Blindsided By Mold: A True Story About A Bathroom Renovation Gone Bad – So Very, Very Bad – Part 3

2010 Jan.21,Bathroom renovation. by gardener41, on Flickr


By Trish Holder

In our previous blog, our homeowner, “Madeline” and her contractor “Fred” confirmed the source of her BIG BAD Mold problem – the result of a bathroom renovation that Fred completed 10 years earlier.  Here’s what they found:

  1. An improperly installed shower liner had left the area beneath the shower floor and all surrounding areas exposed to excessive (you could say buckets) of moisture.
  2. The tile in the shower had been applied directly to sheetrock instead of cement board – a big no-no.

There was no question that Fred and/or his crew was at fault.  As Madeline described it, a “sickened look” came over the contractor’s face when he saw what lay below and behind the shower tiles.  He saw the problem immediately.

Now, Fred knew how to complete a proper shower install.  The problem was, one or more of his hired help didn’t, and it was at this crucial juncture that Fred had his back turned. The result was tens of thousands dollars of mold and structural damage.

Time to Buy A Lottery Ticket, Madeline
Now here’s where I’m going to interject and say that Madeline, despite the fact that one part of her home was completely infested by mold, is one of the luckiest homeowners I know.

Continue reading ›

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