Family recounts mold ordeal

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Family recounts mold ordeal

Couple suing builder say they faced hefty repair bill, illness

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By Prentiss Findlay (Contact)

The Post and Courier

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jul/09/family_recounts_mold_ordea

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MOUNT PLEASANT — Joan and Quam said Tuesday that they spent

$150,000 to repair and treat their Rivertowne subdivision home after

moving out for nine months last August because Quam was

diagnosed with the early stages of mold poisoning.

While they lived in rental homes, Quam said he returned to the

house to gather belongings. Just one breath of the air in the house

would cause him to lose his voice for a week, he said. The mold

caused him to have a burning sensation on his skin for weeks at a

time, he said.

Despite the repairs and remediation work, Joan Quam said they still

have mold worries. " It's still growing because now we found windows

leaking, " she said.

The Quams said they sued the builder, D.R. Horton. The Quam family

is not the first family to go public recently with mold problems at

their D.R. Horton home. " It's just unbelievable to me that they are

fighting us. Nothing has been settled. They don't even have us on

the docket until 2009, " Joan Quam said.

Meanwhile, Joan Quam said she is concerned about the health of the

children, Charlie, 8 months, and Sophie, 2. " You just don't know

what the long-term effects are. That's what's so scary, " she

said. " ton sounded like such a wonderful place. It's been

very hard and stressful for us. Our dream house is our biggest

nightmare. "

The Quams moved here from North Dakota. They cut other expenses to

buy their $512,000 house. Purchases of a dining room table and other

furniture were put on hold. Quam thought Rick Hendrick

Chevrolet would be a great place to work. He took a position as a

controller at the auto dealership.

The mold problem at the house has wiped out their savings, he said.

It came to their attention last summer when the air conditioning

wouldn't keep the house cool. An inspector noticed what looked like

tiny burn marks around a kitchen electrical outlet. Black mold was

found in the outlet, Joan Quam said.

Contractors tore into a wall between the kitchen and the master

bedroom, where they discovered a moisture problem caused by improper

roof flashing, he said. Water was seeping through the bedroom

carpet, he said. Improperly insulated cooling vents allowed cold air

to escape and mix with warm air, which created moisture, he said.

Dillard, an attorney at a Greenville law firm that represents

D.R. Horton, did not return phone and e-mail messages Tuesday

seeking comment on the Quam lawsuit against the company.

Louis Russo said in an e-mail Tuesday that he has sold more than 180

D.R. Horton homes in the last seven years and never received a

complaint from a client. Russo, who said he is a buyer, investor and

relocation agent with ReMax, said he owns two D.R. Horton homes and

his in-laws own two D.R. Horton homes. In the e-mail, Russo

said, " Mold's major bad spot is the bathrooms and all you need to do

is put on fans and leave door open. Exhaust fans or any fan. Power

wash homes twice a year.... mold can surface anytime. Every builder

during orientations takes time to mention mold and what to do to

prevent it. I wonder how many of my clients let it go in one ear and

out the other? "

In another e-mail, Russo said, " I never knew DR H to duck from a

problem despite it's past the time they are actually obligated to do

anything. I am going to take a shot and say they will help. At least

that has been my experience. "

Last summer, after Quam was diagnosed with the early stages of

mold poisoning, Joan Quam said his doctor told them to leave the

house

after seeing the results of a mold inspection by an expert the Quams

hired. Her husband had been experiencing symptoms such as fatigue,

difficulty breathing, a raspy voice and memory loss. His doctor said

mold was affecting his central nervous system, she said. They lived

in rental housing for nine months and returned to the home after

extensive work by contractors to address mold contamination, she

said.

Joan Quam said she decided to contact The Post and Courier after

reading about Joy and of Island in the

newspaper's Sunday editions. The s said they have a mold

problem at their D.R. Horton-built home, and left the home more than

a month ago because of the problem.

The s hired an attorney, who is negotiating with D.R. Horton.

Dillard has released a statement on behalf of the company that it

will hire a third-party inspector, at its expense, to assess the

situation at the house. The s said their doctor told them to

move out of the house after seeing the results of an inspection by a

mold expert the s hired. The s have two kids, ages 3 and

4. They were concerned that the youngest daughter's health problems

were related to mold.

Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@ postandcourier.com.