Likelihood of mold?

Question

Entering basement definitely has an odor.  Floors and walls are dry now, but there are signs that at one time, there was 2-4 inches of water in the basement. I don't know when this occurred, but do know the house has been vacant at least 6 months.

What are the chances this place has mold?  Would the wood beams be rotted as well or could I just take out the drywall, have it cleaned out, and put new drywall up?

Not sure what to factor for repairing the water issue, mold, and putting walls back up...anyone with similar experience have an idea on cost of such a job?  how much would you factor for if you were making an offer on a home with this situation?

Travis West · Answer

if you get around to doing demo on the walls you must consider using containment (plastic barriers) to prevent the spread of spores all through the basement.

Carefully and slowly cutting small pieces of damaged wallboard is safer than hitting it with a hammer or breaking out large pieces.

The EPA has a great guide document on doing it yourself vs. using outside contractors.

You are right. Mold isn't likely to grow on concrete but it will grow on dirty and wet concrete. Containing spores when you tear out that wall will help manage future problems on other walls, home furnishings, and even concrete surfaces.

Travis

John Schnyderite · Answer

Problem is, I'm not sure how thorough an inspection can be done until I own the home --  I'm sure the bank/listing agent wouldn't appreciate me tearing walls out to see what lies behind.

I can demo the walls myself.  At that point, mold wouldn't grow very well on concrete, right?  Could I clean myself? If not, any ballpark on max costs of a basement remediation?

Travis West · Answer

Hi John.

I would say based on your assessment that damage to the structural wood members is pretty high.

You could go for a more in-depth inspection, or just consider that if the lower walls were wet then yes, the drywall and even some amount of the wood structural members would need to go.

Structural Integrity
	The only way the structural wood would NOT need to be pulled out would be if the drywall was removed shortly after the moisture affected it and it was properly dried.  If anything other than that occurred, then the level of moisture remaining in the wood for days or even weeks would certainly affect the structural integrity of the wood.

Wood is a forgiving product.  It can absorb, desorb, and absorb, desorb many times over.  But it MUST have a chance to desorb quickly each time, or it's fibers and cells will fail (they provide the structural strength).

Find a water restoration contractor who can review the wood.  Simply putting the points of a good moisture meter into the wood will tell them if the wood is "mush" or whether it's strong enough to last a few more wettings.  Oh yea ... find the source of the moisture and fix that.  That goes without saying though!

Moldy Odors
	If you smell a "moldy odor" then there is certainly something there that is still wet (or growing).  Those odors are known as Microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (MVOC's) and they are generated by an actively growing mold - digesting it's food.  Not just in this house ... but in ANY house where you smell the MVOC odors of mold, those odors are telling you that there's an active mold growth somewhere nearby.

Good luck.  This is find-able and fix-able.  It is not a deal killer!

Travis West

Tyson Cross · Answer

That can be a tough situation. I would have someone come in an inspect further - if they do find mold (which sounds likely), it will need a full remediation.  This means likely they would need to treat the mold spores and then possibly remove the rotted drywall, flooring etc.  I've done mold remediation work in commercial buildings and it is not fun.