A water leak has caused a major mold problem in two bedrooms and inside a wall space (and possibly even more places) according to a mold expert who did some air-sample testing a few days ago. Very high levels of Aspergillus, Penicilium, Cladospoirum, Smuts, Periconia, Myxomy but thankfully no Stachybotrys.
I’ve got only $19,000 in savings. Is this remediation going to wipe it all out? Anyone done this sort of thing before? The expert said that, if nothing else, I should at least run some mold-fog-bombs in the bedrooms for a hundred dollars to help kill some spores, but recommended a more thorough carpet-replacement and wall-fixing thing. He wouldn’t cite cost estimates since in Texas, mold-detection experts are not allowed to perform remediation at the same time.
Get at least three estimates/quotes and see what the range is. The cost depends to some degree on the collateral damage, such as the carpets etc. You may not have to do everything at once, but only an expert can tell you that.
I’m going to check to see the details - trying to get a copy of the info. The deductible is probably something like $3,500, but that’s still a bargain if it will prevent some $40,000 bill.
I think insurance is the only real hope here. I just had to deal with a small mold situation cause by a leaky connection to the icemaker in our fridge. That cost me $5k, and when the remediation team left, it was up to me to hire people at additional to replace the drywall, fix the missing section of flooring and then paint.
That figure does not include the decontamination of the rest of non-directly affected areas by filtering, HEPA vacuuming and anti-fungal wiping of all of the hard surfaces and objects in the space.
That’s my hope. unfortunately, my fear is that the house insurance will refuse to cover, since technically the water leak that sprang all these mold issues came from a water tank that we had a contractor install in our garage a year after the house was built, and the tank wasn’t part of the original house construction itself, thereby making it “our” problem rather than the original-house builder’s responsibility.
Insurance covered my mold remediation (arising from a plumbing leak) including ripping out the closet, remediating, rebuilding the closet, and painting it. My deductible (~$1600) and limit (didn’t hit it) were IIRC driven off my total coverage value.
Unless you have mold allergies, it probably wouldn’t be a problem for you. Mold remediation is what asbestos remediation used to be. Lots of panic for little reason unless it’s friable. If you can encapsulate it with Kilz or some other product, you’ll likely be fine, although I’d replace the carpet, for sure. Even Stachy isn’t as big a deal as some folks make it out to be.
Yeah, we got the same news from our mold guys. Our problem is aspergillus only, and our guy said he world normally recommend we just clean it ourselves after fixing the leak (and a separate issue of a too-damp crawlspace) but we had two additional circumstances. First, my wife was in chemo at the time, which presented a big risk for fungal infections of her lungs, and second, she’s off the charts allergic to aspergillus. So we didn’t have a lot of choice but to fix the kitchen and the crawlspace.
My insurance would have covered the leaky icemaker damage but the cost didn’t rise above the deductible. It would not cover the crawlspace issue as that’s caused by water flowing across our lot and into the vents. My reading of my policy leads me to believe that I’d be covered in @Velocity’s case asa leak from a permanently installed part of the plumbing. Doesn’t seem to differentiate between how and when it would have been installed.
Unlike asbestos which, as you note, is not a problem as long as it is not friable (accessible to being crushed into releasing airborne fibers), mold infestation is an ongoing problem because the mold will continue to grow and release spores as long as it has access to moisture (from the air) and nutrients (cellulose and adhesive from drywall). While Kilz or bleach will kill the exposed spores and sporangia, the hyphae (the ‘body’ of the fungi) will be deeply embedded in drywall, untreated wood, and textiles where no amount of bleaching or treatment short of an autoclave will eliminate them. A ‘fog-bomb’ will only kill the spores temporarily, and if left untreated you can be resigned to regular painting with Kilz and/or trying to control the humidity to limit spread on the exposed surface while it continues to develop within. This is a problem best dealt with as early as possible because it never gets better, and if left untreated can potentially require demolition and rebuild of entire rooms from the frame out.
Homeowner’s insurance should cover this provided that it isn’t due to gross negligence but insurance companies have been fighting tooth and nail about covering mold damage unless you can demonstrate that it has compromised the livability of the home. The notion that it is only a problem if you have ‘mold allergies’ is nonsense; while some people do have histamine reactions to even small amounts of mold spores, several of the species listed produce human toxins and are linked to the development of mold-induced respiratory issues which once established are very difficult to treat and can result in chronic health conditions, especially combined with infections respiratory illness, exposure to toxic aerosols, or immunosuppressive conditions or drugs.
FWIW I had mold remediation done BUT it was just on a damp unfinished basement (so, no drywall just bare floors and exposed floor joists above - but about 1000 sq ft), and it was reasonable. But now I can’t remember if it was $1500 reasonable or $3000 reasonable. Dammit. Also it was like 10 years ago, in a low cost of living area (Cleveland).
But I don’t think you should panic I don’t think you’re going to be up around $20k.