Mold is a much bigger problem in Colorado than most people realize. With Colorado’s dry climate, people mistakenly believe that if they allow the water to dry from a flooding incident they will not have mold. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
My daughter purchased what she thought was her dream home in Denver, CO only to find out it was full of toxic black mold. A discovery she made after her youngest son Jaxon had been battling major respiratory issues after moving into the home.
Mold can be an issue for homeowners, even in dry climates like Colorado.
Drywall and carpet soaked from a flooding pipe or overflowed toilet can quickly spawn mold that will spread and grow undetected in the wall cavity behind the drywall and elsewhere. Even a small amount of moisture in the air in a home is adequate to support mold growth indefinitely. Mold will not die just because it looks dry or you no longer see moisture.
Mold can cause extreme health issues, especially in the very young or old.
Recently we found out that our youngest grandson has been suffering from exposure to high quantities of mold in the home my daughter purchased a couple of years ago in Denver.
My grandson has been hospitalized eleven times in the past year since moving into what my daughter thought would be her forever dream home, with the boys K-12 school just two doors down.
Jaxon has suffered from respiratory issues so severe that his oxygen level has plummeted to 65% saturation and he had to be taken by ambulance to Denver General multiple times. He has had to be on a respirator multiple times and has spent several week-long stays in the hospital.
Doctors have struggled to find the cause of his health issues. My daughter who is a single mom caring for two young boys completely on her own has lost months of income from missed work along with the medical bills and medications trying to solve Jaxon’s health issue.
Health issues suddenly revealed themselves with high mold allergies.
During one hospital visit that included a stay at National Jewish Hospital in Denver testing provided a clue as to my grandson’s issues. It turned out he was highly allergic to mold. At that point, a light bulb went off in my daughter's mind and she contacted a client that happened to own a mold mitigation company called Pure Maintenance of Colorado.
He offered to do a free investigation of the air quality in her home as well as some core samples from suspicious areas of concern. It turned out that the mold concentrations were off the charts with some of the most dangerous molds being present.
Mold mitigation can be a costly endeavor for unsuspecting CO homeowners.
Although she didn’t have the money at hand for the expensive mitigation and rebuilding process, she had no choice but to schedule the work as soon as possible for her and her children’s health.
My daughter had heard about and then set up an account with GoFundMe and has had many friends and family as well as people that she didn’t even know, chip in to help her with the staggering costs of what had been dumped on her.
Although the donations have not covered all of her losses and costs we are thankful to all that have chipped in with monetary help as well as donations of free labor from others. Just sharing her story with others and the support of thoughtful words have helped her deal with this terrible situation.
Even if no water or significant moisture is present, toxic molds can still spread.
After starting the mold mitigation and removal process it was discovered that the mold had spread more significantly than was anticipated. More walls had to be removed and the entire basement bathroom was gutted to remove all of the mold.
The owner of the mold mitigation company indicated that because there was no significant amounts of moisture in the areas where they had removed mold, and that the mold had been in the home prior to her purchase of the property.
The mitigation has been completed and the rebuilding will soon be complete. Although it may be several months before we may see any significant improvement in Jaxon’s health we are very optimistic and hopeful that we will start seeing improvement in his condition.
CID Basements always checks for water damage in foundation or concrete.
My daughter’s and grandson’s experience with toxic black mold in such a dry climate as Colorado has inspired me to try to raise awareness to this potentially deadly condition that may exist in many homes.
For over 40 years my company Custom Integrated Designs has made our clients aware of this potential hazard in their basements. When we start a basement finish one of the things we always look for is any leaking or signs of moisture infiltration through the foundation walls or concrete slabs.
If you ever have a burst pipe or any kind of flooding event in your home, it is in your best interests to file a claim with your insurance company if applicable and have the moisture damage mitigated by a professional disaster mitigation company.
Please don’t ignore this potential health hazard and please hire the right company to do the proper work required to mitigate this danger properly.
Not doing this work could jeopardize your family’s future health and pass on potentially catastrophic health issues and costly repairs to the next homeowner. In Colorado, it is against the law to knowingly fail to disclose the existence of mold or a flooding event that could have caused mold.
You can be held liable for damages in the event that a latent finding of such mold issues would have been expected from such an occurrence.
Always ask about prior flooding events before purchasing a home & mitigate water and moisture damage properly.
Some of the required processes include cutting wet drywall up at least one foot from the floor to remove the wet insulation and drywall along with removing soaked pad and carpet. It is always best to rely on the experience of a trusted disaster mitigation company and their direction as to what is best for your situation.
When purchasing a home it would also be a good idea to ask about any flooding events that may have occurred and whether they were properly mitigated. If there is any suspicion or signs of water damage it would be well worth the cost of having an air quality and mold test done prior to closing.
I hope this information will be helpful in your next home purchase or in cleaning up from a flooding episode in your home.
If you would like to learn more about Jessica’s situation visit her GoFundMe.
Thank you
Gerald L. Vidmar
Owner
CIDbasements.com