Mold

[Bill Fry]

Thats probably only 1/4 inch thick sheetrock.You can scrub a hole in that stuff pretty easy.You would also probably have the owner sign a 3 page waiver for your benefit if you take on the job(which I wouldnt)I'd bet theres more surprises in that house than a trailer load full of CrackerJack.

[Charlotte]

I have just come from looking at the pictures again. That stuff looks like it's catching or contagious. I think the best thing would be for it to have an accident and burn down. That way you wouldn't have any liability issues.

That stuff looks awful. Burn whats in the house as well, spores can travel.

[Tracy]

First, thanks for all the input on the pictures we posted. Now let me tell you what I know on this home from what I saw and was told.

I met the factory plant manager and the dealer at the home at there request on Monday 11-3-03 and the picture painted to me was this:

The home was purchased new in Oct 01 and was set in Nov. the same year. The owners lived 4 hrs away and the home was purchased with the intension of a place to get away. The setup fired up the house with heat and water after set and left . The owner moved a few things in and left until sometime the following year in April, when they walked into the house full of water. They ran to the dealers home and had him return to this house and shut off the water. According to the dealer only the carpet was wet throughout. But the home remained shut for over 9 months.
Reason given for broken pipes is the wind blew the furnace pilot light out, and the PEX plumbing snapped on both toilets.

The dealer had his people go in and remove the carpet/pad/floor insulation and belly. They cut holes in the sub-floor to allow the 3' crawl space to help ventilate. They also took down the duct crossovers and they are still left under this home. Surprisingly, the joists were dry and no mold was visibly present! The marriage wall floor line is humped just a bit, but the factory wants it simply sanded down.

I was instructed by the factory what they wanted repaired, and how.
1)Remove all interior doors, jambs and trim because of swelling
2)Remove all the base trim as swelling has occurred there as well
3)Repair the shutoffs at the toilets that burst when the pipes broke
4)Repair drywall as needed, clean, kilz and paint. Do not remove base cabinets, overheads, or other fixtures (i.e. showers, and such)
5)Install new insulation and wrap (after checking for more leaks with the fittings, now that the joists are exposed)
6) Install new carpet and pad through out

I left the home smelling of mold in my clothing only after being in the home 1-1/2 hrs. I only touched the floor in the living room next to the fireplace to help get under the home and look around. Since Monday I have now become sick with sore throat, runny eyes and nose.

I did some research online and made some calls to find out that mold can be deadly and the theory of bleach or Kilz does not do what some feel the products should do!
I have come to the conclusion the home needs to be "non repaired" because of the costs to neutralize and make a friendly home for anyone to live in. We also have to deal with protecting our people's health as well if this home is to be repaired.

I also found out the owners are retired and the wife has asthma and uses oxygen to help her breath.
Now, I have to convince the factory and dealer this home will never be cost effective to repair for anyone to comfortably breath in.
Costs to have the home professionally inspected are $300 to show up and $125 average cost per test to tell what kind of mold lives and how to rid the problem.They predict they would need about 10 tests to start Good place to start!

Bottom line, I cant see saving a few thousand of dollars today for a problem that will only cost much more later.

Thanks again to all those that posted on this Issue.
Ill let you know as things happen

P.S. The link again is http://www.mbqc.com/mold for anyone interested in voicing an oppion on this forum topic. All comments are being read from the factory now as a guide to other peoples thoughts.


Tracy Mason- President
MB-Quality Contractors, Inc.
Greeley, Co
www.mbqc.com

[Kathy Franklin]

I noticed you have done alot of research on this mold ,I have a 1999 mobile home ,which is still under warranty .Ive been working for 2 yrs to get this fixed.
I noticed mold in a section of my home I called the company .When they came out they just painted over it . 1 yr later water is comeing out of the walls and fire alarms . My daughter was has asthma now . My son as allergys. Do u know what I should do ? Kathy Franklin [email protected]