We can eliminate mold and other indoor air pollutants with our very affordable solution, everytime your furncace or air conditioner is activated. Call us at 636-938-9993.
Construction defects that allow water intrusion, or allow condensation to build up and not dry due to improper building, are primary causes of mold in newer homes. Many builders now days don’t use proper window flashing or roofing construction; this is a shortcut that is profitable to them, and a hidden cost for the buyers.
I volunteer for a consumer advocacy organziation dealing in new home problems, (HADD.com), and leaks are probably the number one complaint about newly built homes.
An architecht’s saying is “keep the water out,” and builders should take note of it, rather than ignore customers who complain of leaks or mold. Most of the people filing complaints on our site say their builder has never responded to their complaints or only made band-aid repairs.
When this problem hurts the banking and insurance industries it will get more notice. Currently, at least 150,000 families a year battle serious defects in new homes, a Consumer Reports estimate from Jan 2004, and I suspect that may be an understatement.
Can someone tell me why there are very few documented cases of mold causing sickness outside of the United States?
Is it a particular species of mold? If so, given how quickly most things travel around the World, I’m surprised that we, in Europe, are not seeing a similar number of claims.
Stay tuned Roger. I expect your time will come as it has with so many other dubious American legal trend or bellwhether exports. Mold is truly one of the most ubiquitous life forms on the planet…as common as dirt.
No it’s not really. New Zealand has experienced quite a bit of mould related issues – called “Leaky Building Syndrome”. Here in Australia we don’t see much of it, due mostly to our ‘better’ building codes and minimum standards for home construction. I recently read a few articles on mould on the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) website (www.theinstitute.com.au) that went into quite alot of detail re mould and its causes, and why we aren’t seeing it over this way. I’m not sure if it’s so much a matter of litigiousness (the state of New South Wales is historically the most litigious area in the world per capita) as poor standards for building construction. It’s interesting to note that Texas has seen the most mould related claims. What’s the huge difference between Texan codes and those of other states? Might find the answer there? I believe it lies in materials used, gaps between surfaces, ventilation etc etc.
Have many builders, or home buyers thought about the better windows that are being used in recent years? If homes become closer to air tight, does that not create a much better environment for mold growth? The HVAC manufacturers should provide some more detailed instructions as to the use of air conditioning and dehumidifiers. But because they too, do not wish to incur any additional liability, they will probably avoid this.
The argument that mold has been around forever is misused. No one’s arguing that mold has or has not been around forever; what is being argued is that mold GROWS in places it shouldn’t, like inside your walls, if your house leaks.
Also, there is info on mold from other countries. The people that have more involvment in this issue than me have shown me evidence from Europe and other countries that indicates the US is one of the countries that has a mold problem but exacerbates it by denying it can cause health problems or that it’s formation is possibly someone’s fault, at least in some cases.
There is a tendancy in the US right now to blame the victim, and much of the “litigious society” claim is exaggerated. Corporations–not consumers–file the majority of suits, despite propaganda that would have you believe it’s the other way around.
These kind of leaks can go undetected for months or longer, and owners of such homes are often sick long before they know they have mold. By the time the cause and damage are found, it requires replacement of porous materials like drywall, carpet and padding, insulation, sometimes lumber, etc, and this is very expensive. It is NOT true that you can spray bleach on mold and the problem is solved. Mold decomposes things, and decomposed materials are not sound, and have to be replaced. Also, dead mold can still make people sick, and it’s not always that easy to kill anyway.
A house should not leak. And when a new house leaks something has been done wrong. Often homeowners report defects only to be stonewalled by the builder, so builders need to realize a minor warranty issue can turn into a full blown major issue with mold when they stonewall their customers. Also, band-aid repairs often result in the leak only going somewhere else, unseen, like inside the walls.
Proper repairs, good building techniques, and prompt honoring of warranties would prevent most if not all builder mold cases.
Laws in TX favor the corporation and some areas of TX receive heavy rainfall, thus the number of mold claims there, at least in large part.
In simple terms, we must do 3 things: 1. Keep most of the liquid water out of our building enclosures (roof, floor and walls), drain what water gets into the enclosure out, and dry the residual within the building materials’ moisture tolerance (water vapor is another complicated issue, location is critical, and in hot humid climates can cause different problems that vary by climate). 2. Control the dewpoint (temperature of the air mixture within our structures to below the coolest surface within the structure (insulation can help, but not eliminate this problem). 3. Provide dry and clean outside air while exhausting stale and wet air–without upsetting the pressure balance within the structure (we want our buildings to be as tight as possible–keep liquid water and air from moving through the walls).
I’ve tried to simplify a complex issue with the 3 issues above. But it isn’t that simple. For example, if the interior relative humidity required to meet the dewpoint is below 20%, other comfort/health issues will arise–so it isn’t so simple–other building science measures must be taken.
Designers, contractors, and owners have to work together to manage these issues.
Mold is everywhere, our mission is to keep it from extraordinarily growing inside.
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We can eliminate mold and other indoor air pollutants with our very affordable solution, everytime your furncace or air conditioner is activated. Call us at 636-938-9993.
Construction defects that allow water intrusion, or allow condensation to build up and not dry due to improper building, are primary causes of mold in newer homes. Many builders now days don’t use proper window flashing or roofing construction; this is a shortcut that is profitable to them, and a hidden cost for the buyers.
I volunteer for a consumer advocacy organziation dealing in new home problems, (HADD.com), and leaks are probably the number one complaint about newly built homes.
An architecht’s saying is “keep the water out,” and builders should take note of it, rather than ignore customers who complain of leaks or mold. Most of the people filing complaints on our site say their builder has never responded to their complaints or only made band-aid repairs.
When this problem hurts the banking and insurance industries it will get more notice. Currently, at least 150,000 families a year battle serious defects in new homes, a Consumer Reports estimate from Jan 2004, and I suspect that may be an understatement.
In Texas, mold only attacks elected officials, or it seems that way.
Rep Joe Nixon famous for his tort reform bill in Texas, had $300,000 mold remediation on his $360,000 home.
Attorney Generals John Cornyns office in Lubbock was remediated for mold.
Governor Perry’s mansion was also remediated for mold.
Can someone tell me why there are very few documented cases of mold causing sickness outside of the United States?
Is it a particular species of mold? If so, given how quickly most things travel around the World, I’m surprised that we, in Europe, are not seeing a similar number of claims.
Stay tuned Roger. I expect your time will come as it has with so many other dubious American legal trend or bellwhether exports. Mold is truly one of the most ubiquitous life forms on the planet…as common as dirt.
Rick – Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to advertise on a post of insurance news. Your opinions are greatly valued!
No it’s not really. New Zealand has experienced quite a bit of mould related issues – called “Leaky Building Syndrome”. Here in Australia we don’t see much of it, due mostly to our ‘better’ building codes and minimum standards for home construction. I recently read a few articles on mould on the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) website (www.theinstitute.com.au) that went into quite alot of detail re mould and its causes, and why we aren’t seeing it over this way. I’m not sure if it’s so much a matter of litigiousness (the state of New South Wales is historically the most litigious area in the world per capita) as poor standards for building construction. It’s interesting to note that Texas has seen the most mould related claims. What’s the huge difference between Texan codes and those of other states? Might find the answer there? I believe it lies in materials used, gaps between surfaces, ventilation etc etc.
Have many builders, or home buyers thought about the better windows that are being used in recent years? If homes become closer to air tight, does that not create a much better environment for mold growth? The HVAC manufacturers should provide some more detailed instructions as to the use of air conditioning and dehumidifiers. But because they too, do not wish to incur any additional liability, they will probably avoid this.
The argument that mold has been around forever is misused. No one’s arguing that mold has or has not been around forever; what is being argued is that mold GROWS in places it shouldn’t, like inside your walls, if your house leaks.
Also, there is info on mold from other countries. The people that have more involvment in this issue than me have shown me evidence from Europe and other countries that indicates the US is one of the countries that has a mold problem but exacerbates it by denying it can cause health problems or that it’s formation is possibly someone’s fault, at least in some cases.
There is a tendancy in the US right now to blame the victim, and much of the “litigious society” claim is exaggerated. Corporations–not consumers–file the majority of suits, despite propaganda that would have you believe it’s the other way around.
These kind of leaks can go undetected for months or longer, and owners of such homes are often sick long before they know they have mold. By the time the cause and damage are found, it requires replacement of porous materials like drywall, carpet and padding, insulation, sometimes lumber, etc, and this is very expensive. It is NOT true that you can spray bleach on mold and the problem is solved. Mold decomposes things, and decomposed materials are not sound, and have to be replaced. Also, dead mold can still make people sick, and it’s not always that easy to kill anyway.
A house should not leak. And when a new house leaks something has been done wrong. Often homeowners report defects only to be stonewalled by the builder, so builders need to realize a minor warranty issue can turn into a full blown major issue with mold when they stonewall their customers. Also, band-aid repairs often result in the leak only going somewhere else, unseen, like inside the walls.
Proper repairs, good building techniques, and prompt honoring of warranties would prevent most if not all builder mold cases.
Laws in TX favor the corporation and some areas of TX receive heavy rainfall, thus the number of mold claims there, at least in large part.
In simple terms, we must do 3 things: 1. Keep most of the liquid water out of our building enclosures (roof, floor and walls), drain what water gets into the enclosure out, and dry the residual within the building materials’ moisture tolerance (water vapor is another complicated issue, location is critical, and in hot humid climates can cause different problems that vary by climate). 2. Control the dewpoint (temperature of the air mixture within our structures to below the coolest surface within the structure (insulation can help, but not eliminate this problem). 3. Provide dry and clean outside air while exhausting stale and wet air–without upsetting the pressure balance within the structure (we want our buildings to be as tight as possible–keep liquid water and air from moving through the walls).
I’ve tried to simplify a complex issue with the 3 issues above. But it isn’t that simple. For example, if the interior relative humidity required to meet the dewpoint is below 20%, other comfort/health issues will arise–so it isn’t so simple–other building science measures must be taken.
Designers, contractors, and owners have to work together to manage these issues.
Mold is everywhere, our mission is to keep it from extraordinarily growing inside.