Mold plagues Knightsbridge family

[Guest guest]

August 1, 2007

Mold plagues Knightsbridge family

http://www.fortmilltimes.com/local/story/6607254p-5884883c.html

By Fort Mill Times

One family's dream house turned into a nightmare this summer.

and Cicciarello and their two children thought they had found what

they were looking for in a two-story Knightsbridge home. They closed on the

house Wednesday, June 18, and were ready to move in that weekend. Their

belongings, which had been in storage since the family sold their High Point,

N.C., home, arrived in Fort Mill Saturday, June 21. However, the day before,

found a dark secret in both of the upstairs bathrooms.

" I pulled up the vinyl flooring in the bathroom and there was black mold

everywhere, " Cicciarello said.

She was shocked the problem hadn't been found in the initial home inspection the

family had performed before buying the home. She found out later that a standard

home inspection doesn't check for mold.

" I'm highly allergic to mold and I've got two small children, " Cicciarello said.

" After that, we had a mold inspection done. "

The mold expert they hired, Bill Kay of Sherlock Homes in Rock Hill, not only

found mold in the upstairs bathrooms, he also found it in the home's ventilation

system and in the attic.

The family never would have bought the house had they known the extent of the

mold damage, she said. They had planed to repaint and spend money upfitting the

kitchen counters and appliances. They had not counted on having to repair the

entire home.

They had to tear out and replace the floors and subfloors in both bathrooms.

Then they had to replace all of the duct work upstairs and sanitize the ductwork

throughout the rest of the house.

During all the repairs the family lived out of a South Charlotte hotel and their

belongings went back in to storage.

" It's been a very emotional, very stressful time for our entire family, " she

said. " I've got one child crying and saying he ants to go back where we were. "

With all the repairs and the longer than expected hotel stay, Cicciarello

estimates the family has spent $10,000 - $12,000 making the home livable again.

" I don't want anyone else to go through this, " Cicciarello said. " A simple

inspection is not going to find these things. "

Now that the repairs are finished, the family is finally settling into their new

home.

If she ever moves again, Cicciarello said she will spend the extra money

up front to have a home inspection, a mold inspection and an engineering

inspection.

" It really is worth the expense, " she said.