Imagine this....You are taking a shower, a really hot, steamy long shower after a hard day and you of course have your bathroom exhaust fan turned on. Where exactly is all of that warm, moist air going??? Has the bathroom exhaust fan been properly vented to the exterior of the home? Or is it filling your entire attic space with warm moist air? Hopefully not the latter but I see it all too often, often enough to compel me to write this post!
Nothing can kill a real estate deal like major issues with mold. There have been so many times where I have been inspecting a home, the inspection is going well...until I get into the attic.
For 35 years the bathroom exhaust fan had been pumping this poor attic with moist air which provided the perfect environment for this mold to spread throughout the attic space. With an attic space of nearly 1,800 sf, this remediation was estimated to cost around $3,600. Luckily this deal still went through but the seller had to front the bill in order to hold the deal together. This would have been avoided had the builder vented the exhaust fan to the exterior of the home.
So the big question...Is a house with mold ruined? Absolutely not! Mold can be treated by a professional mold remediation contractor and safe, healthful conditions can be restored, but there is also a price tag associated with that. In cases like these, the ounce of prevention (venting the duct to the exterior $150) is absolutely better than the pound of cure($3,600 remediation). I challenge anyone who is reading this to give your attic a peek and make sure this is not taking place in your home. Have a great week!
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