Basement Mold: Case Study

I have arrived at the home to talk with the homeowners about their needs and measure the basement so I could give them a quote on finishing their new space. Immediately upon entering the basement, I could tell that there was a mold issue. My eyes were itchy, watery and burning, my throat was scratchy and sore. To top it all off I instantly got a headache. All of these symptoms lingered for about and hour after I left the home.

Aside from the symptoms and presence of mold, the immediate thought in my mind was, "where there is mold, there is water", now I just had to do some investigating to find out where it was coming from.

I could see on the stairway wall that there was water damage on the drywall. When I poked around the wall to feel the damage, my finger went right through the drywall. Now, I had the unfortunate job of delivering the bad news to the homeowner about the water issue and that further investigation would be needed.

Issue No 1. The drywall was ripped of the wall and we found mold on the backside of the drywall, on the studs, and exterior sheeting. So that took me to the outside to look for the water trail, which was easy to find. there was a trail of rotten wood from the gutter to the bottom of the wood siding. It was like a blinking arrow pointing to the problem. It appears that the clogged gutters where overflowing and the water was backing up and traveling behind the wood siding.

Issue No 2. The porch was back pitched towards the house. This means that every time it rained, the water would drain towards the house, when it should be running into the yard away from the house.

Issue No 3. No insulation in the exterior wall. The problem with no insulation in the exterior wall may not seem obvious. Condensation is created between the walls when the cold outside wall meets the warm inside air. This is the perfect environment to grow mold.

So to rectify the problem, the exterior sheeting and siding were removed, gutters cleaned, porch pitch was corrected. Mold Experts of MI were called into remove and dispose of the moldy drywall and the affected area was neutralized. New insulation and drywall were then reinstalled.

Water issues can cause a lot of financial cost and unwanted home repairs. Take the time to look around your home and look for rotten wood or drywall. Be proactive and give your home a thorough inspection every spring to see what maintenance should be done. This annual time and expense will be money well spent in preventative repairs, rather than remodeling expenses due to major damage done over the years.

This article is brought to you by FREE DATING SITES.