Just close on a house and found mold on the garage wall, who should pay for to fix it?

Question

My sister just bought a house. It was closed last week. The day after closing she found mold in the garage on the wall. During the time of inspection, there were tons of stuffs in the garage. And a cabinet was against that wall so it was not easily visible during the inspection. It seemed that the seller had no idea it was there either. 
The restoration company estimates to fix it about $2500. It looks like black mold. The restoration company said it has to be there at lease 2 weeks before if not longer. Plus no one knows if there are more mold inside once they open up the dry wall. My sister doesn't want to make any move yet until she knows who will be responsible for it. Can you please advise who should pay for this? Thank you.

Account Closed · Answer

I hate hearing about mold as if it's going to take down a family overnight.  Mold remediation companies make so much based on fear. It's in the garage?  On an outside wall that's taking water, and where the interior wall previously has things stored in front of it? Moisture and lack of air flow = mold.

A regular soaking of the ground near and under the foundation/slab could easily create enough moisture for drywall to grow mold.  Could be mold growing between the walls, but might not be.  I'd not get any more quotes.  I'd cut out a section of the drywall and look at the studs and the back sides of the drywall.  If you've got squishy crumbling drywall, then you know that there is water damage.  If you don't see any rot or damage or any mold, then you need to replace the drywall. And fix the sprinkler system.

Know that mold remediation companies, should you choose to use one, should not be relied on for the repairs.  Their repair costs are out to lunch.  It's subcontracted out and marked up to the max.  If there is real mold, get the remediation done but find get other quotes to do the repairs. You'd be surprised at how a $1200 quote for paint and drywall becomes totally negotiable when you have quotes for $350.00 in hand. :)

Aaron Mazzrillo · Answer

Growing up, if there was mold on bread or cheese, we just cut off that part and ate the rest. I think there is some mold on the caulk in my shower right now. Tell you sister to man up, buy some bleach, and stop being such a drama queen.

Eric M. · Answer

Most suggestions are right on except for those that say clean with bleach. That is the oldest wives tale.

$2500 is ridiculous.  The key thing I read is "looks like black mold".  Have you ever really seen the black mold that is toxic?  Most people haven't and most mold is harmless.  Very seldom is it toxic and needs remediation.

Get it tested and follow the others suggestions to take out the drywall, fix the leak and put new drywall in. $500 tops if it is not actual black mold.

John Newland · Answer

Do not treat mold with bleach. Bleach will not kill mold. You need a mildewstat/mildewcide/fungicide to take it out, although I've been told hydrogen peroxide is also effective at killing the mold. The mold roots itself into the drywall (or wood) so your best best is to remove the drywall, eliminate the water source (if any) for the mold growth, and patch the section in. Being a garage it probably doesn't need to be perfect. Drywall is cheap and easy to repair/replace or remove and install.

As for who is on the hook for the repair and cost, as long as the seller wasn't intentionally hiding the stain or had no knowledge of the issue, the new owner would most likely be.

Jon Holdman · Answer

Replacing a 2x10 section of drywall, retaping, and painting should not be $800!  Especially in the garage where the drywall is often imperfect anyway.  Might be a good time to learn drywall repair, its a handy skill, even just for a homeowner.

Could well be the sprinklers and that might mean issues inside the wall.  Need to fix or change out those sprinklers.  In general, you don't want them hitting your house.

Kathrina Lewis · Answer

Before properly cleaning that black mold . You must know the symptoms of black mold because most of the homeowners take mold unseriously and after that, it will affect their health and cause other problems.

Jason Hirko · Answer

I had an upstairs shower surround leak into the wall of the kitchen below - lots of mold behind the sheetrock on the lath and plaster below. I cut out about a 2x2 foot square, cleaned it real good with a $12 bottle of mold killer and let it sit open for a week to dry out good. Then I paid a painter $300 to fix the sheetrock, retexture the area, and paint the entire kitchen.  I wore gloves and a dust mask while cutting out the sheetrock, and even that was probably overkill.

Oh, and it's not the seller's responsibility to pay for it - at least you'll never prove it is.

Mark H. · Answer

This is definitely a case of a molehill turned into a mountain.  Just call a drywall guy, tell him to pull out the bottom four-feet of drywall.  You can peek at the studs and see if it's water running down from the roof, or seeping past the siding without any special training.  Get the sprinklers adjusted or the roof fixed and move on with life.   The cause of the problem will be very obvious with the drywall removed.

A replacement of a 4 x 10 area of drywall would cost me my drywall guy's minimum charge around here, a couple hundred bucks tops, and that includes retexturing the drywall.  My painter would charge his minimum charge to repaint an area that size, which is $55.  A gallon of color-matched paint would cost about $12 at the depot.  Id forget about pursuing the seller unless the roof was bad and you weren't told.

Steve K · Answer

It's her house, hence it's her problem.  Anything over $150 is too much for that minor issue assuming there isn't a roof leak.

Rob K. · Answer

We're talking about less than $10 worth of drywall here. I would cut that section out and see if it's wet behind it. If so, you need to fix that first. I agree with the above posters that bleach will not solve the problem. I would treat the wood behind the drywall with a mold spray. Home Depot sells it in the paint department. I would then paint all of that wood with Killz. The oil based Killz, not Kills 2. Then you can re-drywall. Whole thing willl cost under $50 if you do it yourself.

Good luck.

Just close on a house and found mold on the garage wall, who should pay for to fix it?

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