Mold and moisture treatment for home exposed to elements for months

blacknwhite · Aug 10, 2025 5:52 pm

We had our steel frame and particleboard exposed in the deluge this year for 2 months, then in the last 3 months, brick and roof and cladding went in.

The pre-lining inspection found mold on most window reveals plus moisture 21 on one of the rooms where there is a balcony and its door was not put in for approx. 5 months. There are also water stains underneath the particle board and some stains are small, black circles which may or may not be due to the mold.

For whatever reasons, our site supervisor did not let us in a single time in these 3 months, every time giving variety of reasons - unsafe site, no time, after bricking, after roofing.

We went in the mandatory pre-lining inspection after receiving mold report from an independent inspection. The builder has now agreed to professional mold removal and independent certification on that.

Is this good enough? Should we ask for anything further?

WinnieD · Aug 11, 2025 10:56 pm

blacknwhite

We had our steel frame and particleboard exposed in the deluge this year for 2 months, then in the last 3 months, brick and roof and cladding went in.

The pre-lining inspection found mold on most window reveals plus moisture 21 on one of the rooms where there is a balcony and its door was not put in for approx. 5 months. There are also water stains underneath the particle board and some stains are small, black circles which may or may not be due to the mold.

For whatever reasons, our site supervisor did not let us in a single time in these 3 months, every time giving variety of reasons - unsafe site, no time, after bricking, after roofing.

We went in the mandatory pre-lining inspection after receiving mold report from an independent inspection. The builder has now agreed to professional mold removal and independent certification on that.

Is this good enough? Should we ask for anything further?

It’s good that you’ve got them agreeing to professional mold removal and independent certification. But given how long the materials were exposed and the fact moisture readings are still high in some spots, I’d be pushing for more than just surface cleaning.

You might want to request:

Post-removal moisture testing to confirm everything is within safe limits before lining goes in.

Inspection of particleboard integrity. Prolonged moisture can weaken it even if the mold is gone.

Written warranty from the builder covering mold recurrence in those areas for a certain period.

If you can, keep all documentation from both your independent inspector and the builder. That way, if any issues pop up down the track, you’ve got a clear paper trail.

Have you considered getting the independent inspector back after the remediation to double-check their work? That can be worth the peace of mind.

Bimbob · Aug 16, 2025 9:43 am

wow you are in a really tough position and it seems that this builder (like many others) is going to continue to make things difficult for you in areas such as this including any remediation works.
If roof and bwk is complete and this was my build I would put a hold on all payments and not proceed with the wall linings until you have an agreement in writing formalising the solution.
This will delay your build but the scenario is if you dont do this that once youve moved in or possibly before hand you have (likely) uncontrollable mould growth, (possibly) damaged flooring that could cup and squeak and remain uneven for the lifespan of the house, and there may be more unforeseen issue that could occur due to the amount of time the house was exposed.
I think a few months delay is worth the reassurance. Bear in mind that your builder will very likely disagree with this and the only way to proceed from there is to give in or obtain legal advice.

blacknwhite · Aug 16, 2025 10:10 pm

Thank you for all the info, it's on halt at the moment.

blacknwhite · Aug 17, 2025 5:23 pm

My builder has a franchise-kind of system where site supervisor organises all the trades. The SS's boss says it is difficult to change site supervisor and it will entail further delays. Similar situation arose when the current site supervisor came into the picture. However, it is perhaps a better idea to change a site supervisor than continuing with the one we have no trust on supervising. It may also be the case the next one will even be worse than this one who knows.. Not sure what should we do - trust the system or demand a change!

Bimbob · Aug 18, 2025 8:36 am

supervisors are typically governed by the business they work for, they dont decide on remedial works, the construction manager or even the GM will do that.
dont trust the system, the system the builder will use is their system tailored to meet their goals which is less cost, more profit. Allow them to rectify the work but dont progress until youve completed independent inspections and you have the results your happy with.

blacknwhite · Aug 18, 2025 8:42 am

Bimbob

supervisors are typically governed by the business they work for, they dont decide on remedial works, the construction manager or even the GM will do that.
dont trust the system, the system the builder will use is their system tailored to meet their goals which is less cost, more profit. Allow them to rectify the work but dont progress until youve completed independent inspections and you have the results your happy with.

I am doing that, of course. I am asking a different question now... It is about the SS. We had so much problems with this person. He never lets us in, poor is scheduling work - site remains without anything happening for weeks and we are suspiscious even if he ever goes in - so that he does not know that there is so much mould there..House is now enclosed except some small window trims that need to be fixed. Going forward, I wonder if we should demand a change in site supervisor or let the current one continue..