My builder is doing a very nice job and I am very pleased. The drought ended here the day that we broke ground. We have had about 10 inch of rain in the last month. Things have been covered as much as possible, but when I walk around the job I see black mold staining the studs/headers etc.
The house will eventually be pretty tight. Am I going to get a long term mold problem?Should I spray some bleach around with a garden sprayer once the house is roofed in? Would some fans help?I imagine the rain will stop once the felt hits the roof.
Thanks
Frank
Replies
Once things dry out, you should be ok. Molds trive on moisture and very little sunlight. You live with mold spores all around you everyday. they just don't florish unless the proper conditions exist for the right amount of time. a liitle bleach srayed around won't hurt a thing if it make you feel better, but the main focus should be in removing the conditions it trives in.
I know what you mean about the rain. I believe I heard we are 8' above nornmal for this time of year in the Louisville, KY.
Dave
What you're seeing (in my experience) is just black mildew forming (growing) on green wood and it's probably growing on the sapwood portions of the lumber which contain sugars and other tree nutrients. As soon as the structure is dried in and the moisture content of the wood gets below about 18 %, the fungal growth will go into remission pretty much forever (as long as the wood stays dry). It's common and doesn't hurt anything in the short-term and benign in the long term in a continued dry environment.
If it's on exposed appearance wood that later will be painted or stained, you will want to treat it promptly with a fungicide, but framing...don't worry about it.
Some people would bitch even if they were hung with a new rope.
Folks,
Thanks for the speedy replies.
Frank
I was glad to see you praise your builder! That's a good sign. Trust him. Some people would bitch even if they were hung with a new rope.
Well you know my builder built my first house, came back and did the basement and now he's building a 3,000 +sf house for me. He is an honest guy who does a good job and doesn't cut corners. He also calls you back and shows up when he says he'll come.He's good to work with.
Frank