This weeks edition of TFCS takes us once again to that dark, damp, dank nether region of the house known as the crawlspace. Some may refer to this area as the big unknown, because literally anything can happen down there. As a home inspector it's not uncommon to run nose to nose with a not so cartoonish version of Pepe Le Pew. And let us not forget snakes. I hate snakes. Spiders. Hornets. Sewage. Oh My! So grab your overalls and miners light and let's head down south.
The property was a very nicely appointed duplex replete with new laminate floors, upgraded cabinets and sparkling new countertops. The MLS describes it as "The Jewel Of South Park" and certainly on the surface this place might be considered a gem of a buy, and that's where we as home inspectors have to step in and get down to the dirty. Get ALL up in the dark reality that this place is literally swimming in biological organisms straight out of a science fiction movie.
(the juicy pics are coming, don't worry).
During the inspection it was discovered that a pressurized water pipe somewhere in the crawlspace had developed a leak that had since been repaired. Now a question for all those math wizzes out there. If I, say, had a sorta-large $1,500 water bill, exactly how much water is that, that has leaked down below my home? I don't need to consult with the higher-ups to run the numbers on that to know that this is a freakin lot of water. Enough to submerge the crawlspace in probably 3 or 4 inches of water. And I was thinking as I pulled up to the house, MY that grass is green for a place that's been vacant for a couple months!
So here's the question. What does all that water do, sitting pooled underneath the home, with nowhere to go, and a house above buttoned up tighter than a drum for several months? Evaporate that's what. Figure 50-80% humidity inside the house that has nowhere to go. Enter mold - who comes up, knocks on the door, and says HOWDY NEIGHBOR!
The mold was everywhere, on the countertops, inside the cabinets, on the walls, seeping through the seams in the laminate flooring, even up in the attic. I thought I heard it call my name once but I was probably just intoxicated from inhaling too many spores. The place was literally teaming with organisms and the entirety of the home had taken on a life of its own.
Needless to say, the recommendations of Who Ya Gonna Call was simply, someone who knows how to dehumidify the space and safely remediate the bio-growth. Say it with me...Mold Busters!
 Fungus in crawl space from elevated moisture |
 Bio-growth in attic |
.jpg "Mold in kitchen drawer") Mold in kitchen drawer |
| Fungus in crawl space | Bio-growth in attic | Mold in kitchen drawer |
Until next time,
