Mold

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When water intrudes a building, the worst action is no action. This photo was taken 30 days after heavy rains saturated floors and walls, in a 10-story office building that was in the final stages of construction. The building contractor made no effort to address the damage. Consequently, mold formed in wall spaces in numerous areas. Ellis designed and administered a procedure to safely remove damaged wallboard, treat interior wall surfaces, and return the space to normal occupancy as quickly as possible.

Services Offered:

  1. Mold Assessments (Air and Surface Sampling)
  2. Water Damage Evaluations (Moisture Readings)
  3. Remediation Protocols and Project Administration
  4. Clearance Inspections and Testing

Background, Ellis' Qualifications:

Ellis employees who manage mold projects are EPA-approved registered environmental assessors or have complete a course in the fundamentals of mold, sampling and report interpretation.

When water or moisture enters a building, quick action (within just a few days) must be taken to prevent future mold growth. We can't say it enough: wet wallboard needs to be stripped out as quickly as possible. Ellis recently procured bids on behalf of a local studio where water had entered and soaked wallboard and carpet in a newly constructed 20,000 s.f. office space. Bids for complete removal and replacement of wet wallboard by a general contractor were 60% less than a "restoration contractor" would have charged for coring holes in and drying the walls.  But EITHER option was better than doing nothing.  Had those walls been left as is, mold would have formed . .  and remedial costs would have risen dramatically.  It's not rocket science - (1) Identify and correct the source of water intrusion, (2) remove wet wallboard at all locations, then (3) dry the inner wall space before installing new materials.

Occasionally, water damaged materials are cost prohibitive to replace (special finishes, premium wool carpet, etc.). In those instances, Ellis can help identify ways to mitigate mold growth while keeping specialty structural surfaces intact.