Bay Area Home Inspection

It's alive... This is white mold! The soil under this Oakland house inspection was damp, wet and muddy... Perfect conditions for mold and wood rot related problems.

If mold (or as an experienced home inspector might say, "bio-organic growth"... Not the M word) is growing on the soil or wood in the crawlspace, there are issues with inadequate or poor ventilation; negative grades around the house; hillside construction; no drainage collection system; downspouts discharging water next to the foundation; over-irrigation; broken water supply pipes; swimming pool leaks; high water table; or water leakage that leads to high humidity conditions.

Mold spores and wood moisture content above 28% are required for mold to start developing on wood. Molds are part of our environment.  Molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees; but indoors, mold growth should be avoided. 

Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and float through outdoor and indoor air.  Mold may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet.  There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture.

It's all about controlling water:

• Repair plumbing leaks
• Slope the soil away from the house
• Connect downspouts to a drain system
• Add additional ventilation vents
• Re-direct sprinklers away from the house
• Install a french drain
• Create a swale
• Lay down a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, if the soil is damp
• Other installations include: sump pump and mechanical ventilation