On guard against mold

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On guard against mold

By Levy

American-Statesman Staff

Saturday, July 7, 2001

Two days after moving into her newly built home in May, Dawn

noticed a ceiling stain. Another day passed, and she and her husband were

shocked to see water pouring down the walls -- a drenching they later found

out was caused by cracks in their air conditioner's condensing lines.

The home builder, Weekly Homes, made repairs promptly, according to a

company spokesman. But about a month later, with water seeping behind the

walls and underneath the hardwood floors, the family moved out: Their

Southwest Austin house had developed a bad case of mold.

and Weekly Homes are still negotiating. But their dispute

exemplifies a growing problem in Central Texas and elsewhere. Although Texas

Department of Health officials do not know whether the number of mold

problems in Central Texas has increased during the past few years, they say

the number of mold-related questions they receive has jumped, with more

homeowners and buyers wondering what they can do to prevent mold problems of

their own.

Last month, hundreds of Texas homeowners -- including a couple who recently

won a $32 million lawsuit for mold infestation in their Dripping Springs

home -- attended a state hearing on insurance coverage for mold-related

damage. Many criticized insurance companies and home builders, contending

that claims for mold damage were increasing largely because of deception on

the part of claims adjusters or shoddy construction.

The hearing was prompted by a proposal by Farmers Insurance Co. to exclude

coverage for mold damage from standard homeowner policies -- a request state

Insurance Commissioner Montemayor said his agency is " nowhere close " to

approving.

Insurers and their trade groups testified that premiums haven't kept up with

the growing cost of mold-related claims, which have increased an estimated

135 percent since 1999, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.

Mold, which thrives in moist environments, is a fungus that reproduces

through microscopic cells called spores -- seed-like particles that spread

easily through air. Although all mold can be dangerous in large amounts,

Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra) is the type of

toxic mold that most often has been linked to health problems.

They can range from mild allergic reactions to more severe symptoms for

people who have underlying problems, such as asthma. , who was

allergic to mold before moving into her new home, said she experienced a

sore throat, severe headaches, skin rashes, blurred vision and other

symptoms during the month she lived in her mold-infested home.

Kay Soper, indoor air quality specialist for the Texas Department of Health,

suggested researching home-building companies before committing to them

because some mold problems originate with construction flaws.

" Some of the buildings may go up so fast, " she said.

" You don't always know if shoddy construction might play a role in some of

this: `Let's get it up quick and cheap.' "

Damage control

Katz, president of Katz Builders Inc. and chairman of a state task

force to study indoor air quality and moisture control, acknowledged that

building defects can occur, but he stressed the role of the homeowner in

preventing and eliminating mold.

" People (building a house) do make mistakes and sometimes we don't catch

those mistakes, " Katz said. " (But) everyone's trying to point a finger:

`It's those . . . builders building shoddy houses.' I don't think it's fair

to say that. I don't think you can point a finger at builders. I think we

all share responsibility in this situation. "

Still, he added, " Shame on the builder if the builder doesn't respond in a

timely manner. "

Soper also pointed out that when building material is left out in the rain,

it can be fertile ground for mold growth. But, said Tim Hill, president of

the Texas Capitol Area Builders Association, some amount of mold on building

material is normal, and should not cause problems if it is allowed to dry

before being used.

" When you build a house and order lumber, it has mold on it before it even

gets to the job site. Wood decays naturally. . . so you have to assume the

wood already has biological organisms in it or on it, " Hill said. " How do

you stop it? By keeping it dry. It's OK if it gets wet once or twice in the

building process as long as it dries. "

For buyers looking to purchase an older house, be sure to " look into every

nook and cranny before you buy it, " Soper said. Most importantly, look for

evidence of water damage in the house, as water damage is one of the primary

causes of mold growth. Although sellers are not required to disclose mold

problems specifically, they must tell potential buyers of previous water

damage.

" Mold is excluded from a normal property inspection, " said Steve Cannon,

inspector for Apex Home Inspections Services. " When we're inspecting a home,

we're looking at . . . all the details of how water gets into a building. "

To check for mold, Cannon suggested hiring an environmental inspection

company. of Argus Environmental Consultants said the cost of

mold testing can run from $1,800 to $6,000.

Ounce of prevention

For new and existing homes, preventing any sort of moisture buildup is

essential.

" The most important thing is to control moisture in all of its forms, " said

Doug Garrett, president of Leander consulting company Building Performance &

Comfort Inc. " We can't take away the mold spores. They are omnipresent in

nature. We can't make it too hot or too cold for them to grow without making

things very uncomfortable for ourselves. We can't take away their sources of

food as they digest anything that is organic from paper to cotton, to you

name it. Our only weapon is to keep things dry. "

, whose family is living in an apartment until they can clean out

their house, advised other homeowners to take care of leaks immediately.

" If you have a leak, you need to take it seriously. Mold will grow in 24 to

48 hours. You need to dry the areas out, " she said. " The longer it goes, the

more the damage escalates because mold is living and it grows and it

spreads. "

Experts also suggest that homeowners also throw out the notion that bigger

air-conditioning units are better.

" Oversized air conditioners result in high humidity levels, " Garrett wrote.

" The old thinking is that no air conditioner can be too big. We now know

that in fact an air conditioner that is too big for a home runs in short

cycles and fails to remove sufficient humidity from the home. "

By ensuring that builders create proper drainage systems around windows and

doors -- and by following up with regular inspections of the caulking near

them -- homeowners can close up another easy entrance for mold.

" Windows and doors are going to take in water, " Katz said, the builder. " You

have to channel that water so it gets out of the house instead of going into

the house. "

Most importantly, advised, homeowners need to be observant and

willing to act if they find a problem in their houses.

" People need to take this seriously and need to drive it themselves, " she

said. " It's a very expensive proposition and many people want to cut corners

to save money. But this is an area where being penny wise is being pound

foolish. "

You may contact Levy at jlevy@...