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Heating & Air Conditioning Building a Home Basements

Mold - New Construction

last year

Hello, we are in the trim stage of our new build. Today when I was at the house, I noticed mold on the drywall in one of the rooms in our basement. The mold went up the wall about 2' and was more prevalent on the one exterior wall than the other walls. We live in Ohio and the weather has gotten much colder in the past few weeks. I contacted the builder and he said it's surface mold and that it's very common in new builds and not to worry that it will wipe right off. He also stated they would be bringing a dehumidifier to the house today and that they would be turning on the furnace next week and that we shouldn't see any more signs of mold. Should I be worried? Or is this type of mold common in new construction? I did take a rag and wiped of a small section and it did appear to come right off. Does the drywall need replaced or can it just be cleaned?

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Comments (11)

PRO
Frank and Frank
last year
What was the waterproofing plan for the basement exterior?
sktn77a
last year
last modified: last year
"Should I be worried? Or is this type of mold common in new construction?"

Mold is not common in new construction. I'd be more than a little concerned at this.
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Please update on how the problem was handled! I have me own tale of woe and hopefully can be an example of what can happen if you move into a house that has a mold problem. My husband, my son and I moved into our brand new home in Jan 2016. Literally a month later I began having issues with what I thought could be liver (nausea, pain in my right side, my right side under rib cage felt as if it were swollen) and I went to doctors, of course there was nothing wrong with me, but then my skin went bonkers, became red, so irritated that smiling hurt! And I won't even bring up all the countless respiratory problems! I've lost appetite, lost weight, but then suddenly gained it all back plus some more. My skin problems became a daily struggle... I could go on and on! To make a long story short, we're moving out in December! I can't wait! There's black colored mold seeping through cracks in shower stall of our master bathroom and I haven't been sleeping in my bedroom because of the smell. We're foreclosing. F this noise!! We wanted this house so much and were so excited to own a brand new home not knowing how miserable it can make us! (I have allergies and was hoping a brand new house would mean clean environment for me) OP, protect your kiddos, stop this train before it derails! And I know how you feel about your son's kindergarten, it's such special time for him and you and now it's all uncertain and it causes anxiety because you want to provide stability for your child. My little boy started kindergarten too in August and we're going to transfer him to a different school once we move. I can't wait til we're out of this house! Please get an attorney involved to help you get through this nightmare without losing the battle. And please update on the progress and I wish you happy ending!!!
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@joseph_corlett People have mold panic. Folks are right to be concerned with anything in their homes that may affect occupant health and safety. To be sure, lumber yard mold is common on framing materials and is inactivated after the home is dried in. Most folks will understand that if the builder will take time to explain and a simple internet search can confirm that no treatment is typically required. Pull-down stairs, however, are not typically stored outdoors like framing lumber is, and not installed until after drywall-- so they never get wet. Indeed, by the time interior trim, interior doors and pull-down stairs are being installed, the interior environment of the home should be conditioned using either portable equipment or the home's HVAC system. If drying in a home were the only condition required to prevent mold, it would not have taken up residence on the OP's pull-down stairs. While we don't have all of the information, it's not that difficult for anyone with knowledge of basic physics or building science to connect the dots. The photos, combined with the OP's description that spray foam was installed under the roof deck, that there is mold on the rafters, and that the HVAC system is not operational points to a moisture problem in the (unvented) attic. I suspect your physics is fuzzy, so let's take a look at what's going on. Hot air rises. Moist air rises (it's less dense than dry air.) In a home, that means moisture and heat can accumulate in the attic volume. Designers can address those conditions by choosing to either vent the attic or to create a "conditioned" attic. The building code doesn't dictate the choice, but it does provide specific requirements to be met in each case. The designer of the OP's home has opted for a "conditioned" attic. I'm not sure which code is in effect in Texas at the moment, but in the 2018 IRC, the requirements for unvented attics are listed in section R806.5 Among other things, the code requires the installation of a vapor diffusion port at the highest point in the attic and that conditioned air be supplied at a rate greater than or equal to 50 cfm/1,000 sq. ft. of attic area. We don't know if the first condition has been met, but we know that the second hasn't. Without the supply of conditioned air, the relative humidity in the attic is obviously sufficient to allow mold growth. Spray foam insulation is wonderful stuff, but it is unforgiving of installation errors. In this case, some form of temporary attic ventilation should have been provided and the installation of spray foam in the attic should have been deferred until the HVAC system was operational. Getting the HVAC system operational should halt the propagation of mold and an expert can be consulted with regard to any abatement. At today's prices for spray foam insulation, a conditioned attic is a significant investment. Homeowners will be well served to ensure their builder knows how to construct one without causing problems like the OP's.
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What if you treat it the best you can, but somehow fail to get all the mold, have the finishes installed and then the growing mold is impossible to find or get at. I'd insist on a refund and a mold free delivery. Hard this time of year, I know. It's also hard to believe that with the extremely dry summer and early fall in the PNW that there would be mold from sitting for 4 months,
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PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
I think the mold is cause for concern. The notion that it will be "wiped off" suggests a naivete about mold. Like Frank and Frank, my concern would be the exterior waterproofing of the foundation. I'll add two more: 1.) are the gutters and downspouts installed and directing storm water away from the foundation? and 2.) what type of insulation was used on the interior foundation walls?
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last year
No climate control I’m not surprised the basement is damp…
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
To be sure, climate control is critically important in a finished basement. The HVAC system needs to be operational when finishes are installed (it can be turned off when sanding drywall or any dusty work which would get in the air handler and duct work.)

If the mold were uniformly dispersed on the drywall, it would implicate the lack of climate control, but it may not be the root cause of the problem. The fact that mold appears to be limited to an area within two feet of the bottom of the wall suggests a foundation waterproofing issue to me. Getting the HVAC system operational may reduce the potential for mold growth (most basement HVAC systems don't adequately dehumidify,) but the root cause needs to be addressed to ensure the problem doesn't recur.

Once mold/mildew is established it's darn hard to get rid of. If the builder thinks otherwise, he's about to get a lesson.
Michelle
Original Author
last year
Thank you all for responding! So the gutters and downspouts have not yet been installed. I'm told that will be happening soon. Final grading has also not taken place yet, although they have done the initial grading. I've attached a picture I took last summer before they backfilled the foundation with gravel and dirt. The black paint was a thick rubber like material that was sprayed on the exterior foundation walls and then the insulation was applied (see attached picture - sorry I don't know what products were actually used). The interior basement walls were insulated with R-13 faced fiberglass insulation. The builder did bring over a heavy duty dehumidifier yesterday and the basement felt less damp after just a few hours. This finished space with the visible mold sits next to our unfinished basement. About six weeks ago we did notice that the basement wall was wet (picture attached is the unfinished space that sits next to the finished room where we found the mold). When we brought it up at that time, the builder said it was just because we didn't have gutters and downspouts yet and not to be concerned. Obviously fast forward six weeks and now I see that we do need to be concerned. Does the drywall and insulation need to be removed in that room? Do we need to contact a mold remediation company? I appreciate your help!
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
Managing storm water at the surface is important. Proper grading coupled with gutters and downspouts will go along way to reducing the amount of water in proximity to the foundation. That said, you need to have a means of dealing with water that flows along the foundation wall and down to the footing level. Typically this involves installing a perforated drain pipe that discharges to daylight or to a sump pump. Backfill material should be selected to provide a capillary break and promote the flow of water to the drain pipe instead of the foundation wall. I can't tell if you have those from your photos; at least with my elderly eyes.
Michelle
Original Author
last year
Thank you! I was looking at earlier picture that I took and there are drains on the interior and exterior of the foundation. Those were then covered with gravel. The space surrounding the foundation was backfilled with gravel and then dirt.
worthy
last year
Though it meets Code, fiberglass alone is a poor choice for interior basement insulation. Unforgivable in a custom home.

Building Science Corp.

If it were my build, I'd remove that section and check what happened.

FWIW, I run a dehumidifier in the basement as soon as it's insulated and power is available.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
"Though it meets Code, fiberglass alone is a poor choice for interior basement insulation."

Amen.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
last year
You can see holes in the piping in the upper portion of the top picture if you make the photo larger. It's not clear whether they used filter fabric over the piping before placing the gravel, but one can hope.

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