have three choices:
1. Don't buy it (in which case your spouse will never forgive you);
2. Buy the house and live with the mold problem (asking the seller to give you a huge discount because of the mold, of course);
3. Negotiate with the seller to have the mold problem fixed.
The first step in fixing a mold problem is finding the source of the moisture that is causing the mold, and correcting that problem. Unless that can be accomplished cost-effectively, you may wish to consider other houses.
Actually, the options for addressing a mold problem are simple. You can either ignore, repair, restore, or remediate a mold problem. The simplest option is to simply repair the damage caused by the water, basically ignoring the mold, and often the source of the water. A repair can be as simple as painting over water stained and/or moldy ceiling tiles or drywall. This does not qualify as “fixing the mold problem”.
Restoration refers to restoring the damaged materials to a useable condition (not necessarily their original condition) and returning them to service. This generally involves drying the materials in-place. For example, drying holes are cut into a wet wall along the baseboard, fans and maybe dehumidifiers are put in the house to speed the drying process. In this example, the objective is to dry the wall or base cabinets without having to remove the damaged wallboard, insulation, or base cabinets. Restoration, in my experience, may be a reasonable option if the drying is substantially completed within 2 to 3 days following the water intrusion incident , not the discovery of the incident.
Remediation refers to removing the damaged and moldy materials from the structure under controlled conditions by a qualified remediation contractor. This is the highest level of response, and one which, in my opinion, the homeowner should consider if more than 2 to 3 days have elapsed since the water intrusion incident.
The types and amounts of damaged materials also influences which option is most appropriate. For example, you might decide to treat a square foot of moldy wall in the garage differently than 10 square feet of moldy ceiling in a child's bedroom. However, the type of mold ( Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium ) that is present doesn't really affect the need for remediation. If there is evidence of the excessive growth of any type of mold in the indoor environment, then the problem should be addressed.