Waterproofing needed in resale house - probably no recourse from VA (or HUD) inspectors
The young woman complained that her asthma was much worse in the three months since they moved into their
bi-level house. When it rains, water enters at numerous areas of the foundation - which is the first floor of their home. The VA (Veterans Administration) inspector did not mention tell-tale signs of this problem - such as water stains on the sheetrock. Would the homeowners have recourse against the former owners? This is a legal question.
It could be costly to remediate this situation. Not only would water have to be kept away from the house, but the first floor may need to be gutted, the foundation re-done with a moisture barrier, and exterior walls waterproofed if any part of the foundation is underground.
Elevated magnetic fields from neighborhood distribution lines
This house was bought without measuring magnetic fields from the neighborhood distribution lines - which are the power lines at the street. After moving into the house, the homeowner became aware of magnetic field issues and obtained a gaussmeter. The magnetic fields were 9 mG at the front wall of the house, dropping to 2 mG at the rear.
The last report I had was that the beds were lined up against the far wall of the house, and the family spent most of their time as close to the far wall as possible.
One survey about national magnetic field levels used the figure of 0.3 mG as a typical reading in an average house due to the power lines. In a metropolitan area, whole neighborhoods could easily be 2 mG or higher. It depends how the power lines are wired and balanced.
The homeowner is extremely sensitive to mold and has eliminated several sources of mold in the house. However, she still smells mold and called me in to investigate.
Here is what I found:
Mold in the ductwork is spewing out whenever the furnace or fan is on. Because there are sections of flexduct, the ductwork cannot be adequately cleaned.
Mold is growing on the walls. She used a "healthy" paint with no mildewcides in it. Since she lives by the shore, the air is very humid.
The darkened areas on the attic rafters proved negative for mold growth.
An improperly maintained contaminated dehumidifier was spewing out mold into the basement.
The man bought healthy paint for chemically sensitive individuals and had the inside of his house painted while he was away. When he returned to the house, he couldn't tolerate the paint and had to live at a friend's house. Two years later, he still couldn't move back to his house.
This points out the wisdom of testing every product for personal sensitivities prior to using it in your house. For example, this man might have painted a board with the paint, let the board dry, and then placed the board on the floor near his pillow. If he had symptoms during the night or in the morning, he would have known to avoid this particular paint.
Where was the mold? In the bathroom sink cabinet. Apparently there had been either a neglected leak at one time or ongoing condensation. When I checked the bottom of the cabinet by taking tape samples for microscopic evaluation, I could see that the samples were full of mold spores. Further, the air samples confirmed the presence of Aspergillus, a particularly allergenic mold.
