Basement repairs of any kind can be some of the toughest choices to make as a homeowner. They aren’t something that is common knowledge, they aren’t something that’s discussed on many DIY television shows, and they are not normally “easy fixes”.
Things like re-pointing foundations, crack repair, waterproofing, foundation correction (ie: piering and wall anchoring) aren’t things that should ever be considered Do-it-yourself projects. They all have potentially hazardous implications if done improperly. It’s always better to let a company carry the liability of a poor job then that of your bank account.
Mold, Radon, Leaks, Cracks, leaking bulkheads, rotted window sills, humidity, moisture and water problems all fall under normal things that many people have to deal with in their basement on a daily basis.
The question is: are you ready to decide to protect your basement and therefore protect your home?
Showing posts with label Mold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mold. Show all posts
11/03/2008
Deciding to Protect your Basement
8/13/2008
Organic Vs. Non-Organic Construction in Basements Remodeling
Recycling, green building and renewable forms of energy are all amazing steps in America today. It has been a long time coming. There is a new appreciation for Organic farming and produce, helping people to eat better, eat locally, and support their farms and farmers. But there seems to be confusion when discussing construction material for home improvements. People are so use to seeing “organic” and associating it with “good”. When building below grade in a basement different construction practices need to start happening rather than “traditional” space construction. In this case Non-Organic can be associated with Good, and help to protect and support the green building on top of it.
Non-Organic construction simply means that the things that are used in the construction are man-made and can’t be broken down by natural bacteria or fungi, such as mold. Typically, they are items that can’t be food sources for mold such as wood or standard Dry Wall. These products can however be made from recycled items, such as car tires, plastics and other materials. They are all designed specifically for applications in the basement so as not to contribute to the existence of molds or mildews in your basement space.
If you plan to use a renewable resource such as Bamboo for a flooring option, good for you! You’re helping the environment by buying into a resource that doesn’t strip away eco-systems. However, to be on the safe side, because it’s an Organic product, simply putting a FloorSheild™ can help to separate that brand new bamboo flooring from coming into contact with moisture on your basement floor. Typical vapor diffusers work, for the most part, but they aren’t designed to allow for air flow below the floor needed by the dehumidifiers to do their jobs properly.
I whole heartedly support Organic and renewable resources. When designing in the basement, always be aware of matching Non-Organic with Organic to create a protective layer that can defend the interior space from moisture damage.
More Links
Find out more about the need to Prepare Properly in your Basement
More Options for Non-Organic Flooring
Prevent Damage to your Organic Materials in your Basement
I'm continuing the discussion both:
DIYNetwork Message Boards
and on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums
Non-Organic construction simply means that the things that are used in the construction are man-made and can’t be broken down by natural bacteria or fungi, such as mold. Typically, they are items that can’t be food sources for mold such as wood or standard Dry Wall. These products can however be made from recycled items, such as car tires, plastics and other materials. They are all designed specifically for applications in the basement so as not to contribute to the existence of molds or mildews in your basement space.
If you plan to use a renewable resource such as Bamboo for a flooring option, good for you! You’re helping the environment by buying into a resource that doesn’t strip away eco-systems. However, to be on the safe side, because it’s an Organic product, simply putting a FloorSheild™ can help to separate that brand new bamboo flooring from coming into contact with moisture on your basement floor. Typical vapor diffusers work, for the most part, but they aren’t designed to allow for air flow below the floor needed by the dehumidifiers to do their jobs properly.
I whole heartedly support Organic and renewable resources. When designing in the basement, always be aware of matching Non-Organic with Organic to create a protective layer that can defend the interior space from moisture damage.
More Links
Find out more about the need to Prepare Properly in your Basement
More Options for Non-Organic Flooring
Prevent Damage to your Organic Materials in your Basement
I'm continuing the discussion both:
DIYNetwork Message Boards
and on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums
8/12/2008
Mold forces family out of Bradley Beach home
By Bill Bowman • COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU • August 10, 2008
John McBride's life these days is centered on help: giving it and getting it.
McBride, 45, said he, his wife, Cynthia, and their three children — Samantha, 12, Jessica, 10, and John, 16 — were forced out of their rented home in Bradley Beach earlier this year because of a massive mold problem.
After months of asking for help from local and state officials, the family was moved into an Eatontown motel. Now, in between looking for a new home, caring for himself and his family and hoping to return to work, McBride said, he's turning to state legislators to make sure what happened to him doesn't happen to others.
McBride wants a state law to compel property owners to fix mold problems in their buildings as soon as they are discovered.
State Sen. Sean Kean, R-Monmouth, said he plans to sign on as a primary co-sponsor to legislation introduced by Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, which, Kean said, would address problems such as those McBride said he encountered.
McBride's also turned to two lawyers, Jack Polloway and Patricia Bennett, both of Red Bank, to get some justice for himself.
The mold has affected the health of everyone in his family and, McBride said, led to the death of the family cat, Cuddles.
"My family is very sick," McBride said. "I don't know what is going to happen with all of this. "This is a disaster."
The McBride family's problems began sometime after they moved into the home on Fourth Avenue in Bradley Beach home five years ago, McBride said.
McBride had gone on disability from the credit control manager's job he held in New York City shortly before moving into the home, he said. Recovery from knee surgery took longer than expected, forcing him to take time off, he said. Within months of moving in, he said, he noticed that his knee was not healing, and that it was becoming harder for him to walk, among other things.
Among his other ailments: chest pains, body tremors, headaches and blurred vision, he said.
"I had blood tests going back to 2004 and 2005, showing my white blood count high. Nobody knew why," he said.
"I couldn't walk, talk or anything starting last October, right after the heat went on," he said. "Then we bring up the Christmas tree from the basement, and it smelled terrible."
One daughter, Jessica, began to get fevers, he said.
"Every month, for a week or two," McBride said.
After many tests could not pinpoint the problem, McBride said, his primary doctor, Dr. Harold M. Cotter of Wall, suggested that he might have a mold problem in his home.
The family's pediatrician, Dr. Kristen Atienza of Neptune, said that mold was probably at the root of their childrens' problems.
A note Cotter wrote to McBride recommends that the family find new housing "'due to mold toxicity."
McBride said his family's health problems intensified during the winter months, when the heat was on.
Once the suggestion was made that mold could be the problem, McBride jumped into action. He had two contractors give estimates to fix the problem, one coming in at $24,000.
He wrote several letters to his landlord, Mary Nitti, asking her to fix the situation, and he also called county and state health officials, all to no avail, he said.
Nitti did not return calls for comment.
McBride later scratched together the money necessary to have a team come down from Rutgers University to test the house.
May 7 results from the tests, conducted by the Rutgers Plant Diagnostics Laboratory in Milltown — part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station — showed the presence of stachybotrys, according to a memo sent by the station.
Stachybotrys, McBride said, is "said to be rare, but one of the most toxic molds there is."
The Centers for Disease Control's Web site notes that if stachybotrys "or other molds are found in a building, prudent practice recommends that they be removed."
It got to the point, McBride said, where he and his family had to sleep while wearing face masks.
On May 23, Bradley Beach's construction official, Don Clare, issued a notice of unsafe structure to the owner. The notice required the building to be demolished by June 21 or to be repaired by June 27.
Clare declined to comment for this report, but construction work is being performed on the house.
Among the building's violations Clare noted in the order were fire damage in the floor joists and that the brick foundation appeared "'distressed."
"Tenant is complaining of severe mold condition in the basement and in the living space," Clare noted in the report. "Tenant has obtained estimates from a mold remediation company, a waterproofing company and a doctor, all of which state a mold issue exists" in the home, he wrote in the report.
Clare required that a "mold clearance report by an engineer or accredited agency be obtained" before anyone could resume occupancy in the house.
The family was out of the house for about a week by that time, McBride said. An Asbury Park-based social service agency, Check-Mate Inc., paid for the McBrides to stay at an Eatontown motel for 29 days, said Ernie Rivera, Check-Mate's community development manager.
That aid has expired, McBride said, and he is now paying for the room himself.
The family lost most of its belongings because they were infested with mold spores and were making the family sick, even in the motel, McBride said.
"Everything we had is lost," he said.
McBride in July filed suit against Nitti, through Polloway. Polloway said the case is still in its infancy.
He said Nitti has filed a counterclaim, alleging that any mold, if it is there, was caused by the McBrides.
McBride said he's feeling better and hopes he can soon return to work, although not at the job he held when he moved into the Fourth Avenue house.
He also said he has been talking with staff from the office of Kean about the proposed bill. The legislation he would like to see enacted, he said, would require property owners to test suspected mold immediately after it is found and to remediate any problems.
McBride said anyone who wants to join in his fight can e-mail him at moldleg333@live.com
John McBride's life these days is centered on help: giving it and getting it.
McBride, 45, said he, his wife, Cynthia, and their three children — Samantha, 12, Jessica, 10, and John, 16 — were forced out of their rented home in Bradley Beach earlier this year because of a massive mold problem.
After months of asking for help from local and state officials, the family was moved into an Eatontown motel. Now, in between looking for a new home, caring for himself and his family and hoping to return to work, McBride said, he's turning to state legislators to make sure what happened to him doesn't happen to others.
McBride wants a state law to compel property owners to fix mold problems in their buildings as soon as they are discovered.
State Sen. Sean Kean, R-Monmouth, said he plans to sign on as a primary co-sponsor to legislation introduced by Sen. Anthony Bucco, R-Morris, which, Kean said, would address problems such as those McBride said he encountered.
McBride's also turned to two lawyers, Jack Polloway and Patricia Bennett, both of Red Bank, to get some justice for himself.
The mold has affected the health of everyone in his family and, McBride said, led to the death of the family cat, Cuddles.
"My family is very sick," McBride said. "I don't know what is going to happen with all of this. "This is a disaster."
The McBride family's problems began sometime after they moved into the home on Fourth Avenue in Bradley Beach home five years ago, McBride said.
McBride had gone on disability from the credit control manager's job he held in New York City shortly before moving into the home, he said. Recovery from knee surgery took longer than expected, forcing him to take time off, he said. Within months of moving in, he said, he noticed that his knee was not healing, and that it was becoming harder for him to walk, among other things.
Among his other ailments: chest pains, body tremors, headaches and blurred vision, he said.
"I had blood tests going back to 2004 and 2005, showing my white blood count high. Nobody knew why," he said.
"I couldn't walk, talk or anything starting last October, right after the heat went on," he said. "Then we bring up the Christmas tree from the basement, and it smelled terrible."
One daughter, Jessica, began to get fevers, he said.
"Every month, for a week or two," McBride said.
After many tests could not pinpoint the problem, McBride said, his primary doctor, Dr. Harold M. Cotter of Wall, suggested that he might have a mold problem in his home.
The family's pediatrician, Dr. Kristen Atienza of Neptune, said that mold was probably at the root of their childrens' problems.
A note Cotter wrote to McBride recommends that the family find new housing "'due to mold toxicity."
McBride said his family's health problems intensified during the winter months, when the heat was on.
Once the suggestion was made that mold could be the problem, McBride jumped into action. He had two contractors give estimates to fix the problem, one coming in at $24,000.
He wrote several letters to his landlord, Mary Nitti, asking her to fix the situation, and he also called county and state health officials, all to no avail, he said.
Nitti did not return calls for comment.
McBride later scratched together the money necessary to have a team come down from Rutgers University to test the house.
May 7 results from the tests, conducted by the Rutgers Plant Diagnostics Laboratory in Milltown — part of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station — showed the presence of stachybotrys, according to a memo sent by the station.
Stachybotrys, McBride said, is "said to be rare, but one of the most toxic molds there is."
The Centers for Disease Control's Web site notes that if stachybotrys "or other molds are found in a building, prudent practice recommends that they be removed."
It got to the point, McBride said, where he and his family had to sleep while wearing face masks.
On May 23, Bradley Beach's construction official, Don Clare, issued a notice of unsafe structure to the owner. The notice required the building to be demolished by June 21 or to be repaired by June 27.
Clare declined to comment for this report, but construction work is being performed on the house.
Among the building's violations Clare noted in the order were fire damage in the floor joists and that the brick foundation appeared "'distressed."
"Tenant is complaining of severe mold condition in the basement and in the living space," Clare noted in the report. "Tenant has obtained estimates from a mold remediation company, a waterproofing company and a doctor, all of which state a mold issue exists" in the home, he wrote in the report.
Clare required that a "mold clearance report by an engineer or accredited agency be obtained" before anyone could resume occupancy in the house.
The family was out of the house for about a week by that time, McBride said. An Asbury Park-based social service agency, Check-Mate Inc., paid for the McBrides to stay at an Eatontown motel for 29 days, said Ernie Rivera, Check-Mate's community development manager.
That aid has expired, McBride said, and he is now paying for the room himself.
The family lost most of its belongings because they were infested with mold spores and were making the family sick, even in the motel, McBride said.
"Everything we had is lost," he said.
McBride in July filed suit against Nitti, through Polloway. Polloway said the case is still in its infancy.
He said Nitti has filed a counterclaim, alleging that any mold, if it is there, was caused by the McBrides.
McBride said he's feeling better and hopes he can soon return to work, although not at the job he held when he moved into the Fourth Avenue house.
He also said he has been talking with staff from the office of Kean about the proposed bill. The legislation he would like to see enacted, he said, would require property owners to test suspected mold immediately after it is found and to remediate any problems.
McBride said anyone who wants to join in his fight can e-mail him at moldleg333@live.com
7/28/2008
SeattlePI.com : Dangers of Basement Living Overlooked
Dangers of basement living often overlooked
Don't ignore safety when converting space, experts say
By KATHY MULADY AND AUBREY COHEN
P-I REPORTERS
When a massive storm hit Seattle last month, a sudden flood trapped Kate Fleming in the basement of her 1907 Madison Valley home and, unable to escape, she drowned in the fast-rising water.
Her death was a shocking eye-opener for basement-happy Seattleites who fill the lowest level of their houses with entertainment centers, recording studios, home businesses and family rooms.....
for full article: click here
Don't ignore safety when converting space, experts say
By KATHY MULADY AND AUBREY COHEN
P-I REPORTERS
When a massive storm hit Seattle last month, a sudden flood trapped Kate Fleming in the basement of her 1907 Madison Valley home and, unable to escape, she drowned in the fast-rising water.
Her death was a shocking eye-opener for basement-happy Seattleites who fill the lowest level of their houses with entertainment centers, recording studios, home businesses and family rooms.....
for full article: click here
2/10/2008
HVAC issue in CT 1
I had a client not too long ago that has a type 1 (or level 1) mold issue in the basement. There's a secure bulkhead and an open stair well to the stairs up to the apartments.
The problem is tha the duct to the window for the ventalation is open. There's a grate on the outside. One vent coming stright down out of the window to about 2 feet from the floor. The second comes straight out at window/ceiling level. The idea is for the warm air to escape through the top vent and colder air from the outside is to come through the bottom vent opening closer to the floor in order to then travel, stir up air away from the furnace and then heat, and escape out the top. Simple right?
Yes, simple, however creating some complications. Apparently there are large piles of leaves and other outside material that has found it's way through the grate into the basement. Which leaves me to beleve that the moist air is coming in through the vents as well. Trying to do research has lead me to noting. Most vents on the furnace are carried through normal ducts to the outside, keeping the circulation in a close ciruit between the ouside and the furnace....right?
Besides having a water issue which will be corrected by installing the Grate Products System I can't see where else the moisture could be coming from. Even having a Santa Fe working full tilt couldn't eleminate an endless stream of moisture from the outside.
I'm vexed by the idea. I don't want them to install and then still experience mold because of the outside. I'll have pictures and I'll have information before anything happens..That's for sure.
The problem is tha the duct to the window for the ventalation is open. There's a grate on the outside. One vent coming stright down out of the window to about 2 feet from the floor. The second comes straight out at window/ceiling level. The idea is for the warm air to escape through the top vent and colder air from the outside is to come through the bottom vent opening closer to the floor in order to then travel, stir up air away from the furnace and then heat, and escape out the top. Simple right?
Yes, simple, however creating some complications. Apparently there are large piles of leaves and other outside material that has found it's way through the grate into the basement. Which leaves me to beleve that the moist air is coming in through the vents as well. Trying to do research has lead me to noting. Most vents on the furnace are carried through normal ducts to the outside, keeping the circulation in a close ciruit between the ouside and the furnace....right?
Besides having a water issue which will be corrected by installing the Grate Products System I can't see where else the moisture could be coming from. Even having a Santa Fe working full tilt couldn't eleminate an endless stream of moisture from the outside.
I'm vexed by the idea. I don't want them to install and then still experience mold because of the outside. I'll have pictures and I'll have information before anything happens..That's for sure.
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