Sleek-Jet
09-01-2005, 12:55 PM
Found this reading the hometown paper today, note the second to last sentence in the story.
Dream home turns to nightmare
August 31, 2005
By Jesse Harlan Alderman | Herald Staff Writer
Robert Taylor thought he found his dream house.
Robert Taylor stands outside his home on Tuesday.
Shaded by pines, the hillside spread in the Forest Lakes subdivision seemed the ideal spot to raise his 3- and 1-year-old daughters. He sunk $254,000 into the home last December, leaving the Southern California smog a reflection in the rearview mirror.
Now, he's turning back around.
What he found behind the walls has forced the family to evacuate the Pine Valley Road home today. Taylor, a frozen-foods supervisor at Albertsons, will drive his wife Brenda and two girls to Perriss, Calif., for an indefinite stay at Brenda's parent's home.
Colonies of stachybotrys, a highly toxic mold, have multiplied in the green-carpeted basement.
Millions of poisonous spores spawned 12-inch mushrooms in the crawlspace beside a bedroom used by his cousin. Mold trails have crept up from the floor like vines, tattooing the wall with black splotches resembling Rorschach patterns.
"Think of the health risk," he said, fighting tears. "How long is my family going to be away in California now? What happened to my investment?"
A certified mold and air-quality inspector from Envirotech, an environmental-consulting firm in Farmington, deemed the home's bottom floor "inhospitable."
While the upper floors appear safe, Taylor did not want to risk the health of his daughters. He covered his face behind a surgical mask while packing Tuesday.
Worst of all, said Taylor, is that mold spores have seeped into the air from behind the walls of a playroom used by his daughters. The elder daughter already suffers from asthma, which often is aggravated by mold, according to the information from the Centers for Disease Control.
"I came out here to give my family a better life," he said. "I don't have the $40,000 or $50,000 for the lawyers. If I did, you know as well as I do they'll sue somebody for millions, and I don't want to do that. But at this point I don't care if the builder and the Realtor get put out on the street sleeping in their cars."
John Mahoney, manager of Coldwell Banker's Heritage House Realtors, the real-estate firm that listed the house, declined to comment. He said he has had "private conversations" with Taylor.
Stachybotrus is fungal mold that grows in the presence of water moisture. It contains a toxin reported to cause liver and kidney cancer, according to a fact-sheet provided by Envirotech. The mold can suppress the immune system, spurring migraines, fatigue and hair loss.
"It's been called 'black mold' and 'death mold,'" said Morris Young, Envirotech's owner. "I personally feel bad for him. He invested all his life savings in an unusable house, or at least a half unusable house."
Young said he inspected similar mold infestations at 10 other homes in Forest Lakes. The homes are particularly susceptible to the moisture that breeds mold because they sit in the path of spring runoff at the base of steep hills.
Envirotech tested sheetrock from Taylor's basement and turned up several mold colonies. One contained almost 7 million stachybotrus spores. Air-quality tests also found high levels of the mold.
Bret Langford of Dryside Inc. oversaw the home's construction nine years ago. He said he reconstructed the home's French drains, Styrofoam foundation and drain tile after the original owner complained of water in the basement.
"I've learned a lot over the years to do a little better to avoid situations like that," he said. "But I'm sure this problem can be solved without a major ordeal."
The cost of removing the mold and firming up insulation is almost $29,000, according to an Envirotech estimate.
Taylor said he cannot afford the repairs. He called on Coldwell Banker or the home's previous owners, John and Stella Welcher, to cover expenses.
Bobbie Carll Realty represented Taylor in the sale. Sandy Cooper, the firm's managing broker, said she encouraged Taylor to obtain an independent inspection.
"It's not our job to hire the inspector," she said.
Taylor said he erred in failing to inspect the house, but claimed the previous owner lied on disclosure forms and painted over mold.
"Call me stupid, but I was sold on the house, and it was only nine years old," he said. "I'm just a working stiff. I don't need my hand held, but I didn't expect to have wool pulled over my eyes, either."
Dream home turns to nightmare
August 31, 2005
By Jesse Harlan Alderman | Herald Staff Writer
Robert Taylor thought he found his dream house.
Robert Taylor stands outside his home on Tuesday.
Shaded by pines, the hillside spread in the Forest Lakes subdivision seemed the ideal spot to raise his 3- and 1-year-old daughters. He sunk $254,000 into the home last December, leaving the Southern California smog a reflection in the rearview mirror.
Now, he's turning back around.
What he found behind the walls has forced the family to evacuate the Pine Valley Road home today. Taylor, a frozen-foods supervisor at Albertsons, will drive his wife Brenda and two girls to Perriss, Calif., for an indefinite stay at Brenda's parent's home.
Colonies of stachybotrys, a highly toxic mold, have multiplied in the green-carpeted basement.
Millions of poisonous spores spawned 12-inch mushrooms in the crawlspace beside a bedroom used by his cousin. Mold trails have crept up from the floor like vines, tattooing the wall with black splotches resembling Rorschach patterns.
"Think of the health risk," he said, fighting tears. "How long is my family going to be away in California now? What happened to my investment?"
A certified mold and air-quality inspector from Envirotech, an environmental-consulting firm in Farmington, deemed the home's bottom floor "inhospitable."
While the upper floors appear safe, Taylor did not want to risk the health of his daughters. He covered his face behind a surgical mask while packing Tuesday.
Worst of all, said Taylor, is that mold spores have seeped into the air from behind the walls of a playroom used by his daughters. The elder daughter already suffers from asthma, which often is aggravated by mold, according to the information from the Centers for Disease Control.
"I came out here to give my family a better life," he said. "I don't have the $40,000 or $50,000 for the lawyers. If I did, you know as well as I do they'll sue somebody for millions, and I don't want to do that. But at this point I don't care if the builder and the Realtor get put out on the street sleeping in their cars."
John Mahoney, manager of Coldwell Banker's Heritage House Realtors, the real-estate firm that listed the house, declined to comment. He said he has had "private conversations" with Taylor.
Stachybotrus is fungal mold that grows in the presence of water moisture. It contains a toxin reported to cause liver and kidney cancer, according to a fact-sheet provided by Envirotech. The mold can suppress the immune system, spurring migraines, fatigue and hair loss.
"It's been called 'black mold' and 'death mold,'" said Morris Young, Envirotech's owner. "I personally feel bad for him. He invested all his life savings in an unusable house, or at least a half unusable house."
Young said he inspected similar mold infestations at 10 other homes in Forest Lakes. The homes are particularly susceptible to the moisture that breeds mold because they sit in the path of spring runoff at the base of steep hills.
Envirotech tested sheetrock from Taylor's basement and turned up several mold colonies. One contained almost 7 million stachybotrus spores. Air-quality tests also found high levels of the mold.
Bret Langford of Dryside Inc. oversaw the home's construction nine years ago. He said he reconstructed the home's French drains, Styrofoam foundation and drain tile after the original owner complained of water in the basement.
"I've learned a lot over the years to do a little better to avoid situations like that," he said. "But I'm sure this problem can be solved without a major ordeal."
The cost of removing the mold and firming up insulation is almost $29,000, according to an Envirotech estimate.
Taylor said he cannot afford the repairs. He called on Coldwell Banker or the home's previous owners, John and Stella Welcher, to cover expenses.
Bobbie Carll Realty represented Taylor in the sale. Sandy Cooper, the firm's managing broker, said she encouraged Taylor to obtain an independent inspection.
"It's not our job to hire the inspector," she said.
Taylor said he erred in failing to inspect the house, but claimed the previous owner lied on disclosure forms and painted over mold.
"Call me stupid, but I was sold on the house, and it was only nine years old," he said. "I'm just a working stiff. I don't need my hand held, but I didn't expect to have wool pulled over my eyes, either."