Problems in upstairs condo affect downstairs residents

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Problems in upstairs condo affect downstairs residents

By C. Dwight Barnett (Contact)

Sunday, December 16, 2007

ville Courier & Press - ville,IN*

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/dec/16/problems-in-upstairs-

condo-affect-downstairs/

We are a retired couple who spend the winters in Celebration, Fla.

When we returned to Florida at Thanksgiving, we found our bathroom

ceiling had watermarks from one end to the other. Since we have a

condo, we informed the association, which sent a man to determine

what happened. He informed us the neighbor above us had remodeled

his bathroom, creating the leak. He said that it was not

management's responsibility and that we must contact the owner of

the upstairs condo.

We did this, and the neighbor's friend came with two men who looked

at the ceiling and said they would repair it. A day or two later,

the two men who had been working upstairs came to us and said they

wanted to look to make sure the work they had done upstairs had not

made more water leak.

Then they said they would spray the ceiling with mold-resistant

material before repainting it.

We are very concerned, because we think enough drywall should be

removed to ensure it is not moldy and soft over the tub.

We have no idea whom to contact for a proper inspection, and we

would like to know any criteria to follow or if there is anyone we

could contact for information on our rights.

C.M. , Florida

I'm always ready to learn something new, but I have not as yet found

a product that will remove mold from drywall by simply spraying on a

magic chemical.

Common drywall has a paper (cellulose) covering on all six sides of

an inner gypsum core. It is the paper that is the main subject of a

mold attack, even though the mold appears on the painted surfaces of

the drywall.

The backside of the ceilings is covered with an untreated paper

which is exposed to the dark and damp crevices of the neighbor's

floors. If you see mold growing on the finished side of the ceiling,

it's a good bet that additional mold spores are growing on the

untreated side.

If I were inspecting your home, I would recommend that you have the

mold tested before you do any repairs. Next, the infected areas of

the drywall should be removed so you can see if there is any

structural damage to the floor system. This would mean cutting out

not only what damage you can now see, but also cutting out the mold

that has by now spread over the backside of the ceiling and maybe to

the wood joists and your neighbor's flooring underlayment. The

damage may be more than what now appears.

The damaged drywall ceiling can then be replaced, taped, sanded and

painted.

Not all home inspectors are willing to make such recommendations, so

look for one that has a building or remodeling background. Certified

home inspectors can be found at the American Society of Home

Inspectors' Web Site, www.ashi.org. Once you have opened the main

Internet page, you can narrow the search to your area of the country

by typing your ZIP code into the " Find a Home Inspector " locator.

To research your rights in dealing with this or any other potential

legal situation, you should contact a qualified attorney. Not all

attorneys have experience in real estate matters or damage to

personal property, so get references from the local bar association.

I was able to search www.floridabar.org and found more than 80,000

members of the Florida Bar Association.

ville resident C. Dwight Barnett is a Master Inspector and is

certified by the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him

at C. Dwight Barnett, Courier & Press, P.O. Box 268, ville,

Ind. 47702. His e-mail address is d.barnett@.... Please

include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your questions.