House issues. Found mold. Any exp?

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

For awhile now there was a small separation at the bottom of the baseboards and the floor. It was only noticable in the front bathroom and part of the kitchen. Well the other day the floor actually moved (you could feel it) and this gap got alot bigger and spread. I freaked out and called a family friend who is a bricklayer and does anything else concerning remodeling on the side.

I ruled out bugs by having an inspection by an exterminater. Ok thats good. At least I dont have termites or carpenter ants right? Apon further inspection of the crawlspace I find out I have moisture rot in alot of wood and some mold. Eeeek!

The crawlspace has a floor of plastic and gravel but this creates the problem of any moisture getting in there has no where to go. There is one small area under the fireplace with about an inch of standing water. Not good. I know the foundation is good and the brick was laid on an L-beam foundation bolted to the concrete foundation.

The friend of the family is going to fix whatever wood is bad. It looks like its only the plywood and thinner wood along the edges under the floor. Some lumber and some new floorjacks and it will be slowly raised back to meet the baseboards.

I have this in the works. The biggest problem is the mold down there. I have opened all the outside vent windows and Im putting a fan down there to air it out. Im looking into getting a de-humidifyer with built in pump to route out through the condensation drainage hose for the heating/air.

Now I need to know how to treat the mold myself. I cant call any treatment specialists or I risk my house being deemed unlivable until after treatment. I cant do that. I was told its treated using a type of bleach solution and a sprayer. Breathing mask of course. Does anyone here have any experience or info about this? Im hoping this doesnt turn into a huge problem that will cost me an arm and a leg.

[Hypnotic Exotic]

I've actually dealt with a flooded house before. Bleach will kill it but you have to make sure you get all of it and dry it out with a dehumidifier as you mentioned.

[BPelizabeth]

I am sure that you know this already but whatever the mold has touched and then some needs to be cut out!!! I am not really getting much of a visual in regards to the gravel thing....but is there anyway that you can clean all that our and cement that area? I would hate for you to fix this only to have the same issue.

I had mold in my first house in the bathroom....when we started digging into it....we were down to the studs. It was crazy...we ended up gutting the whole room and starting it from scratch. UGH... It was expensive...but just make sure you get a future full proof plan.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I am sure that you know this already but whatever the mold has touched and then some needs to be cut out!!! I am not really getting much of a visual in regards to the gravel thing....but is there anyway that you can clean all that our and cement that area? I would hate for you to fix this only to have the same issue.

I had mold in my first house in the bathroom....when we started digging into it....we were down to the studs. It was crazy...we ended up gutting the whole room and starting it from scratch. UGH... It was expensive...but just make sure you get a future full proof plan.

A crawl space is only about 3 to 4ft high. My house is on a foundation but with a crawlspace. It means the floor of the crawl space under the house was originally just the ground. Dirt. The concrete foundation is only around the perimiter. A layer of plastic and gravel was spread to help reduce moisture and gasses.

I have been doing some research and I need to invest in a dehumidifier with built in pump. It can be routed into a sink drain or the dishwasher drain. Im also looking into getting a vent fan for the crawl space and one for the attic.

Its looking like the only at home treatment is a bleach spray on every surface affected. Then to keep it dry indefinately. Im thinking this is the cause of my son and I being sick all year this last year. I definately have work on my hands now. Ugh.

So does anyone know what the proper bleach treatment is? Is it bleach mixed with water? At what percentage?

[Hypnotic Exotic]

I don't remember exactly what we did when treating the studs on our flooded house but seems like it was straight bleach, not diluted at all. I would err on the strong side personally. And to reiterate, make sure you get ALL of it. Mold can really cause some serious health issues.

[j_h_smith]

There are tons of web pages that discuss this subject. I too believe that bleach is all you need to take care of this issue. I think you can probably go to Home Depot or Lowes and they would have information available too.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

[2kdime]

I know the vapor barrier type deal your talking about on the ground.

There's mold on the underside of the house correct in that crawl space?

Sounds like you need more/replace the insulation on the underside too

[GoBoilers]

I would actually strongly suggest having a professional do the work...especially if health is being affected! Trust me, you don't have to leave your house...I'm speaking from the experience of someone who lived in a neighborhood that was flooded by Hurricane Ike...We even carried on business as usual at the clinic I worked at while workers tore out drywall, treated the studs for mold, and completely dried out the place around us!

[BPelizabeth]

A crawl space is only about 3 to 4ft high. My house is on a foundation but with a crawlspace. It means the floor of the crawl space under the house was originally just the ground. Dirt. The concrete foundation is only around the perimiter. A layer of plastic and gravel was spread to help reduce moisture and gasses.

I have been doing some research and I need to invest in a dehumidifier with built in pump. It can be routed into a sink drain or the dishwasher drain. Im also looking into getting a vent fan for the crawl space and one for the attic.

Its looking like the only at home treatment is a bleach spray on every surface affected. Then to keep it dry indefinately. Im thinking this is the cause of my son and I being sick all year this last year. I definately have work on my hands now. Ugh.

So does anyone know what the proper bleach treatment is? Is it bleach mixed with water? At what percentage?

sorry..lol.....we dont have stuff like that out here in AZ...

I know my mother in law has this problem in the basement...they did research and found out under ground there was a running stream down deep in the ground under the house. She put a sump pump in????? Apparently as the snow melts (in MT) the stream runs higher. That is probably not your problem.

Do you think you could have someone come out and see if they can concrete the crawl space though?? Sorry I don't have any other advice. I don't even know the bleach mixture as we cut EVERYTHING out and threw everything even remotely touching away. Literally we were seeing the outside bricks of the house.

Please be sure that you are wearing a mask while doing this work as that stuff is nasty...especially in children ...and can cause, amongst other things, asthma.

[2kdime]

Id doubt its because you have TOO much moisture.

I would think the vapor barrier type deal you have is doing its job, those crawl spaces aren't airtight and air will get in there and move it around and out from under the house.

Id just bet like I said, its lack of insulation.

Youve got cold under the house, and warmer possibly more humid air in the house and its condensing on the wood between the two, then your getting the mold and separation of wood.