Mold Costs

Can someone give me a average cost per sqft. to treat and stop mold? The cost should not include the replacement of drywall, studs, etc.

Thanks.

HomeguyATL

You can’t repair mold problems without fixing the source of the moisture that caused it. To cover up mold problems is a disservice to whomever buys the house or lives in it. It will return. The worst, I have experienced is Black Mold. I removed the infected drywall and furring strips and sealed the outside wall before rehab and disinfected the site. If the mold is on the outside surface , it is also on the inside.

My first experience with a moldy investment cost me $4K. This was for a kitchen and water/HVAC closet in a 900sq. house. Plus I had to build the kitchen back up from the brick and beams myself. Ever tried putting sheathing on from the inside before?

The “experts” told me it didn’t matter if it was toxic mold or not because remediation is done the same way. I think I got taken for a ride. ::slight_smile:

Now if a house has mold I just take care of the source (busted plumbing, leaky roof, grading, whatever) and remove the effected materials. Then I run another mold test using the test kits you can get from HD or online for $40 (professional mold inspector will charge $300-$400) and if nothing serious comes up then I consider the mold has been remediated.

Bottom line is all houses have mold and people have been living with it for thousands of years. Its just recently that the lawyers took the insurers to the cleaners over mold damage to homes. IMHO it is no big deal. The fact that alot of people/investors are scared witless just makes it a better opportunity for me.

For instance, I just picked up a $190K home for $137K because it had “mold” (and some foundation problems). I replaced a bit of drywall and some wood panelling, re-graded the soil so water drained away from the house instead of under it and wala! Mold test comes back okay dokey. Just garden variety mold in normal quanties.

Hope this helps.