INTERIOR PROBLEMS - 922 VOORHIES DRIVE

NOTE ADDED 10/29/06 -- We have consulted with Mr. Norm Ryan of Ryan Environmental Services, and we have been advised that our mold problem will require significant expense to remediate. There is mold virtually everywhere in the house, so all materials and contents will need to be treated. We are awaiting his formal report, which will be forwarded to all parties after it is received. The current estimate is somewhere around $3.50-$4.00/sq. ft. just for the mold remediation, but that could go up once they begin looking behind wall boards and within all the currently hidden spaces. There will also be some required construction to accompany Mr. Ryan's services, and we do not know a price for that yet.

Below is the information regarding mold that was originally posted to this page.

In the dining room/office, we were told that there was water damage to the floor, but we never got to see it because there was a rug and/or furniture covering the space when we viewed the home. Upon taking possession, we got to see it... and there is a black growth very visible on the space on the floor. Karen would have been able to see it, though she might not have realized this was mold and not simply fibers from the rug. There is also mold on the exterior side wall of the room. It appears we have successfully killed the growth on the wall, but the floor may still be active. Gary Morris, our home inspector, is also a mold specialist. He sampled the floor growth and has sent it to a lab for analysis.

Mold is also growing through the ceiling paint in the half bath, the workout room (the room with glass walls) and the laundry room. It appears there was significant water damage in there at some point. Mr. Morris noted staining underneath the air conditioner in the attic above this area, so it appears that this is the water source. Mr. Morris also took a mold sample from this area to send to the lab.

The mold continues in the master bedroom, where there is evidence of growth in the walk-in closet and also in the top of the cabinet in the shower area. Both areas were not visible during our viewings.

Upstairs, we found more mold in the air intake closets. According to Don Williams, who installed the newer air conditioner and the air filter upstairs, he worked to correct the "dirt and mildew" problem in the upstairs air unit last November. (NOTE: This is a change from earlier verbage... Mr. Williams says he did not use the word "mold" when describing the upstairs unit, but only "dirt and mildew".) The underside of the intake is covered, but we could not see that until we went upside down into the closet to change the filter. Mr. Williams said he gave instructions to clean the closet regularly to avoid a buildup of mildew and dirt again, but it appears that the attempt was unsuccessful. There is very active growth in both closets at this point. The mold in this area was also sampled by Mr. Morris and sent for testing. It appears that at the very least, the duct system and vents will need to be cleaned thoroughly.

We will have the lab results for all of the mold testing by the end of this week, and we can update you on Mr. Morris' findings and recommendations then. (UPDATE: Please consult Mr. Morris' reports, which have been forwarded to all parties.)


Here is the growth that was visible on the dining room/office floor.


Here is what is left of the growth on the dining room/office wall after spraying it with Steri-Fab. Cost of spray: $65.


Here is the growth on the ceiling of the workout room.


Here's a view of the growth on the wall of the master closet by the jacuzzi bath.


This is the growth in the cabinet above the toilet in the master shower area.


Here is a view of the air intake closet for the upstairs unit.


As you can see, the underside of the closet shelf, by the filter, is covered with growth.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- Now that some time has passed numerous additional problems are showing up in the bathrooms. As paint began to pop off the trim by the upstairs bathtub, we pulled back the paper to find even more mold by the tub.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- This mold continues around the window in that bathroom.

As shown and mentioned earlier, there has been moisture intrusion in many areas of the house. Above is a photo of water intrusion evidence in the living room, which was also obscured from view by a rug during our viewing of the home. Another area with extensive damage, which we specifically asked about prior to making our offer, is by the backdoor between the fireplace and the stairway. We specifically asked, via our realtor, about possible water intrusion there and were told that they ONLY water problem had been a refrigerator leak after Katrina that affected the kitchen floor and the dining room floor. At no time were we informed of the rot that was obscured from view under rugs/mats by the back door or in the room adjacent to the foyer. We do have great concern about the extent of other moisture intrusion and mold growth in the house. We found lots of Kilz paint containers in the storage room. Kilz doesn't actually kill mold or mildew, but only the stains they leave behind. If you don't chemically kill the mold first, it will grow back through the paint. We truly need to know the history of this so that we can ward off potential problems before any growth completely permeates the wallboards. Information would be helpful and appreciated.

Only one burner on the stove works. We've tried the working burner in all four locations and it only works in one (front right), so it's not simply the burners, but the connections themselves, that are inoperable. While the microwave was listed on the disclosure statement, the stove was left off. The stove must be repaired, if possible, or replaced. The oven works fine, but our home inspector said the trash compactor does not work. We're not that interested in having a trash compactor anyway, so we have no plans to repair it.

Here is a photo of the exhaust line for the water heater. As you can see, it's not connected to the vent, so the carbon monoxide is emptying into the attic by Grace's old bedroom. We noticed you had a carbon monoxide poisoning monitor upstairs, so perhaps you had noticed a problem. The exhaust line needs to be properly installed by a plumber ASAP.


This is the hood connection that also belongs on top of the water heater. It's laying by the side of the water heater in the attic. It's possible that this was removed and then forgotten by the roofers or by someone who worked on the water heater at some earlier time. The heater is dated 1984; there's no telling how long the carbon monoxide has been discharging directly into the attic.


The hot water faucet on the left sink upstairs does not work and must be replaced by a plumber.


There is a crack under one of the jets in the master jacuzzi, but it is most visible when the tub is damp. As the tub was always dry when we viewed, we could not see this. Do you know how long ago this crack occurred? Have you noticed any leaking? Have you had it caulked or otherwise repaired?


Here is the shower arm in the master bathroom, which leaks uncontrollably. We need a plumber to repair it so that it no longer leaks.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- Perhaps the mold problem in the upstairs bath was exacerbated by the tub faucets. When viewing the home, the faucets were flush against the tile in the tub.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- Unfortunately, we have found when water hits them, they pull out from the wall and fully expose the opening. Water is free to travel behind the tiles and down to the floorboards below.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- The grout in the master bathroom shower stall appears to have been repaired recently. Unfortunately, the repair work was not very good, as the grout is coming out in many areas. Water is traveling below the tile and separating the tile from the shower pan. Now the shower floor is mushy to the step and we can no longer use that shower.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- As you can see, tiny openings are appearing all over the grout.


NEW PROBLEM: Information and photo added on 10/29/06 -- The grout is now uneven all over the stall, as it wears down in some places, but not in others.

In addition to the problems pictured above, our home inspector also noted that the toilets in both the master bath and the half bath continue to run for an extended period of time. He recommended that they be repaired by a plumber.

Mr. Morris found that the GFCI breaker in the electrical service panel is not wired correctly and does not trip. This must be repaired or replaced by an electrician as soon as possible.


There are also several spaces in the second panel that have no cover plates, which is a fire and safety hazard. This must also be repaired by an electrician.


In addition to the problem noted above, our home inspector also found that there were many receptacles and light switches throughout the home with no cover plates, as well as missing light globes on several fixtures.

NEW PROBLEM: Information added on 10/29/06 -- When viewing the home, we were told that all windows and doors were monitored in the home. After moving in, it has become obvious that they are not all monitored. For instance, in the master bedroom, while there are magnets on the windows that make it appear they are monitored, the chime does not sound when they are opened. This is the case for many windows in the home. Did you pay Custom Security to wire all doors and windows? Do you still have a record of the installation so that we may call them to correct this?

As mentioned in our letter to C.J. Brown, the crack in the ceiling in the kitchen/den area has been growing since we have been here. This caused us a lot of concern until Mr. Morris came out. He believes that the crack grew because of the movement of Tom and Brad removing all the things left behind in the attic when y'all moved out. We cleared both attics before moving in... and of course, it had been many years since those areas had seen weight on top. That stress is most likely what caused the cracks to grow. Patching with vinyl caulk covered with putty should work fine to repair this damage. We also noted cracking in the entry way, from what appears to be leaking from the air unit above, but this was visible to us during our viewing.

While you only advertised new carpeting, and not new padding, we've never seen one installed without the other. Most manufacturers void the wear warranty if appropriate padding is not installed with their product. We had noticed there were no transition strips (also usually standard with installation), but it appears that there is no padding installed with the new carpet either. Is the padding just very, very thin? Did you ask for no padding? Who installed the carpet? Any info would be appreciated.