The worst action is no action. This photo was taken 30 days after rain soaked floors and walls in a 10-story office building in the final stages of construction. The building contractor made no effort to address the damage. Consequently, mold formed beneath raised computer floors in numerous areas. Ellis administered remedial efforts, designing a procedure for safely removing damaged wallboard, treating interior wall surfaces, and returning the space to normal occupancy as quickly as possible.

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, an initial measure must be taken to prevent the potential for future mold growth. A couple options are to 1) contact a restoration company to dry out wall cavities, or 2) have a general contractor simply remove and replace soaked wallboard and carpet. In many cases, removal and replacement of infected wallboard is the least expensive option. Ellis recently procured bids on behalf of a local studio where water had soaked wallboard and carpet in a newly constructed, standard 20,000 s.f. office space. Bids for complete removal and replacement of infected wallboard were less than 60% of the cost of coring and air drying the walls. Occasionally, water damaged materials are cost prohibitive to replace (special finishes, premium wool carpet, etc.). In those instances, a professional restoration company is invaluable in quickly returning the space to full occupancy.