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Hi fellas,
I’ve been working on a ranch house from the fifties that has 1″ round louvered vents at the top and bottom of the exterior of each and every wall bay.
Two bays that I had to open up had mold and mildew. Some mildew was in an area speading out about 1 foot around the top hole. The sole plate was very moldy. This was on the south side of the house. On the north side, in a area where I stripped some wallpaper, there are mildew stains on the drywall above some of the windows.
I suspect that this house is full of mold. It’s being converted to a doctor’s office. I was brought in late on this and am just doing small-time stuff–putting in some cabinets and such.
Couple of questions:
1) The mildew went away upon contact with bleach, of course, but what to do about the mold? How do you kill it?
2) Should I propose plugging all those vent holes? I’ve pointed out to the owner that I suspect the holes in the siding are causing more trouble than they are solving. The insulation is mineral wool batts, if that makes any difference.
I guess this is also a broader question as to whether or not I should persue correcting what are bad dynamics throughout the place. The electricians just punched a bunch of non-airtight recessed cans into the attic. The attic insulation is vermiculate (yes I just read that JLC piece on asbestos and vermiculite–after having inhaled a buch of the stuff) and fiberglass.
The woman is crying poverty and already dropping several aspects of the plan for budget reasons, so would not appreciate the cost of fixing these problems. But she isn’t really aware of them yet, and I’m just a bit player on this job.
Should I say anything? It just feels creepy to know a building full of mold is going to go into operation as a GP’s office in two weeks.
Steve
Replies
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Hi fellas,
I've been working on a ranch house from the fifties that has 1" round louvered vents at the top and bottom of the exterior of each and every wall bay.
Two bays that I had to open up had mold and mildew. Some mildew was in an area speading out about 1 foot around the top hole. The sole plate was very moldy. This was on the south side of the house. On the north side, in a area where I stripped some wallpaper, there are mildew stains on the drywall above some of the windows.
I suspect that this house is full of mold. It's being converted to a doctor's office. I was brought in late on this and am just doing small-time stuff--putting in some cabinets and such.
Couple of questions:
1) The mildew went away upon contact with bleach, of course, but what to do about the mold? How do you kill it?
2) Should I propose plugging all those vent holes? I've pointed out to the owner that I suspect the holes in the siding are causing more trouble than they are solving. The insulation is mineral wool batts, if that makes any difference.
I guess this is also a broader question as to whether or not I should persue correcting what are bad dynamics throughout the place. The electricians just punched a bunch of non-airtight recessed cans into the attic. The attic insulation is vermiculate (yes I just read that JLC piece on asbestos and vermiculite--after having inhaled a buch of the stuff) and fiberglass.
The woman is crying poverty and already dropping several aspects of the plan for budget reasons, so would not appreciate the cost of fixing these problems. But she isn't really aware of them yet, and I'm just a bit player on this job.
Should I say anything? It just feels creepy to know a building full of mold is going to go into operation as a GP's office in two weeks.
Steve