Re: Who is liable for this mess! I don't want to leave my home!

[Guest guest]

Your main problem, now that you are out of the house, is a legal

one: How to get the builder to respond " appropriately. " Getting a

builder to buy back a house is extremely difficult and almost

always requires legal action.

It would help to also have a qualified professional visit the house

to document conditions (this is one time when mold sampling

MIGHT be helpful, depending on how it is done), review

documents and past procedures and then advise you on what

should have been done and what needs to be done now. That is

part of what the lawyer would need to move forward.

I would not let the builder hire his own hygienist because he will

be working for the best interest of the builder, not you. Also, if the

builder has been this incompetent and uninformed then how can

they find a hygienist other than someone who agrees to support

them and discredit you?

BTW, despite my continuous cautions about mold sampling and

using them alone as proof of harm, the tape lift you took was

appropriate and the interpretation proper. The question you were

asking was what type of mold is present, only penicillium as the

builder claimed or something else? Your tape lift demonstrated

that the builder was wrong because other molds were present.

Period. The rest of the story and your harm is supported by better

evidence. A different sampling plan could also help for these

additional questions.

Carl Grimes

Healthy Habitats LLC

-----

> Hi all-

> I am new to the board

> Here for some advice. We bought a brand new home 1 year ago. 3 weeks

> after we moved in we had a leak underneath our tile shower on the

> second floor of the house. The builder came to fix it but never opened

> anything up or let it air out. Because we live in such a dry climate,

> I was told mold wasn't possible. The shower leaked 5 times over the

> course of the next year due to the builders shoddy work. The last time

> it leaked they came back and tore the whole thing down to the studs and

> found mold everywhere, about a 30 square foot area. They assured us it

> was harmless penicillum. I did a tape life of the mold and found out

> it is stachy and chaetomium. We moved out of the house. The builder

> claims they want to come back and fix the problem. Should we let

> them? We don't want to live in the house anymore, we are done! We

> also don't have the money for an attorney to sue and get our money

> back. Should I let the builder come back and try to fix it, they want

> to hire a hygenist to make a protocol for how to clean it up. How will

> I ever sell the house now! Any advice would be much appreciated.

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> FAIR USE NOTICE:

>

>

[Guest guest]

The builder hired a hygenist who came to my home last Thursday, she

was from a different town so I'm hoping she isn't biased ot the

builder. I videoed the whole thing. She is making a protocol for

how to clean up the mess. Surprisingly she did not wear any

protection, use any fans in my house before sampling, or wear any

kind of shoe covers after stepping in the mold and then tracking it

through the rest of my home. They all act like I am freiking out

about nothing! We will have the results from the air sampling on

Monday, she told us that its a personal decision, whether or not to

stay in the home when there is mold and that she couldn't advise us

one way or the other about it.

[Guest guest]

Carl, regarding tape sampling: I did bulk sampling years ago in one

moldy place so I know how to do that. I wanted to know how you do the

tape sampling. I suppose you stick the sticky side of the tape on the

mold or water damage spot. What do you do with the tape just put it is

plastic bag? Thanks,

[Guest guest]

For the tape sampling. You get some clear packing tape. You gently

touch it to the moldy spot then stick it in a clear zip lock baggie and

send to the lab. Its a good idea to get a sample from a few different

areas of mold since different kinds can grow in different places. The

lab I use is in Fremont CA and is called Aemtek. They can give you a

result the next day if you overnight it to them.

Some people will argue that it doesn't really matter what type of mold

it is, that all mold is dangerous. But, I would say that the two types

that I have in my house currently Stachy and chaetomium are the two you

don't want.

Cassie

--- In , " ldelp84227 " <ldelp84227@...>

wrote:

>

> Carl, regarding tape sampling: I did bulk sampling years ago in one

> moldy place so I know how to do that. I wanted to know how you do the

> tape sampling. I suppose you stick the sticky side of the tape on the

> mold or water damage spot. What do you do with the tape just put it

is

> plastic bag? Thanks,

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Carl and Cassie.

>

> For the tape sampling. You get some clear packing tape. You gently

> touch it to the moldy spot then stick it in a clear zip lock baggie

and