Mar 27 2008 12:24PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (1) |

In previous blogs I’ve talked about the origin of mold as well as steps that can be taken during construction to keep moisture, and therefore mold, out of your home or building. In a nutshell, mold cannot grow without moisture, so steps that can be taken to reduce moisture’s entry into a building will go a long way toward reducing the chances of mold growth. As I pointed out in the last blog, it’s important that the various building trades working on the construction of a house work in concert. For example, when a roof intersects a wall, the trades must coordinate to make sure this valley is properly flashed and the water resistant barrier drains onto, not behind, the flashing before the roof and clapboard or other siding materials are installed. ...Read More

Nov 13 2007 9:03AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (9) |

In my last blog I talked about the fundamentals of mold: what causes it, how it can be avoided and the common elements of a moisture/mold resistance strategy. To recap, mold can grow on any surface—steel, glass, fiberglass, even cement—if four elements are present: mold spores, water, a source of food and temperatures conducive to growth. Of these four, the presence of moisture is the one most easily controlled by the builder or homeowner. I also stressed that preventing mold isn’t rocket science but it does requires attention to some common-sense concepts to help ensure that moisture doesn’t intrude and become a mold problem.

Control Moisture. Control Mold.
Let me dig a little deeper into this problem as it relates to new constru...Read More

May 1 2007 10:34AM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (3) |

The basic principles for preventing mold in houses are relatively simple. When one considers how straightforward they are to list, it’s easy to think that preventing mold involves little or no difficulty at all.  On the other hand, for those who have ever been frustrated by a recurring problem with mold that refuses to yield even to elaborate measures, it is easy to see why some people believe that water and mold are unavoidable. Of course, realistic approaches to preventing mold fall between these two extremes.  The concepts and principles are simple—but designing, constructing and maintaining a building are not.Like other elements of modern society, buildings are complex, multifaceted creations pieced together from thousands of relatively simple parts. These are assembled into a myriad of interacting and intermingled components.  A successful strateg...Read More