A mold that plagues some homes and should not be underestimated is Meruliporia incrassate. This is a fungus that causes a severe amount of rotting in the wooden parts of your home and this is extremely difficult to get rid of, since is has the ability to collect and retain water over a longer period of time than other molds. It typically extends itself through not only the wood, but other porous materials that make up your home and find the water that it needs in order to stay alive.
The news calls this a “house eating fungus” because it will eventually do just that if it is left untreated. The decay of the wood framing of your home is inevitable if this infestation is not removed as soon as possible. This usually shows up in the areas of your home that are the most moist, such as the bathroom, kitchen, and the basement. This mold appears as a somewhat yellowish dust on the areas that are affected. In order to keep this growth from returning, you will need to remove all of the materials affected by it and then some. Simply trying to clean this mold with disinfectants or bleach will not work under any circumstances. Cleaning any other kind of mold off of a porous surface with bleach or any other disinfectant is usually not possible, but this kind of mold cannot be gotten rid of in this way at all.
About two extra feet of infected material needs to be removed from the home before the infestation will be gone for good. This means if the visible infection spans about 4 feet of a wooden beam, then an extra two feet needs to be removed on each side of it to be sure that you get all of it. This mold likes to extend strands of itself out about this length in order to retain the water that it will use to keep itself alive. Getting rid of this extra material may seem like a waste, but it is really the only way to be certain that it does not come back.
As long as your previously affected area remains dry for a long time after the infected wood was removed, the infection should not return. Keeping the previously affected area as dry as possible may help keep the mold from coming back, even if some of the wood remained infected after you removed the majority of it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
What to Throw Out After a Flood
After a flood has made its way through your home, you are going to be doing a lot of wondering about what you need to try and repair and what needs to be just thrown away. There are a number of items in your house that are going to be better off thrown out instead of you trying to repair them or refurbish them in any way.
One thing that is going to need to be definitely thrown away is food. Any foods in your home will need to be thrown out, including everything in the refrigerator and in the cabinets, even if they did not come into contact with the water directly. If the home was under water for more than 48 hours, the humidity in the home will have gotten so high that it is likely that they have started to mold or at the very least, have become contaminated.
Items such as bedding that is full of padding, like pillows, will most likely need to be thrown out. These thick items are difficult to disinfect entirely and dry out. Not only bacteria have likely contaminated these items, but sewage and other chemicals, as well. Trying to clean these items is probably going to be more trouble than it is worth in the long run and simply purchasing new bedding may be more efficient.
Children’s toys that are porous such as stuffed animals will need to be thrown out. Items contaminated with sewage and chemicals like this or have been contaminated with mold will need to be thrown away because getting them completely safe to be played with again is very difficult. The padding inside these items soaking up soil, sewage, and other chemicals is what makes them so difficult to clean. Plastic toys can be disinfected with cleaners such as Lysol or bleach.
Wooden furniture may become molded if the flood water and the chemicals that it may contain penetrate the finish. These will need to be disinfected and refinished after the flood is over.
Upholstered furniture will usually need to be thrown out if it has been sitting in flood water for more than 24 hours. Soil and sewage will penetrate the outer fabric after a while and be extremely difficult to clean. Much like carpet padding, it will need to be thrown out. Upholstered furniture can be re-upholstered, but this usually comes at a great expense and it is often much easier to just buy a new couch or chair.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
One thing that is going to need to be definitely thrown away is food. Any foods in your home will need to be thrown out, including everything in the refrigerator and in the cabinets, even if they did not come into contact with the water directly. If the home was under water for more than 48 hours, the humidity in the home will have gotten so high that it is likely that they have started to mold or at the very least, have become contaminated.
Items such as bedding that is full of padding, like pillows, will most likely need to be thrown out. These thick items are difficult to disinfect entirely and dry out. Not only bacteria have likely contaminated these items, but sewage and other chemicals, as well. Trying to clean these items is probably going to be more trouble than it is worth in the long run and simply purchasing new bedding may be more efficient.
Children’s toys that are porous such as stuffed animals will need to be thrown out. Items contaminated with sewage and chemicals like this or have been contaminated with mold will need to be thrown away because getting them completely safe to be played with again is very difficult. The padding inside these items soaking up soil, sewage, and other chemicals is what makes them so difficult to clean. Plastic toys can be disinfected with cleaners such as Lysol or bleach.
Wooden furniture may become molded if the flood water and the chemicals that it may contain penetrate the finish. These will need to be disinfected and refinished after the flood is over.
Upholstered furniture will usually need to be thrown out if it has been sitting in flood water for more than 24 hours. Soil and sewage will penetrate the outer fabric after a while and be extremely difficult to clean. Much like carpet padding, it will need to be thrown out. Upholstered furniture can be re-upholstered, but this usually comes at a great expense and it is often much easier to just buy a new couch or chair.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Sewage Damage Cleanup and other states such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Well Water Sanitation
There are thousands of people in the United States that have to rely on well water instead of a city water system for the water that they both bathe and drink in. While there are some filters that you can have installed onto your well to rid the water supply of rust, soil, or other particle debris, there are not really any filters currently that disinfect your water and rid it of bacteria that may be growing in it, such as E. coli. Cleaning the water yourself manually, though, is always an option by simply using unscented chlorine bleach.
Most people chlorinate their well water to disinfect it after some kind of repair has been done, after the well has not been utilized in a long time (like with a summer or winter home), to get rid of bacteria living in it, or to remove hydrogen sulfide buildup.
Before you start the process of cleaning your well water, you need to get enough water put back in jugs or buckets in your house to last the occupants of it for at least the next 24 hours. The water system in your home should not be used during this 24 hours period at all.
You need to use an unscented bleach for this job. This will have around 3 to 5 percent of sodium chlorite. You will need to use a different amount in your well depending on how deep and how wide your well is. If the well is under 50 feet in depth and about 6 inches in diameter, you will need to use between 3 and 4 liters of bleach.
Your water supply should not smell like chlorine after the 24 hours is up. If it does, you will need to wait longer for the chlorine to be flushed from the system. You should not drink the water until it no longer smells like bleach.
If you notice a significant change for the better in the quality of your water supply after you finish this process, but the issue returns in the next couple of weeks or longer, the process will need to be repeated and you should probably add a bit more bleach to the water. Repeat the process until the results last or seek help from a professional. It will be worth it in the long run when you do not have to worry about the safety of your home’s water supply.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
Most people chlorinate their well water to disinfect it after some kind of repair has been done, after the well has not been utilized in a long time (like with a summer or winter home), to get rid of bacteria living in it, or to remove hydrogen sulfide buildup.
Before you start the process of cleaning your well water, you need to get enough water put back in jugs or buckets in your house to last the occupants of it for at least the next 24 hours. The water system in your home should not be used during this 24 hours period at all.
You need to use an unscented bleach for this job. This will have around 3 to 5 percent of sodium chlorite. You will need to use a different amount in your well depending on how deep and how wide your well is. If the well is under 50 feet in depth and about 6 inches in diameter, you will need to use between 3 and 4 liters of bleach.
Your water supply should not smell like chlorine after the 24 hours is up. If it does, you will need to wait longer for the chlorine to be flushed from the system. You should not drink the water until it no longer smells like bleach.
If you notice a significant change for the better in the quality of your water supply after you finish this process, but the issue returns in the next couple of weeks or longer, the process will need to be repeated and you should probably add a bit more bleach to the water. Repeat the process until the results last or seek help from a professional. It will be worth it in the long run when you do not have to worry about the safety of your home’s water supply.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
The Water Junctions of Your Bathroom
The prevention of water damage in most areas of your home is fairly easy, it just usually takes a bit of diligence on your part to make sure that the rest of your household helps you in this task. Preventing this damage from occurring is typically much, much easier to accomplish and cheaper than having to repair the damage after it has happened. Whether it is the discoloration of drywall from steam, damaged floorboards due to cracked tiles, or replacing vanities because of leaks under the sink, the cost of actually preventing this damage from happening usually hovers around zero. Since the bathroom is one of the most valuable areas of your home, you should do what you can to safeguard it.
Keeping an eye on the water junctions in your bathroom is something you will definitely want to do to protect the investment that is your bathroom. These junctions are the shower, bath tub, sink, and the toilet.
The steam that comes off of the bath tub and shower can cause damage to the upper walls and ceiling, so installing an exhaust fan to get rid of this excess moisture buildup is a pretty good idea. Any room in your home that has moisture buildup like this should have an exhaust vent so the vapor does not become absorbed by the ceiling.
Tile that has missing grout or tile that is cracked should be replaced as soon as possible, because this allows water underneath it and will cause damage to the floor boards. This can eventually become so bad that the floor underneath has to be replaced, so replacing a few individual tiles or filling in missing areas of grout is much easier than doing that level of repair.
Look for signs of moisture on the walls of your bathroom, since this could mean that there is a leak in the plumbing in the wall.
Even though you may not see these every day, keep a watch on the plumbing that is underneath your bathroom sink. Having leaks in these pipes can cause the bottom of a vanity to rot and need replacing or if the pipes are not hidden by a cabinet, you will have visible standing water on the bathroom floor.
You should also do what you can to make sure that the toilet does not get stopped up with excess toilet paper, feminine napkins, or other things that do not belong there. Toddlers are notorious for putting items in the toilet like toy cars, so purchasing a lid lock may be a good idea if you have any of these in your home on a regular basis.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage restoration contractors and other states such as
North Carolina mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
Keeping an eye on the water junctions in your bathroom is something you will definitely want to do to protect the investment that is your bathroom. These junctions are the shower, bath tub, sink, and the toilet.
The steam that comes off of the bath tub and shower can cause damage to the upper walls and ceiling, so installing an exhaust fan to get rid of this excess moisture buildup is a pretty good idea. Any room in your home that has moisture buildup like this should have an exhaust vent so the vapor does not become absorbed by the ceiling.
Tile that has missing grout or tile that is cracked should be replaced as soon as possible, because this allows water underneath it and will cause damage to the floor boards. This can eventually become so bad that the floor underneath has to be replaced, so replacing a few individual tiles or filling in missing areas of grout is much easier than doing that level of repair.
Look for signs of moisture on the walls of your bathroom, since this could mean that there is a leak in the plumbing in the wall.
Even though you may not see these every day, keep a watch on the plumbing that is underneath your bathroom sink. Having leaks in these pipes can cause the bottom of a vanity to rot and need replacing or if the pipes are not hidden by a cabinet, you will have visible standing water on the bathroom floor.
You should also do what you can to make sure that the toilet does not get stopped up with excess toilet paper, feminine napkins, or other things that do not belong there. Toddlers are notorious for putting items in the toilet like toy cars, so purchasing a lid lock may be a good idea if you have any of these in your home on a regular basis.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage restoration contractors and other states such as
North Carolina mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Remodeling Your Bathroom
Remodeling your bathroom after some water damage can be quite a hassle, but knowing that the new renovations will stand the test of time and add a good amount of value to your home can make the whole project worth it.
One thing that you will need to do, especially in bathrooms where carpet was installed, is make sure that the floor boards and support beams are not water damaged to the point that they are rotten. Replacing floor boards can be expensive, but if you are remodeling, you do not want to have a good looking job on top of an unstable foundation. Knowing that the floor is not going to collapse underneath you brings a lot of peace of mind to you and the rest of your family. Spare no expense on the floor to make sure that it is structurally sound.
Installing tile is not the hardest thing to do in the bathroom, but you really need to make sure that it is done correctly. If it is done badly, water will get right back underneath the tiles and will begin damaging the floor underneath immediately. Having a properly sealed floor in the bathroom is essential if you want to make sure that the floor boards do not become water damaged again any time soon.
The most important areas of the bathroom floor that need to be sealed are around the bath tub and the toilet. These items are more likely to overflow from time to time than the bathroom sink and the areas around them need to be very water tight.
Make sure that the plumbing that you have installed is made completely water tight. You really do not want to have leaks inside the walls where they are obviously difficult to get to. You will have to take out drywall or even possibly tile to get to leaks in the wall sometimes, so make sure whoever you hire to do it does the job correctly.
Every bathroom needs to have an exhaust fan in the ceiling or on the upper portion of a wall so the steam produced by showers and baths does not collect on the ceiling. Not only can this collecting discolor the ceiling over time, but it can also allow mold to start growing in a relatively short period of time.
If you are going to have a shower stall that is enclosed around the ceiling, it will need to have its own exhaust vent and light, since steam will not be allowed to escape the shower stall very easily.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.
One thing that you will need to do, especially in bathrooms where carpet was installed, is make sure that the floor boards and support beams are not water damaged to the point that they are rotten. Replacing floor boards can be expensive, but if you are remodeling, you do not want to have a good looking job on top of an unstable foundation. Knowing that the floor is not going to collapse underneath you brings a lot of peace of mind to you and the rest of your family. Spare no expense on the floor to make sure that it is structurally sound.
Installing tile is not the hardest thing to do in the bathroom, but you really need to make sure that it is done correctly. If it is done badly, water will get right back underneath the tiles and will begin damaging the floor underneath immediately. Having a properly sealed floor in the bathroom is essential if you want to make sure that the floor boards do not become water damaged again any time soon.
The most important areas of the bathroom floor that need to be sealed are around the bath tub and the toilet. These items are more likely to overflow from time to time than the bathroom sink and the areas around them need to be very water tight.
Make sure that the plumbing that you have installed is made completely water tight. You really do not want to have leaks inside the walls where they are obviously difficult to get to. You will have to take out drywall or even possibly tile to get to leaks in the wall sometimes, so make sure whoever you hire to do it does the job correctly.
Every bathroom needs to have an exhaust fan in the ceiling or on the upper portion of a wall so the steam produced by showers and baths does not collect on the ceiling. Not only can this collecting discolor the ceiling over time, but it can also allow mold to start growing in a relatively short period of time.
If you are going to have a shower stall that is enclosed around the ceiling, it will need to have its own exhaust vent and light, since steam will not be allowed to escape the shower stall very easily.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.
Invisible Molds
Looking around for mold growth in your home is a burden that no one wants to have to take on, but sometimes not looking for it can cost you thousands of dollars in renovations later on after the growth has gotten so bad that the affected areas have to be completely gutted. Knowing how to spot mold early on is the key to saving all of this time and money, but it is not always as visible as some pictures on the internet and the news may have you believe. While mold does come in a variety of colorful species, it is not always as colorful as most of the images you come across.
Some molds are nigh invisible and grow on a few different surfaces mostly undetected unless you know how you need to look for them. Wood paneling, for example, can have mold growing on it and you not even realize it without the use of a simple bright flashlight. To be able to see the mold, however, you will need to know how to use the flashlight correctly. Instead of shining the light directly toward the paneling, you need to shine it along the surface of the paneling at an angle, so as to give the possible mold growth some depth. Only in this way will you be able to detect the extremely light colored molds growing on the different surfaces of your home. These molds tend to be a species in the Aspergillus or Penicillium genus.
Wood paneling is common in older homes and in homes that have been flood damaged, since replacing the affected drywall is a lot more expensive than simply installing paneling in its place. This is one reason mold likes to grow on this paneling: it is typically old and should be replaced.
You can miss these molds easily when you do a casual inspection of your home, but just taking a flashlight with you and knowing how to use it can save you a lot of money in the end. Molds that are not visible to you readily are not necessarily harmless; they can be just as detrimental to the building structure and your health as the molds that you do have the ability to see with the naked eye. Mold is not always an invisible threat, but it certainly can be, even if you think you know how to look for it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.
Some molds are nigh invisible and grow on a few different surfaces mostly undetected unless you know how you need to look for them. Wood paneling, for example, can have mold growing on it and you not even realize it without the use of a simple bright flashlight. To be able to see the mold, however, you will need to know how to use the flashlight correctly. Instead of shining the light directly toward the paneling, you need to shine it along the surface of the paneling at an angle, so as to give the possible mold growth some depth. Only in this way will you be able to detect the extremely light colored molds growing on the different surfaces of your home. These molds tend to be a species in the Aspergillus or Penicillium genus.
Wood paneling is common in older homes and in homes that have been flood damaged, since replacing the affected drywall is a lot more expensive than simply installing paneling in its place. This is one reason mold likes to grow on this paneling: it is typically old and should be replaced.
You can miss these molds easily when you do a casual inspection of your home, but just taking a flashlight with you and knowing how to use it can save you a lot of money in the end. Molds that are not visible to you readily are not necessarily harmless; they can be just as detrimental to the building structure and your health as the molds that you do have the ability to see with the naked eye. Mold is not always an invisible threat, but it certainly can be, even if you think you know how to look for it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Houston Fire Damage Water Restoration Contractor companies and
Los Angeles Water Damage and Restoration Services.
How to Keep Your Basement Dry
Most homeowners do not consider the basement a very important part of the house, but since the rest of your home’s structure is on top of this, you might want to rethink just how valuable of a room this is. Whether you use it for storage, a guest bedroom, laundry room, or anything else you can think of, it is important to make sure that this room of the house remains structurally sound.
While it is a common problem, wet basements are something that most homeowners do not have to deal with if they take some precautions and the time to make some adjustments on their own. Many wet basement issues can be fixed by the homeowner without having to hire any outside help.
You can fix any cracks in the concrete walls of your basement where water is leaking in by using a simple injection of concrete. Doing this used to require expensive and heavy equipment, but the size and expense of this has gone down so significantly that you can now do it with a normal caulking gun. Do not try do this with the silicone caulking that you would use in a bathroom or kitchen or attempt to fix it with cement, either. These two items will only become loose and fall out, no longer forming the water barrier that you need to have in place.
If water is forming in puddles around the foundation of your house, then you probably need to pile some more soil around the house so the water runs away from the house instead of leaking down into the basement. Installing a drainage system can also help with this. Making sure your rain gutters stay cleaned out is also another thing that you can do to try and keep water out of your basement. While they seem unrelated, gutters that are clogged let water merely fall off the roof and down to the base of the house.
You can also choose to install a dehumidifier and some energy efficient windows. You will know that you have a humidity problem in the room if condensation builds up on the window panes. Putting in an exhaust vent down there can also help reduce the humidity, especially if you use the area as a laundry room or an extra bathroom. This helps prevent the steam from being absorbed by the rafters or the drywall ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
While it is a common problem, wet basements are something that most homeowners do not have to deal with if they take some precautions and the time to make some adjustments on their own. Many wet basement issues can be fixed by the homeowner without having to hire any outside help.
You can fix any cracks in the concrete walls of your basement where water is leaking in by using a simple injection of concrete. Doing this used to require expensive and heavy equipment, but the size and expense of this has gone down so significantly that you can now do it with a normal caulking gun. Do not try do this with the silicone caulking that you would use in a bathroom or kitchen or attempt to fix it with cement, either. These two items will only become loose and fall out, no longer forming the water barrier that you need to have in place.
If water is forming in puddles around the foundation of your house, then you probably need to pile some more soil around the house so the water runs away from the house instead of leaking down into the basement. Installing a drainage system can also help with this. Making sure your rain gutters stay cleaned out is also another thing that you can do to try and keep water out of your basement. While they seem unrelated, gutters that are clogged let water merely fall off the roof and down to the base of the house.
You can also choose to install a dehumidifier and some energy efficient windows. You will know that you have a humidity problem in the room if condensation builds up on the window panes. Putting in an exhaust vent down there can also help reduce the humidity, especially if you use the area as a laundry room or an extra bathroom. This helps prevent the steam from being absorbed by the rafters or the drywall ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
How to Deal With Sewage Damage
There are only a few things that bring a more unpleasant image to the mind of a person than the idea of sewage and coming into contact with it. If the area where you live has been flooded recently, you may need to deal with that very thing as you are allowed to go back to your home after the waters have receded, since it is often the case that these very waters are contaminated with it, among other unpleasant items. Sewage, chemicals, decaying bodies, and other things may be lurking in the flood water that has overrun your home, so cleaning it out of the nooks and crannies of your home is going to be quite the task. If you are prepared, however, you can save a lot of money by doing most of the cleanup yourself.
Everything in the house needs to be taken outside, especially wet furniture. Unfortunately, your upholstered furniture will not be salvageable unless there is little padding, such as the upholstery on some dining chairs. Large items like couches and recliners will need to be thrown away 95% of the time because the padding will soak up sewage, soil, and chemicals, causing it to become a biological hazard. These items are very difficult to completely disinfect and you will waste much time and money trying to do so. Replacing them is your best bet.
Cloth items in the tops of closets that did not come into contact with the water can become molded simply because of the humidity in the house. This typically starts after about 3 or 4 days, since they were not actually soaked by the flood. Get these items out and wash them as soon as you can, but not in your home’s washer, since it was probably flooded, too. Do not use your household appliances until they have been checked for electrical damage. Take anything you need to wash to a Laundromat.
Mold can start growing on textiles and other materials within about 48 hours after they have gotten wet. You can save these items most of the time, but they may be stained. Cleaning molded items made of real leather, however, is not possible.
Scrubbing your floors can be done by taking a couple of buckets, one with cleaning water and the other with rinsing water, and being sure not to contaminate the clean water with sewage. Do not put the sponge or mop back into the clean water without rinsing it first. Replace the rinsing water as often as you need to.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Everything in the house needs to be taken outside, especially wet furniture. Unfortunately, your upholstered furniture will not be salvageable unless there is little padding, such as the upholstery on some dining chairs. Large items like couches and recliners will need to be thrown away 95% of the time because the padding will soak up sewage, soil, and chemicals, causing it to become a biological hazard. These items are very difficult to completely disinfect and you will waste much time and money trying to do so. Replacing them is your best bet.
Cloth items in the tops of closets that did not come into contact with the water can become molded simply because of the humidity in the house. This typically starts after about 3 or 4 days, since they were not actually soaked by the flood. Get these items out and wash them as soon as you can, but not in your home’s washer, since it was probably flooded, too. Do not use your household appliances until they have been checked for electrical damage. Take anything you need to wash to a Laundromat.
Mold can start growing on textiles and other materials within about 48 hours after they have gotten wet. You can save these items most of the time, but they may be stained. Cleaning molded items made of real leather, however, is not possible.
Scrubbing your floors can be done by taking a couple of buckets, one with cleaning water and the other with rinsing water, and being sure not to contaminate the clean water with sewage. Do not put the sponge or mop back into the clean water without rinsing it first. Replace the rinsing water as often as you need to.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Thinking About Flipping a House With Mold?
When you are purchasing a house to flip it and earn a return on your investment, you need to do a few things before sealing the deal. One of the first things that you need to do is make sure that the property has no structural problems, especially if you are on a tight budget. Sometimes structural problems can be fixed fairly easily and buildings brought up to code by simply adding an extra support beam to a ceiling, but this is usually not the case.
One of the worst problems that you can run across when you are playing the house flipping game is mold growth anywhere in the house. Have the home tested for mold or moisture issues before you purchase it and if these problems arise, ask yourself just how much of your budget can you allocate to getting rid of this problem. You may want to pass if the mold remediation will take too big of a chunk out of your budget and move onto the next property. A number of factors will determine if the problem is worth it.
What is the house worth and how much do you expect to earn when you sell it? A $550,000 house you purchased for $400,000 with a $5,000 mold problem is not such a bad thing, but if it is all over the house and you have to tear down all the walls and replace them, you may be looking at much more work than will be worth it in the end.
Is the mold growth isolated to one part of the house? Is it dead? If the mold is dead and you can remove the affected drywall or wood fairly easily, it might be worth it. You need to look around for water damage in the molded area, though, and determine if there is still a water damage issue that needs to be repaired. The most important thing is to make sure that there are no plumbing leaks in the house.
Know what you are getting yourself into when you make the decision to purchase a home contaminated with mold. If it is only in one room and there do not appear to be any expensive water damage issues to deal with, it might be worth it. If you think you will make significantly more than the remediation will cost you, go for it. But, if the mold is all over the house and you’re on a budget, stay away.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
One of the worst problems that you can run across when you are playing the house flipping game is mold growth anywhere in the house. Have the home tested for mold or moisture issues before you purchase it and if these problems arise, ask yourself just how much of your budget can you allocate to getting rid of this problem. You may want to pass if the mold remediation will take too big of a chunk out of your budget and move onto the next property. A number of factors will determine if the problem is worth it.
What is the house worth and how much do you expect to earn when you sell it? A $550,000 house you purchased for $400,000 with a $5,000 mold problem is not such a bad thing, but if it is all over the house and you have to tear down all the walls and replace them, you may be looking at much more work than will be worth it in the end.
Is the mold growth isolated to one part of the house? Is it dead? If the mold is dead and you can remove the affected drywall or wood fairly easily, it might be worth it. You need to look around for water damage in the molded area, though, and determine if there is still a water damage issue that needs to be repaired. The most important thing is to make sure that there are no plumbing leaks in the house.
Know what you are getting yourself into when you make the decision to purchase a home contaminated with mold. If it is only in one room and there do not appear to be any expensive water damage issues to deal with, it might be worth it. If you think you will make significantly more than the remediation will cost you, go for it. But, if the mold is all over the house and you’re on a budget, stay away.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
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