Moldman05 question?

Willc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Location
Shelby
This is a small lean to bath on a house I am looking at. Other than a gutting the entire room and reroofing do you think the framing is salvageable? Also is this toxic looking?
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Oh good heavens.... you're contacting the right fellow. I can give some pointers from a few years I did mold remediation and throw in a valid reason I no longer mess with at also.
First, determine where the water source is coming from. Looks like a roof leak to me.
Before doing ANYTHING, contain off the area from the rest of the house and include a PPE don/doff area for anyone who enters. Put the area under ventilated negative or positive air and if you can filter the air with a scrubber that's even better.
Do not try to save the sheetrock. It's not worth it. Wood structure can be cleaned. Insulation, throw it away. Microban, Shockwave, and benefect are affective chemicals to use (I cringe saying that).
Regulate the humidity and set the target range as low as it can go. Structural humidity should be set at or below 20%
Extended use of chemicals will destroy your body nearly as bad as the mold will. Very good chance you're dealing with stachibotris. Full body tyvek suit and full face respirator is a must. Be careful.
 
Here is the source ,tree fell on a crappy roll roof. I wonder what how much it would cost for a company to take care of it.
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If the extent of the damage is as bad as what I've seen with roof leaks, a company will charge a ton. Where most make money is in the equipment rental. Air movers, scrubbers, LGR dehus will cost you $25-50 or more a day. Each. If the moisture content is really high it may take up to 2 weeks to dry before any rebuild can be done. Factor in a dumpster too. PPE is relatively inexpensive for what it is considering it'll save your life. I won't talk you out of using a company since I worked with one of the largest in the world and still work along side of them to this day.
 
Hmm it seems like removal with a sawzall from outside of whole add on may be best , Hire temp labor to load and haul off so I don't have to do it and rebuild.
It is a six by nine bump out most likely not built to code.
 
If the mold is that bad inside Id be willing to bet the farm the framing is likely rotten enough that a notable amount needs to be replaced.
 
What XJsavage says. Properly remove moldy materials. Dry what remains. Fix water or moisture problem so it doesn't happen again. Take precautions to protect rest of buildings and persons doing the work.
 
Still same health concerns if tape off the inside and drop it from the exterior while wearing a respirator . ie sawzall off the house so I am in fresh air
 
And a worthy mention also is that some of the larger restoration companies that handle fire/water/mold do offer demo and rebuild packages that are 100% start to finish. They work primarily with insurance companies so everything is at a premium rate. Belfor International and Rumsey are two that I know do and get very scientific in their methods of remediation but don't always go the extra mile when it comes to rebuild. Hopefully I don't end up lynched for saying that.
Advantaclean doesn't have an in house rebuild crew at their disposal but will keep local subs in their back pocket from plumbing/hvac/roofing/framing/drywall and the list goes on.
In this situation if you only need a second eye, expert opinion and proper procedures performed on any part you do not demo yourself, that would be who I'd go with. Because it is an add-on you may have areas in the main house effected too. If that kneewall in the pic shows both the ceiling in the add-on and in the main house itself covered in microbial growth (which it looks like it may), there's only so much a sawzall is going to help.
 
the most powerful mold killer is chlorine dioxide. DOD adopted as the most superior solution to anthrax. FEMA adopted as the number one mold treatment post hurricane. EPA distinguished as the one most powerful cidals on earth.

You can set chlorine dixode in wide shallow container. Seal off all leaks in the room, seal off the exit as you leave. A couple hours outgassing with about 6oz should do the trick.
 
Next level knowledge. :beer:
 
1) negatively pressure the room and seal from rest of house. Close off and seal hvac ducts to area

2) air scrubber for the room while working and adequate Ppe. An n95 or better respirator is fine, p100 or filtered air pack is better.

I use a hepa rated Miller p100.

Safety glasses minimum and gloves. Tyvek suits do the job, but suck to wear for demo.

3) remove, bag and discard affected Sheetrock and any other compromised building products.

4) stop moisture intrusion.

5) clean up mess, vacuum everything. Micro ban.

6) dry the room to below 17% wood moisture content. Reconnect hvac

7) reinstall Sheetrock and finish.

You can run airscrubber until project is done. Running a dehumidifier while painting will aid in dry times.

If that's a bathroom, make sure ceiling is insulated well, and there is a good exhaust fan to remove humid air during bathing. Make sure there is no outside air entry into room while running fan. Vent the fan completely to outside with a damper.

Make sure all ceiling and wall penetrations are sealed and insulated to not allow air to enter from attic back to bathroom.


I know chlorine products are effective for killing the mold, but I don't like them due to health concerns. I also don't like them bc of how caustic they are to everything else.

Mechanically remove what you can Sheetrock etc.

Hepa vac what you can't and wipe with cleaning wipe and treat with anti-microbial. You can use encapsulation products like "fosters".
 
As far as the framing being salvageable. If you walk around on the roof you should be able to tell the condition of the rafters. I'd check the crawl space to see what the joist look like underneath. I expect if the framing is affected, it'll be localized to the leak area only. There's a lot of good info here on the mold, only thing I can add is to clean everything before you start demo. Get a pump up sprayer with a super fine mist tip. Bleach water and some paper towels to clean the bad spots. Make sure it's a light fine mist (fogger is better) as that stuff will go airborne easily. It'll reduce what you stir up in the demo process. Might get a 25' hose for your shop vac and put it outside, it'll keep the nasty fine particles from circulating in the house.


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Well still waiting to hear back on offer, I supposed they went to cabin to see the damage for themselves. I hope they at least give me a shot at it as I have been wanting property in this valley for about three years.
 
Hard to tell from one picture but it looks like the ceiling is still intact which would indicate high moisture and maybe a little wetting. Framing is probably okay. If the ceiling was falling down or visible large holes indicating a constant water leak that would have deteriorated roof framing.
 
Well they countered at 150% of my offer .Knowing I will end up rebuilding this place completely ,I am out
 
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