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Mold remediation, water proofing...need guidance please

Mold remediation, water proofing...need guidance please


  #1  
Old 03-13-11, 10:36 AM
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Mold remediation, water proofing...need guidance please

Hello,

We've got a mess in our house. With all the snow this winter and rain this spring...the garage has flooded up to several inches. The crawl space is flooding, and there's water coming in the utility room and extending across the floor toward the finished side of the basement.

I had a waterproofing company come in to give us an estimate and they identified what they call a "severe mold problem." My dad had his work room in the "utility room" part of the basement and the walls and floor were absolutely COVERED with benches and tables and file cabinets and shelves and JUNK. It took two guys and a 10' box truck over 2 days to clear dad's stuff from the utility room and most (but not all) from under the crawl space last summer. So this is the first time we've actually been able to see the walls or floor in either place in about 45 years. I thought the black stuff on the walls was just dirt. Apparently not.

The waterproofing guys (5-star ratings, excellent testimonials, BBB accredited and "A" rating) said they can remove the mold and do the waterproofing but the whole downstairs will have to be gutted, furnace moved, etc. Okay...I can understand that. But what about the rest of the house?

I have seen their waterproofing credentials, but not anything about mold remediation. Do I need an actual mold remediation company to come in and knock holes in the upstairs walls to tell us if there's mold left over from the bow window that used to leak? Or from the roof leak as a result of an ice dam? Or from when the old roof and sky lights used to leak before they were all fixed? And if I get a remediation company in here...they're going to know that we don't know what we're seeing, so what's to keep them from lying about whether there's a problem in the upper portion of the house? Does that mean I have to hire a separate mold detection company?

Or if there's mold in the basement does it automatically follow that the stuff's airborne and lives upstairs too? How do we get rid of that!?

I'm so confused--we need water proofing inside, we need a whole new drainage system for the garage outside, the basement needs to be gutted and treated, the bathrooms upstairs both need work--down to the framework in one of them...there are plumbing issues, rotted wall issues because of the plumbing issues, cats getting into the crawlspace because of the rotted wall and using the crawlspace as a litter box issues...

I'm a single mom with 11yo and 7yo boys. We live with my elderly mother who's got rheumatoid arthritis. She's on a fixed income. I work full-time with a 1.5-hour commute one way. And we've been advised that we should probably sell the house "as is" and buy a new place.

Maybe so. But I'd like to have a good idea of what it would cost to at least get us free of mold and water proofed and I'm not sure how to get there.

I would welcome advice for who to bring in to estimate for what, and what order to do them in...

Thank you!

Meri, living in her parents' old house. Dad was a handyman and used to fix everything...until he got ill and could no longer do anything. He refused to admit it, and refused to hire anybody to do the work/regular maintenance that should have been done, so I'm left with an aging house and LOTS of work. Some of it I will learn and do myself. Some I will hire a contractor for. (Or we may just have to bail...)
 
  #2  
Old 03-13-11, 04:36 PM
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Sounds like u have many issues! I would get an IAQ company in to look at what u have and to give u a price for the remediation. I'd stay away from the water guys doing this! We can help u but it might be better if we have one issue at a time
 
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Old 03-13-11, 06:40 PM
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Thank you Airman. Yes, this poor house is like the money pit. Find one thing wrong and three more follow. It's my childhood home so there's an emotional investment here, which makes all these issues seem that much more serious. And they are serious enough on their own.

First thing we're doing is having the crawl space cleaned out and blocking the hole the cats are getting through. That will help with the odor, which wasn't noticeable until the ground began thawing. It's disgusting and embarrassing. And it's the only investment the real estate agent recommended making if we intend to sell the house "as is." Any other work we put in would not significantly alter the sale price of the house.

So the next step is to find a company that specializes in mold detection and removal. What is IAQ? Inside air quality maybe? Should I be looking for an inside air quality company vs. mold detection or mold removal/remediation? I found nothing for an of those with a search at the BBB and the various search engines are rather hit or miss--I've found companies that do radon remediation and asbestos removal, but not a whole lot of hits on mold removal that isn't actually a flood emergency type of company. I shall keep looking.

As far as one issue at a time...they sort of all became apparent at once in the last few weeks so my head's been spinning. Trying to figure out what's the most urgent of these items that ALL seem urgent, you know? I'm the daughter of a handyman so I know some stuff through osmosis, and I've watched enough HGTV to be dangerous, lol. Beyond that...

Any suggestions/words of wisdom as far as what to look for with an IAQ/remediation company?

Thank you!
 
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Old 03-13-11, 07:36 PM
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IAQ is indoor air quality. A mold remedeation company can work. Stay away from the servpros and national companys. They have a rep of being high priced for bad work. I should add that they are individually owned so might be better in your area! In my state and the states I cover for IAQ work they are bad. When u do the crawl make sure that company is sealing the seams and running the plastic up the walls tell at least ground height. I'd run a fan pulling air out the crawl to help purge the odor
 
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Old 03-13-11, 07:52 PM
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Cool. Just found a local company with BBB accreditation and an A rating - for mold testing and removal. Hotfrog.com turned up names google and yahoo did not. I've contacted a couple and will see what they say.

Meanwhile, back in the crawl space...I called ServPro because I have no idea who else might do really yucky cleanup like that. There's groundwater in the crawl space as well as plywood and empty boxes and glass bottles so I'm not even sure Servpro will do that. We'll find out tomorrow. The local franchise has good ratings but since I haven't seen a dollar figure from them I'm now wondering. Maybe I should look on Craigslist for someone to haul out the shopvac, gloves, face mask, etc. I tried looking up "pet waste removal" and found companies you can actually hire to pick up dog poop out of your back yard, lol.

It's not going to dry out under there until the ground water recedes. This is just the initial cleanup to help reduce the stink. Later on would come the water proofing with seams and plastic etc.
 
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Old 03-14-11, 06:11 AM
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Being a single mom of two young kids can be difficult. I am also in this situation, hence my sudden interest in DIY. I wish I had something significant to say to help you....you've got a lot going on. My only contribution is that I have discovered that a large bag of charcoal sucks the stink out of any space. Simply tear the bag open, maybe let some spill out onto newspaper or in a box. Use the lump kind, not the briquets. You will smell (or rather not smell) the difference in a few days. I'd still use the fan as well. It will help circulate and dry. Best of luck
 
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Old 03-14-11, 06:23 AM
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You are on the right track in getting a professional company in to asess your issues.

One thing you need to be clear on is that if you have or suspect that you have mold under no circumstances should you use a fan indoors to circulate air.This will blow mold spores around your house which increase any respiratory problems the mold can create!

Get professional advice to be safe.
 
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Old 03-14-11, 06:41 AM
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oops!! So right you are! Maybe for now just the charcoal then?
 
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Old 03-14-11, 09:01 AM
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Hope this helps.....

do you have house insurance? I know where I live in Canada that a house insurance company will contact their flood restoration company and they will take care of everything....mold will grow and grow and grow until it is destroyed...good luck
 
 

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