raised ranch basement treated as a Superfund site?

6 years ago

Hi all-- I'v been a member of this forum under a different name since it was "that Home Site." Kind of sad to see it eaten by the big H, but I hope it still has the same helpful community members.

So here it is. We need to remodel our raised ranch basement area. The house was built in 1964, and there is barn board for paneling in the main room. A previous owner gave it a light coat of paint, to brighten it. I know this stuff is currently quite hip, but seriously, it probably has dust from 1965 in there.

We've had water in the room in the past, as the builder through it would be a great idea to angle the garage into the house... problems with drainage fixed, but there is some drywall damage from the floods (7 years ago) and due to the humidity spots of brown mold on the drywall in places, mostly in a closest.

There is enough humidity to have spots on a cloth lampshade. (my bad, long story. The room was dark for a long time)

We run a humidifier when it seems bad.

The floor has tile that has tested "positive" for asbestos (don't know the percentage). The tile is glued to the concrete floor.

The designer brought in an environmental guy, who brought in some contractors who seem to basically want to turn the area into a clean room, as in doing bone surgery or computer chip manufacture!

They are specialists, and are basically treating my damp basement as if it is a superfund site.

I want them to encapsulate the tile, and build the new floor over the old floor. They want to remove the tile as "there might be mold underneath it." (so we stir it up?)

The way the encapsulation question was answered, seems to indicate he doesn't know what I mean by this. He thinks I mean gluing a new floor on top of the tile.

I think they are losing their minds. If we pull the carpet, 90% of our problems will be gone.

We don't have the bids yet, but it all seems insane to me.

1. Does every basement remodel with some mold and old asbestos tile go through this negative pressure demo stuff?

2. Should I just talk to a regular contractor, ditch the designer, and start again?

Any thoughts greatly, greatly appreciated.

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Comments (5)

lkihlk hiffmpequt
Original Author
6 years ago
As an update... The asbestos tile tested to be 1% asbestos. There is another remediation company Paul Davis Remediation, that is a franchise, but they are supposed to be good. (I know the daughter-in-law of the owner) They are more of a Bin paint over the mold, and remove as necessary, kind of company.

Any thoughts?
ksc36
6 years ago
2. Should I just talk to a regular contractor, ditch the designer, and start again?

YES
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User
6 years ago
Never paint over mold. It will come back. You need to treat it, with hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. Then treat the dried framing with borax. Then fix the actual issues that caused the water and humidity issues before wasting another dime in anything.

Encapsulating asbestos flooring will limit you to flooring that doesn’t penetrate that encapsulation. Like floating LVT.
ksc36
6 years ago
There's mold spores everywhere, all the time. Clean up as best you can and use an appropriate primer.

ABOUT MOLD KILLING PRIMER

Zinsser Mold Killing Primer is a water based fungicidal protective coating that can be used to paint over all existing mold, mildew, moss, fungi, odor causing bacteria and any other fungal organisms. The Mold Killing Primer contains an EPA registered antimicrobial to prevent the growth of mold, mildew and other fungal organisms on the paint film. The Mold Killing Primer also aides in covering residual microbiological and fungal stains.
- Paint directly over mold
- Kills existing mold, mildew, and odor causing bacteria
- Binds chalky siding, masonry, and metal
- EPA Registered
- Interior / Exterior
- Water-based
- For stains caused by water leaks, allow Mold Killing Primer to dry then use a Zinsser stain blocking primer
lkihlk hiffmpequt
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you all for your insight. I have indeed ditched the designer, hired an awesome contractor and started again.

I talked with another mold remediation company who said that the problem wasn't really bad enough for their services, although they could demo and rebuild for me. He talked about removing moldy wall board inside closets) since it is inexpensive to replace, and, after killing any mold on existing framing, if the boards are still sound, to paint them over with Zin, as per ksc36.

We have corrected the water issues which is why we feel we can now remodel.

I'm going to remove the existing, nasty, carpet and the asbestos tile beneath. There is no standard for tile where I live and the asbestos is 1%. I'll replace it with wood look tile and use a carpet over it. Maybe use under floor heating at a low wattage if it seems the floor is damp. (there is no vapor barrier on the floor in the houses in this neighborhood). We've decided encapsulating the old floor will just be passing on the problem to the next owner, and we don't want the hassle of declaring it when we sell. (In 15 years!)

I still owe the company that created the demo plan about $1000 for the 'testing' etc. Live and learn.

Also the company that created the demo design sent it out to 4 contractors to bid. The highest bid was $25,000. The lowest, around $14,000.

My new contractor has said nothing disparaging, but I can tell he thinks we've been led astray. I think the company that designed the demo plan just normally doesn't work on small basement projects and was applying protocols for larger moldier, more asbestos filled buildings to our 300 sq foot basement. Perhaps to make a quick buck. I'll never know!

Thanks for your input, I appreciate the time you took to answer my desperate cry for help!!

raised ranch basement treated as a Superfund site?

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lkihlk hiffmpequt
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ksc36

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raised ranch basement treated as a Superfund site?

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lkihlk hiffmpequtOriginal Author

ksc36

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lkihlk hiffmpequt
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