Pre-purchase Mold Inspection Stories

This story is from a pre-purchase mold inspection experience some years ago. At this house, we learned so much from the microscope results that air samples weren't even needed. The microscope is invaluable for pre-purchase mold inspections.

"Jeff" and "Laura" found a house they hoped they could tolerate. It wasn't near farms or neighbors who pesticided. The house hadn't been kept up, so there were no odors from paint, air fresheners, or cleaning products. Laura thought she smelled a whiff of mold but couldn't be sure, because the owner was a smoker, and the tobacco smell overpowered just about everything else. They figured they could deal with that odor later on by washing down surfaces and getting rid of carpets.

Both were concerned about mold, but this house was on the top of the hill. They assumed that mold wouldn't be an issue here and didn't look in the crawlspace. As a precaution, they arranged for pre-purchase mold inspection a week before their engineer's report was scheduled. This would give them time to see the air sample results before paying out for another inspection.

I met Jeff and Laura and their realtor at the house. After a tour, I set up my microscope on the kitchen table and started sampling. The first sample in the kitchen sink cabinet showed high levels of Aspergillus mold. My first thought was that there was, or had been, a plumbing leak. Then I started sampling the other kitchen cabinets, and they all had extremely high levels of mold. What was going on here? I knew one thing for sure, the kitchen cabinets had to be replaced. They were old and made out of pressed wood. Pressed wood is an easy target for mold.

My next thought was condensation. Did the owner never open windows to let out moisture from cooking and bathing? If condensation was an issue from his lifestyle, then mold should be found in the other rooms. Because the house was on a hill, we weren't yet thinking about the crawlspace. The house was also surrounded by vegetation, which would increase the dampness and make it harder for the house to dry out after rain.

I took tape samples of the furniture in the other rooms. Everywhere I sampled, there were mold spores. The more samples, the more mold -- on wallpaper, on wall hangings, on every surface tested. The upholstered furniture was pretty much a loss, though it could be reupholstered and the wood portion cleaned. So far, we were remaining consistent with a condensation pattern, possibly from the owner's lifestyle, with contribution from the surrounding vegetation.

If the owner's habits added moisture to the air, and he never opened any windows, the moisture would be trapped and would condense on furniture and other surfaces, enabling mold to grow.

The house so far did not have to be ruled out as a purchase by these folk with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities). Surface mold could be cleaned off. The interior environment could be controlled, perhaps by a whole house dehumidification system or by ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilation).

The next question related to the floor. There were cracks between the floorboards, and if mold had grown into those cracks, the floor might be impossible to clean. Still, Jeff and Laura could put down ceramic tile and seal over the floorboards if they weren't too bad. Sure enough, tape samples taken from between the floor cracks showed mold, and, unfortunately, high levels of it.

But what if the crawlspace was the source of the moisture, even though the house was up high? If the crawlspace was the source, then moisture might have traveled up into the wall cavities from below. That would mean that there would be mold growth behind walls. Fixable? Yes, but at a big expense. If there was high risk for mold growth behind walls, I suspected that Jeff and Laura would walk away from this deal.

If there is mold behind a wall, the mold will often show up at the lower edges of base molding, so I took tape samples at the bottom of molding at several locations. There was mold growth. I still didn't know for sure whether even this mold came from condensation, but my attention was turning more toward the crawlspace.

So we trekked outside and around to the entrance of the crawlspace. The entry was overgrown with vines, which had to be removed. I took tape samples from the crawlspace ceiling, and back we went inside to see the samples.

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At the microscope, I could see extremely high levels of Aspergillus or Penicillium on the tape samples. Jeff, Laura, and the realtor all took a look. There was no mistaking the situation. This dark, poorly ventilated crawlspace was an incubator for mold. The moisture from the crawlspace passed upstairs, raising humidity and making the house another mold incubator.

This was not your average house when it comes to mold. We did not have a pretty picture here, and I felt bad for the homeowner, and surely disappointed for the buyers who had already looked far longer than the average person for a house. The homeowner woke up that morning thinking he was selling his house, and by 3 p.m., we knew the truth about that house and he would soon learn it, too.

Here's what the seller faces, unless he discloses the problems and sells the house "as is":

What are the take-home lessons for my clients or any house-hunters?

Jeff and Laura were wise to arrange for a prepurchase mold inspection. Their disappointment was major, but minor compared to the trouble they would have faced had they bought that house.

Most people would insist on a prepurchase home inspection, but many do not even think of an inspection for environmental issues which could impact on the health of the family.

Alas, this other house was bought before the new homeowners discovered the problem.

Their home inspector pointed out the neglected condition of the brickwork siding, but he didn't suggest that rainwater could be penetrating the brick or that there might be plenty of mold in the wall cavities.

I was called in few months after the family moved in, when they were getting sick. A test hole was made in an exterior wall cavity, and a tape revealed solid black Stachybotrys on the sheathing. Not only did the house need to be gutted (exterior walls), but the sheathing was going to have to be pulled out of there. Could that be done without removing the brick?? The jury is still out on that one.

Plus, the paneling in the basement was moldy - and had been installed over another layer of moldy paneling.

The homeowners were getting estimates of tens of thousands of dollars to remediate these conditions. Their attic looked like the healthiest place in the house.

If the conventional home inspector had worked with a moisture meter, he would have found the damp walls. And if he knew just a little about mold, he could have guessed about the mold in the wall cavities. What a shame.

For further information or to schedule a prepurchase mold inspection, call 1-888-735-9649.

EnviroHealth mold inspections are available in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington DC.

EnviroHealth mold inspections can include lead paint screening, check for gas leaks, and check for electromagnetic fields.

Anyone looking at houses is advised to purchase a gaussmeter for checking magnetic fields from neighborhood distribution lines. A low-end Cell Sensor or Dr. Gauss are satisfactory. Check out www.lessemf.com.