Today I was asked to look at a potential job that is a farm house with Masonite siding that has gone bad, and mildew on the soffits ( see attachment). A local handy man who does work for the owner said that he thinks that there is mold in the walls at places also. The owner would like an suggestions and an estimate on how to repair the damage to the house.
I have suggested opening up some of the walls, to see how bad the problem is. There is no obvious mold inside on the sheetrock, although there are places where windows have leaked (Circa 1966 Anderson awning windows). It appears however that vapor is escaping from the inside through the siding and causing the paint to fail. If the walls are moldy inside, how would one deal with the problem other than removing everything that one can, (insulation, and sheetrock) and washing the rest with chlorine?
I have also suggested to installation of bathroom vent fans, and if they choose to the replacement of the windows since the current ones are in poor shape. I don’t quite know why mildue would be wuch a problem on the soffets. There are soffit vents, and unless water is getting in from the gutters, there should not be a source or moisture in the attic.
Any suggestions woould be appreciated. Thanks Fred
Picture would not download. Will try again tomorrow.
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I've done a lot of repair jobs on houses with masonite siding, and I've been asked to bid on many others.
In those cases where the homeowner asked for a price on doing the siding R&R, I gave them my price.
In the few cases where they've asked me to get rid of any resulting mold, I've declined the job. My insurance does not cover me in such cases, since I'm not a trained mold abatement contractor, and am not paying the (exhorbitant) premium for that kind of coverage.
If you're being asked to do the mold abatement, you should be asking yourself if you want to assume the associated risks. And once you answer those questions, you'll know that the best way to get rid of the mold is with a flamethrower.
Unless you're the lead dog, the view just never changes.
Some random thoughts... Sounds like a total exterior R&R is in order. Lots of work... My bid is $18k per 1k sq ft of house, and that includes the windows ;-) Not that I would do that kind of work... :-) As far as the mold, once the moisture source is removed the mold will reseed (sp?) greatly or cease. If you really want to get in to abatement, how about removing the siding and misting with a mixture of water/Clorox. As far as the soffits, are the gutters full of tree debris, etc that would be making them overflow? Look closely at the roof/fascia intersection - is there drip edge? - not essential, but it definitely helps. Are the shingles overhanging the fascia boards at least 3/4"? My expierence with masonite type siding is that it fails due to water intrusion from the outside - it really needs to be recaulked and repainted every 4 years. Cheap product to install - not cheap to maintain.