Mold forces family out of home /another one

[Guest guest]

Mold forces family out of home

02/28/2009

DuBOIS,Pa.

Courier-Express Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:41 PM PST

http://www.thecourierexpress.com/site/news.cfm?

newsid=20271621 & BRD=2758 & PAG=461 & dept_id=572984 & rfi=6

DuBOIS - Owning your first home is a dream come true for most young

families. It can represent the accomplishment of goals, the start of

a new life and countless other mile-markers. For the Wildauer family

of DuBois, their dream home has become a nightmare.

Wildauer enthusiastically greets the family's four cats,

whom she hasn't seen in about two weeks.

" We're not trying to get rich, we're not looking for pain and

suffering or any of that, " she said. " All we want is our home back. "

, her husband, , who is an Iraqi War veteran,

purchased their first home on Street. His status as a

military veteran qualified the family for a VA guaranteed loan for

their new home.

The Wildauers closed on their home Sept. 11, 2007. They noticed a few

spots where water had previously leaked in their young son's room and

some in the kitchen, but thought nothing of it, as the water was no

longer leaking. That is, until the family started coming down with

mysterious illnesses.

" It started out as just cold and flu-like symptoms at first, "

Wildauer said. " Then it started getting worse. My son was

very lethargic and had rashes on his arms and legs. He could hardly

find the energy to talk. I started to have horrible headaches, loss

of memory, confusion, dizziness. My husband was recently diagnosed

with asthma and chronic sinusitis. We were all very sick but no one

could figure out why. "

She said the mysterious illness would also affect family members or

guests who came to the house. She was pregnant at the time with her

daughter, she said, and although the family underwent many medical

tests, the doctors were stumped.

" I had MRIs, blood tests, tests for vertigo, you name it. No one

could figure out what was wrong with us, " she said. When their

daughter was born, she too began to develop mysterious symptoms.

" She spent five out of her seven months of life being sick. She had

respiratory infections, trouble breathing, fevers. We were constantly

at the doctor's office. They tried every kind of medication

imaginable but nothing worked, " Wildauer said.

Eventually, the family discovered the cause of their illness was

right in their own home. The leaking water had caused toxic mold

spores to grow in the ceiling, walls and basement of the home. The

mold quickly spread and was growing in the kitchen, her son's room, a

small bathroom just off the kitchen, the laundry room, the bathtub

and the walls and floor of the upstairs bathroom. The mold was also

growing in the heating ducts of the home, which was causing it to

spread even further through the air. The house had been a rental

property before the Wildauers purchased it, so the building had been

occupied prior to their moving in.

A few days before closing on the home, Wildauer said their realtor

had contacted them to say she had " forgotten " to schedule a home

inspection. The family had already committed to moving out of their

rental home and moving into the new home.

" If we hadn't been able to close then, we would have basically been

homeless. We had no place to go and would have had to pay to put our

things into storage, " she said. Wildauer said the realtor told the

family they could wave the inspection and close on the home. However,

according to the realtor, it is uncertain if the inspection would

have detected the mold at that point, as a typical pre-purchase

inspection does not look inside the walls or ceilings.

According to the Department of Health, many different types of mold

can be found in many homes. Some individiuals can breath the spores

with no adverse health effects at all. In others, a tiny amount of

mold can cause serious illness or even death. The spores can be

particularly dangerous to pregnant women, infants and the elderly.

Now that the Wildauers knew the cause of their illness, they

were " unofficially advised " to leave their home until the mold could

be taken care of. The family moved in with 's mother.

" Within a short amount of time, all our symptoms went away, " she

said. But the family's troubles were only just beginning.

The family must bring in experts to remove the mold. Wildauer said

the house must be stripped " to the bare studs " in order to remove the

mold, kill the spores and ensure it has not spread. Specilized

inspectors must come in to take readings before and after the mold is

removed. In order to be declared safe to live in or safe to sell, the

mold readings inside the home must be similar to the mold readings

outside the home.

" They don't have to be exact, but there can't be an extremely high

reading inside the house and a low reading outside, " she said. The

tests will cost between $2,500 to $4,000 each.

Before the clean-up can begin, the family needs to know what type of

mold they have, how much is inside the home and how dangerous it is.

Removing the mold will cost between $20,000 and $30,000. After the

mold is removed, the house must be repaired. Wildauer said they won't

know the exact cost of the repairs until they know how much mold is

inside the home.

The family will have to replace walls, ceilings, floors, window

hangings, furniture, carpets, carpet padding, bedding and any

unfinished wood in the home, such as an antique dresser which

belonged to Wildauer's grandmother.

" We have to get rid of the kid's toys, " Wildauer said. " My son

doesn't understand why he can't have his favorite toys or why we

can't come home. We're going to lose just about everything. I tell

people it's like we had a fire but we didn't. "

She also said the family's clothing had to be washed with special

cleaners. She said many people try to clean the mold with bleach

which will not work. The water in the bleach will actually cause the

mold to spread further.

She said her husband stops by the house daily to check on the animals

and make sure everything is okay, but because of her serious reaction

to the mold, she only comes by the house when necessary. If she is

going to have to be inside the home for an extended period of time,

she must wear a mask.

The family cannot legally sell the house while the mold is still

there. When the clean-up and repairs are complete, they well receive

paperwork documenting the house is safe. Because of the VA loan, if

they default on the mortgage or deed back the home, Wildauer said her

husband will lose his military benefits.

Mold infestations are not covered by homeowner's insurance. There is

no supplemental coverage available to purchase similar to policies

homeowners can purchase for flood coverage. The Wildauers have been

in contact with the City of DuBois, legislators, the Clearfield

County Veterans Assistance Office, Central Counties Community Action,

a microbiologist, the Indoor Air Quality Association, the

Environmental Protection, their realtor, lawyers, insurance

companies, inspectors, mold remeaditors and Health and Human

Services - everyone they can think of to help.

Wildauer said she wants to tell her story so others won't have to go

through what her family is going through.

" If you're sick and the doctors don't know why, chances are it's

something in your home, " she said. She also said her family will

continue to try to find help.

" We've had a lot of support, " Wildauer said. " We've got over 70

veterans trying to find some way to help us. Mold is such a hot

button issue that there is very little help out there. "

She said anyone who may be able to help or would like more

information, can contact her at jenniferharris29@....

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Reported by Finnigan, Tri-County Sunday. E-mail:

kfinnigan@....