Buying: moldy house or repair?

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SpaceMuffin

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A recent home inspection turned up mold in a basement closet interior wall that is shared with a half bath (neglected leaky pipes?)

4777110363_0f9c9feabb.jpg


The inspector said this can be remedied by replacing the infected wall surface. We are very worried about health hazards posed by mold to young children and we don't know if, after the visible mold is remedied, there isn't more hiding somewhere we cannot see (inside walls). I guess my question is, how risky is it to buy a house that has basement mold? Is it a relatively simple repair, or does it imply there might be other hidden moldy areas?

Thanks
 
Its hard to say. Not all mold is "toxic". IF the mold is just in that one area it can maybe be easily repaired. What is on the other side of the wall? A toilet? That would be my guess given the location of a single supply pipe low to the ground.

It also looks like a repair was made using SharkBite connectors. Those shouldn't leak if installed correctly. The repair (or installation) was likely done by the homeowner. I cannot imagine a professional plumber using two $8 fittings in a place where a .12c soldered fitting could be used just as easily.

Anyway - Mold needs two things to grow. Moisture and food. The drywall paper is the food. If the moisture is gone the mold will die. If the moisture is gone it might just be able to be cleaned up. If there is still moisture (from a pipe leak or from ground water or surface water outside coming in) then just repairing the visible mold will be a futile effort and not really solve the issue.

You need to determine the cause and source of the moisture before any mold remediation can take place.
 
That's very fixable. Rip out and replace the Sheet Rock and your back in buisness. If you find anything else that looks like the picture below, ya might want to find another house...
Mold.jpg
 
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