Mold

[Drew Farnese]

Hey guys.

I'm looking at a Fannie Mae Home Path property. The guy that used to own it stripped it and left. By talking to some of the neighbors I learned that the house was vacant (and no power) during hurricane Sandy. Looks like there was 2 feet of water sitting in the basement for a LOOOOOOONG time.

It was a finished basement.

My question is - can I demo, remove and dispose of all the moldy sheetrock myself or does a certified company have to do it? I talked to a guy from a restoration company and of COURSE he said you had to be certified....

If I have to pay a certified company it would probably put me over budget and make this deal, well...not a deal.

Thanks guys!

I had some pictures to share, but the site won't let me upload right now

[Chris Christianson]

I can't speak directly to Pennsylvania law but I've never hired a mold remediator in Minnesota. I did some insurance projects few years back and didn't get any hassle from the Minneapolis inspectors or the insurance company. My primary rule of thumb is don't get it tested by a certified mold inspector...ever. That's the can of worms you don't want to open. They will always find mold and always recommend a ridiculously expensive remediation. The Journal of Light Construction or Residential Remodeler magazine did some scathing reports a few years back about mold inspectors and their recommendations.

Anyways, What I do is go in and remove all water stained drywall and any affected framing materials, insulation or anything that was exposed to water and can be removed. Next I clean the entire area with a good moldicide. There are plenty available online. DON'T use bleach and follow the instructions. Make sure everything is dry before you start re-building. If there are visible signs of something you perceive to be mold, get the duct work professionally cleaned before you fire it up as well.