Foul odor inside a home in New Hudson, MI
Challenge
The homeowner noticed an odor within the home and the home not being able to retain warm/cool air for an extended period of time. The home had mold from not enough ventilation in the attic for the square feet of the attic, causing stagnant humid air to not escape effectively out of the attic. The home also had mold in the crawl space due to a main drain from the laundry room being disconnected and putting water into the crawl space. The problems caused within the attic space were: The attic floor being under-insulated (only had R-11 insulation), insulation was very badly damaged by rodents (mouse droppings, urine, completely shredded batt insulation), and lack of ventilation within the attic. The problems caused within the crawl space were: the main drain to the laundry room was disconnected in the crawl space allowing water to be drained directly onto the crawlspace floor, no vapor barrier was present. The homeowner's biggest concern was to get the mold remediated from the attic and crawlspace so the home could be put on the market and sold.
Solution
The homeowner chose our company because we were very thorough in what needed to be done to get the Attic/Crawl space free of mold. The homeowner opted out of installing a vapor barrier on the crawlspace floor and adding new insulation to the attic floor. The challenge faced during the process was the insulation falling apart as you grabbed it to be bagged and tossed. The heat was a challenge that day, not allowing us to stay in the attic for extended periods of time. We used contractor bags to bag and toss the attic insulation into the dumpster we had on-site. For removal of the mold, we used a product called RMR-86 to remove the mold and mildew staining in the attic and crawl space and finished with an antimicrobial/disinfectant. The homeowner now has a clean Attic/crawlspace free of mold. The attic can now be re-insulated for comfort and energy efficiency.
