Unfinished Home With Too Much Moisture?

Steve Unkie

I'm making an offer on a 3000+ sq. ft. unfinished home. It's been exposed to the elements for around 8 months now. Most of the framing has been done, but then the developer went belly up due to problems unrelated to this house. there is no building paper on most of this house and of course no roof, so there is 1/2'' of standing water on all subfloors and it's green and slippery.

The building inspector says that a moisture expert will have to asure him that there will be no mold problems in the future, for us to continue with the construction.I have heard that there are treatments for killing this kind of potential mold, but have no personal experiance with them.
I know we will have issues with some OSB expansion, but my main concern is the moisture issues. I plan on getting the house dried in and then let it dry out and apply whatever treatments are neccasary.

I'll be doing my homework of course, but do any of you guys have experience with this kind of problem.

Any thoughts ???

Steve Unkie.

Glasshousebltr

Wow, 8 months, I don't think killing the mold should be your issue here, how about OSB replacment.

Bleach and water will kill the mold, however, I'll bet the areas that water was standing have lost their adhesive bond, and thats what OSB needs to hold up.

Bob

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Bob

Steve Unkie

Bob,
I think your right about the OSB, we're going to use a boom and disassemble the entire house and redo the sheathing etc... because of,not only, the moisture in the OSB, but their framing was'nt square before they sheathed so it has to be remove to resquare the walls.
The subfloor may have to be replaced also, but as of now, it seems to be the original dimensions,has not swelled or delaminated. I will be contacting the maufacturer and getting more info about useabillity.

The lumber itself should be fine once it dries out.The building inspector had doubts about the lumber and trusses being comprimised by the moister-I don't understand why.

Steve Unkie

Glasshousebltr

No offence to anyone here, however I was told long ago a building inspector is just a contractor who didn't make it. Did I say that, typing out loud agaiin.

Bob

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Bob

Tscarborough

Are they paying you to take this house?

nadonailer

Actually bleach does not kill mold, a buddy of mine who is pretty knowledgeable on this stuff told me that last year and I couldn't believe it, but it's true, check this out:
http://www.moldacrossamerica.org/notobleach.htm

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JustaFramer

No ******************** I think I have stated this before without that link.

My brother is a certified abatement specialist. Bleach is a joke in laboratory's Lysol is actually used to sanitize and kill the funky's.

You know I am getting fairly tired of repeating myself to overrated whitecollar jokes.

Hey Old27 you got more respect from me than these asshat's will ever know

FRAMERS UNITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

erik edlund

Hello Steve,

Sounds like they're throwing money in a hole. The cost, and aggravation, for repair and retro-fit will likely be more than removing the existing framing and do a rebuild from the foundation. There will ALWAYS be a question about future structural integrity and mold issues- not worth it, my friend, to you, and to the HO. Who will be accountable?

My advice? BURN IT! And rebuild! (chuckle, but seriously- an alternative to consider...)

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Kind regards,

Erik D. Edlund

RowdyRed94

Just yesterday we contracted MicrobeGuard to start spraying our houses. They're giving us a huge model-home discount, but normally I think they said .72/s.f. for whatever you want sprayed. They tell me it handles existing mold problems nicely, too. I think they're nationwide. They guarantee you'll be mold-free for 25 years.

I'd cut out the subfloor just inside the exterior walls and relay it. You could also rent a floor sander (we do for all our OSB floors) and level the swollen seams, then overlay 1/2" plywood for a really solid floor.

http://www.microbeguardinc.com/

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A+Carpenter

You are correct about the bleach not killing the mold. It does take lysol. I live in a mold plauged city. We call it the ol-moldy Houston


FRAMERS UNITE. Hey Steve why dont you let me and JustaFramer and Old27 come and frame this place for you. I agree whilte collar asshats bro thats funny

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Tscarborough

AdamMeider, I am Clear Creek, 1979. Go Creek!

Steve Unkie

Adam,
Come on, but I can't pay for the comute.

Steve Unkie.

JustRightCo

Hey adam you from houston? I'm going out there the 22nd any advice on purchasing a home out there. is it really moldly state, area. Im looking at katy,cy-fair,and springs.

JustaFramer

Steve when my brother gets back from Union school. I'll ask him what they use in mold abatement. He is a certified abater. Mold requires no certs so getting the mold killer should be fairly easy to get.
From what I remember him telling me is that spray the mold them do some sanding. It is sounds very tedious.

littlefatdog

i bought a 3000sf brick victorian (1908) with some water damage in philadelphia - even so the water damage was a real pain. cant imagine trying to repair an all wood structure - straight exposure for 8 months. ouch. i'd bet that - from the sound of the standing water - even if it dries out - it'll be pretty warped in so many time-consuming ways. that besides the moisture issues.
hi

Steve Unkie

Well, my offer was'nt accepted anyway which is kind of a relief. There were just to many unknowns. I'll just watch and see what happens with this one.

Thanks for all your input.

Steve Unkie.

Riversong

This is bunk. While I don't trust the federal government on most things, the EPA, the CDC and FEMA (as well as every similar state agency and agricultural extension service) all recommend a dilute bleach mixture (about 1-1/2 cups to a gallon of water) to kill mold.

The only ones claiming that bleach doesn't work are those trying to make a buck selling you something a lot more toxic.

But, for bleach to work properly, other steps are necessary:

- clean all surfaces first, otherwise the organic matter will use up the bleach's chlorine

- leave it on for a 30 minute contact period

- thoroughly dry all materials afterwards (bleach has a very short "half-life" and doesn't stick around - but that's also it's advantage: it leaves no toxic residue)

littlefatdog

i also think that is untrue. bleach is so caustic by its very nature that it kills virtually anything it touches. it could even kill us if we weren't careful with it.
but i do believe that other things may be more effective.

JustaFramer

What if you know anything about lab's they don't sterilize the labs with bleach because it is ineffective. Lysol

I bet you still have a rolls of visqueen and duct tape.

Gordo

I use Boracare to treat any mold, termites, mildew, and any dry rot (all in one treatment).

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Looks like some pros were here.