Keep getting sick after moving into a new house?!
Question: A friend of mine just bought her first home. They moved in a few days after Christmas and since then they have all constantly been sick. She is a stay at home mom & has a 7 month old baby that has been hospitalized three times for 3 different things... RSV, pneumonia, and a virus all one after the other and all since moving in at the end of December. Her, her husband, and their other son have also been sick.
She was thinking it might be mold and asked what to do about it. I'm not sure what to tell her, but I thought I might could find some help on here.
If that was the problem... who would she need to call and around how much would it cost?
And is there anything else it could be??
Answers: A friend of mine just bought her first home. They moved in a few days after Christmas and since then they have all constantly been sick. She is a stay at home mom & has a 7 month old baby that has been hospitalized three times for 3 different things... RSV, pneumonia, and a virus all one after the other and all since moving in at the end of December. Her, her husband, and their other son have also been sick.
She was thinking it might be mold and asked what to do about it. I'm not sure what to tell her, but I thought I might could find some help on here.
If that was the problem... who would she need to call and around how much would it cost?
And is there anything else it could be??
Have it checked for environemental factors such as mold, radon, etc. Some of these kits can be done yourself, but not as acurate as a professional test. The kits can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot.
If it is in fact a mold problem this can be quite expensive! It can mean replacement of all wall board/dry wall that is effected. Ckeaning of all wall studs and floor joists effected. New insulation where it's contaminated with the mold. New carpets. Like I said It can really cost a lot of money to get rid of it all!
My first guess would be mold. They have to have someone come in and inspect for it. If it is mold from what i've seen it's costly and hard to get rid of.
It sounds like a mold problem to me, you're right. I had a friend who had to gut his whole house because of it. I'd call a contractor/tester who specializes in that area. I know my yellow pages have a few listings (under "mold remediation").
Cost will depend on the extent. It could be devastating, but I hope not. Good luck to her!
Your friend should have hired a home inspector to check out the house before buying the house. It's more common than you think. If it is mold, there's nothing you can do to the seller...it's buyer beware. All your friend can do is hire someone who specializes in mold removal to come in and look for the mold and remove it. It may be behind walls, under the carpet, in the attic. Anywhere that could be wet from leaky pipes or leaks from outside. It is important that you don't try and remove it yourself because when you move the mold around, the spores are released which will make the respiratory and other health issues worse.
If itt is mold it will most likely cost $2000 or more to effectively remove it. It could also be RADON gas, a naturally occuring thing, but some places have higher concentrations of it. The local EPA unit can check for RADON.
Did they have new carpeting put in? Some people are sensitive to the fumes that some carpet materials put out.
It's a shame she didn't have a house inspector come in and examine the home before they bought it. If she did, however, and they do find mold, she will need to take action against that inspector. Can she see black mold anywhere? Taking a flashlight into the basement and checking out the dark corners may answer her question.
Since they just moved, have they changed anything else about their lifestyle? It is cold and flu season, and it could be coincidence that they're passing around viruses and flus.
Mold test kits are available at most ACE Hardwares.
That said, RSV and pneumonia is going around..
The mold test kit is about $20, rule it out. remedy will be much costlier.
She'd need to contact a reputable contractor. Mold abatement is a growing industry but can be remedied by DYIers if they study up.
Remove affected sheetrock and insulation, bag and throw away, treat framing with clorox and H20, getting all black molds out. allow to dry. Find source of moisture into the area in question remedies may include foundation drainage systems, sump pumps etc,