Replies

1. 
   Scrapr | Oct 11, 2006 04:31am | #1

   If you are going to rip it out you probably should wait until July 14th. That will be the next scheduled "sun" day after Fall, Winter and Spring.

   You new to the PNW?

   We get a bit of rain. Only is real bad when it is over 40 days straight. Then I get loopy. Like last winter. And the one before that.

   Not much help. Sorry.

1. 
   BarryO | Oct 13, 2006 09:38am | #8

   You new to the PNW?

   LOL, I was thinking the same thing.  "rip it out and start over"?  Geesh, nothing would get built around here if everyone did that.

   -- Most framing lumber used here is green; it'll have some surface mold on it when the Parr truck driver drops it at your site;

   -- sheet goods are likely to get a little moldy from exposure during construction;

   -- once you dry-in the structure and turn up the heat, the moisture level will drop too low to support further mold growth, assuming things are done right.

   --- "toxic mold" is an invention of lawyers; while a few people may have more of an allergic sensitivity than others, we've been living exposed to mold spores since the beginning of humanity, and somehow have managed to survive.

1. 
   Luka | Oct 18, 2006 12:22pm | #10

   Mold is everywhere.Mold is on your keyboard. Mold is on the monitor screen you are looking at right now.Mold is on that banana sitting in the bowl. Mold is on all your walls, your floor, your ceiling.Mold is crammed into that breath you just took. Every breath you ever took, and every breath you ever will.Fear of mold is ridiculous. Keeping it from taking over is not.Knowledge of the real facts, and how not to encourage the growth of mold, make sense.

   Carpe that ol' diem ! ~LisaL

2. 
   mikeys | Oct 11, 2006 05:44am | #2

   I had that happen in a house I built in Bellevue. The insulators went to crawl space and saw the mold on floor joists and plywood.

   They told us to scrub it with chlorine (Clorox) and water. I'm afraid I don't remember the proportion.

   We did it twice. Then the insulators did their thing including laying plastic on the soil.

    

1. 
   left handed hammer | Oct 11, 2006 06:00am | #3

   Just laying plastic down won't always get you out of the woods.  Usually the mold is forming because the crawl is not properly vented or the vents haven't been cut in yet (siders haven't started) or something is obstructing your vents.  I usually put vent wells in the foundation, and put scrap wood over them while backfilling.  One house we left the wood over the vents for some time and also had mold.  Once we removed the wood we had no further probs.  Same method of cleaning though - bleach and water solution.

   If the crawler is properly vented you can actually have standing water in your crawl and not have milew problems.

2. 
   Piffin | Oct 11, 2006 06:50am | #4

   ten percent 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

3. 
   IdahoDon | Oct 11, 2006 08:22am | #5

   The mold is probably (99%) one of the harmless varieties that won't hurt a thing and will quit growing once the house is closer to being finished and things dry out.

   I wouldn't lose any sleep if it were my personal house.

   Unfortunately, there is much misinformation about mold and insurance companies and home owners are scared of it.  Contractors are becoming more concerned since the liability risk is so high with everyone overreacting to the more common molds.

   The bad types of mold that cause most health problems are the 1% that should be taken care of since it can effect people even if the house dries up enough to keep it from multiplying.  Locally, the bad types of mold are described as having a darker appearance than the more generic versions so that's an indicator we are on the lookout for.

   Having said that and liability risk increasing as we become more of a sue-and-sue-often society, as a contractor it would seem prudent to at least spray the mold and take at least some action that could be documented.  If the clients were still worried about it, I'd encourage them to have cultures taken to determine the risks. CYA.

   Some people will be alergic to any kind of mold, or they will blame it on mold when it's actually something else.  Some clients will blame anything and everything on the GC and anyone associated with the project.

    

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

4. 
   marv | Oct 11, 2006 04:05pm | #6

   Wash it down with bleech/water mixture then paint it with a mold blocking primer. 

   You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

   Marv

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Oct 13, 2006 09:16am | #7

   Bleach is the way to go. There have been a couple of replies on similar topics that have suggested using fungicides so that it does not re-occur, but I would be very cautious about introducing these into any building. If the mold comes back it is because there is something wrong with your building assembly. No path for interior moisture to escape, or rain penetration of the exterior envelop are two likely causes.
   The CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Commission) has several excellent publications dealing with mold remediation.

   Edited 10/13/2006 2:23 am ET by fingersandtoes

5. 
   SBerruezo | Oct 18, 2006 08:46am | #9

   There is a company in CA called American Moldguard.  Not sure if they are in the PNW, but they might know of someone who does a similar thing.  Just heard of the Co. a couple of weeks ago.

   http://www.americanmoldguard.com, I believe

    

   Thanks for your help.