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Supergrover12 Dec 2016 21:48Hello everyone,
We are currently building a single-family house and unfortunately have a mold problem. In several rooms on the upper floor, there is noticeable mold on the drywall panels, appearing as small black spots. The mold covers an area of about 2-4 square meters (21.5-43 square feet) per room. The density of the spots varies depending on the room.
The cause is likely the high moisture levels in the house due to plaster and screed. Despite ventilating three times a day (each time for 20 minutes by fully opening windows and doors and wiping them down) and using the heating system’s screed drying program, the humidity is still around 80-85% in the mornings, even five weeks after the screed was installed.
Our building surveyor (not a mold expert!) believes that all the drywall panels should be replaced. After that, dehumidifiers and fans are supposed to be set up. The builder seems to agree with this. More details will be clarified tomorrow.
I now have two questions:
1. Are the measures mentioned above sufficient, or should a mold specialist be consulted to identify the mold species and check the indoor air for spore concentration, in order to determine if further action is needed? I don’t want to overreact, but I also don’t want to underestimate the mold.
2. We had already taped and sanded the drywall ourselves. Will the builder be required to restore the replaced panels to the same finish at their own cost, meaning taping and sanding?
3. Can anyone recommend a mold specialist in the Stade/Altes Land region or possibly Hamburg?
Regards,
Supergrover
We are currently building a single-family house and unfortunately have a mold problem. In several rooms on the upper floor, there is noticeable mold on the drywall panels, appearing as small black spots. The mold covers an area of about 2-4 square meters (21.5-43 square feet) per room. The density of the spots varies depending on the room.
The cause is likely the high moisture levels in the house due to plaster and screed. Despite ventilating three times a day (each time for 20 minutes by fully opening windows and doors and wiping them down) and using the heating system’s screed drying program, the humidity is still around 80-85% in the mornings, even five weeks after the screed was installed.
Our building surveyor (not a mold expert!) believes that all the drywall panels should be replaced. After that, dehumidifiers and fans are supposed to be set up. The builder seems to agree with this. More details will be clarified tomorrow.
I now have two questions:
1. Are the measures mentioned above sufficient, or should a mold specialist be consulted to identify the mold species and check the indoor air for spore concentration, in order to determine if further action is needed? I don’t want to overreact, but I also don’t want to underestimate the mold.
2. We had already taped and sanded the drywall ourselves. Will the builder be required to restore the replaced panels to the same finish at their own cost, meaning taping and sanding?
3. Can anyone recommend a mold specialist in the Stade/Altes Land region or possibly Hamburg?
Regards,
Supergrover
Supergrover schrieb:
The cause is likely the high humidity inside the house due to the plaster and screed, which despite airing out (3 times a day, each time 20 minutes of cross-ventilation, wiping down all windows and doors) and the screed drying program on the heating system, still remains around 80-85% in the morning even 5 weeks after the screed was installed.The screed drying program actually pushes moisture out of the screed.
Drywall boards should only be installed after the drying process is fully completed.
Dispose of all drywall boards that have mold, and depending on the house size, run about two dehumidifiers for a couple of weeks until hardly any water accumulates.
If the substructure is made of wood and the battens are not yet affected by mold, you might consider treating them prophylactically with an anti-mold spray.
Whether the developer will partially cover the costs for filling and sanding depends on your negotiating skills. I think they will likely deny liability, and getting a refund is difficult.
You might be able to negotiate an additional construction service at their expense "as compensation" (for example, digging a hole somewhere or something similar).
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