What should we look for when buying or renting a home? How can we choose a safe environment and avoid hazardous water damage that can lead to serious health issues?
Guidelines for Buying a Home
Issues Related to Mold
1. Look for a low permeability rating (minimal chance of unwanted moisture entering the home).
The building lot should have a high enough water table and be away from underground springs. The slope of the land is a key factor to avoid water running toward the house.
2. Check crawl spaces to make sure there is no moisture.
Crawl spaces tend to be damp and are therefore a challenge for mold avoidance.
3. Does this home have a basement?
Is it finished or unfinished? If it is unfinished, make sure the dirt is dry. If it is finished, look for a history of water damage. Carpeting is a potential problem. Basements require thorough inspection, as they are a common source of mold growth.
4. Check the drainage of the home.
The roof should have overhangs to help carry drainage farther away from the structure. Check the flashing (a thin sheet used to prevent water intrusion). Improper flashing is a common cause of roof leaks. Ask about any history of roof leaks. Shingles at the eaves should project beyond the edge of the roof framing. Check gutters and downspouts to see that they are properly installed.
After your move, consider adding inexpensive splash blocks to help carry water away from the home.
5. Be sure wood siding stops well above the ground to avoid stain and rot.
6. Make sure windows are installed right side up so the weep holes drain properly.
7. Avoid central humidification systems, if possible.
8. Check to see that drip pans for cooling coils are draining properly.
9. Check the locations of the closets.
If a closet runs along an outside wall, the cold wall can meet the heated inside air and form condensation. Good quality construction will allow for proper insulation of these closets.
10. If the home appears safe and has no history of water damage, consider testing the home.
An ERMI mold test can rule out the presence of toxic mold. This can be done by collecting a sample of dust and submitting it to a lab for analysis. It is important to rule out the presence of Stachybotrys and other toxic molds. If you have experienced a prior mold exposure, look for a home with an ERMI value of 2 or less. (momsAWARE offers the HERTSMI-2 dust sampling kit which is ideal for testing a prospective home. See the momsAWARE online store.)
A thermal inspection of the home can reveal hidden moisture. Consider purchasing a thermal imaging device in advance. (See Thermal Imaging to Detect Water Damage.)
Other Important Considerations
11. Be aware of chemical use in the home.
For those with chemical sensitivities, it is best to avoid homes with air fresheners, recent pesticide treatments, and a history of smoking.
12. Consider the home’s proximity to cell towers and power lines.
There is evidence that electromagnetic radiation from cell phone towers is hazardous to health. Research is ongoing and it’s hard to say how far is “far enough”, but ideally the further away you are from a cell tower the better. (Check the location of nearby towers at Antenna Search.) For more on cell towers and health see Cell Tower Health Effects.
In addition, close proximity to power lines can be an issue. (See Living Close to Power Lines.) All homes are “close” to power lines, but the health impact decreases with distance. There are many variables with power lines, so it’s something to keep in mind when searching for a safe home.
13. Does the home have a smart meter?
Smart meters are increasingly linked to ill health. While a smart meter may not be avoidable, this too is something to keep in mind. Does the local utility offer an opt-out? How close is the meter to the sleeping areas of the home? Shielding is always an option, so this may or may not break your decision to purchase or rent. For more on smart meters see The Science – Stop Smart Meters.
For more suggestions on choosing or creating a healthy home environment, see the informative International Institute for Building-Biology & Ecology website or the excellent resource Prescriptions for a Healthy House.
If health is an issue and you are renting a home or apartment, consider adding this Health Addendum to the lease agreement:
Management releases Resident from lease agreement if Resident’s health is affected by environmental factors associated with chemical sensitivity and/or mold issues.
Following these guidelines can help you avoid health issues and financial loss. Be mindful of the current residents’ health and be sure to listen to your gut instinct overall. Choosing your next living environment wisely has the potential to benefit you and your family’s health for years to come.
I talk more about the value of your gut feeling about a home in this episode of The Connecting Place.
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Hi Andrea,
Nice article. I especially like the points about closets on outside walls and checking for proper installation of windows. These are points not often mentioned. As a former residential General Contractor, I’d like to throw in one additional point for each heading.
1. Look inside the sump pump crock. If it’s bone dry, that’s a good sign. If not, ask the owner how often it runs, at what times of the year, and confirm that the discharge is well away from the home.
2. My experience with crawlspaces and in talking with mold inspectors is that they’re almost always moldy. This is true even if they have a poured concrete floor. Concrete breaths moisture from the surrounding soil that easily pushes the humidity too high in these confined spaces.
3. Please consider changing your advice on vapor barriers. Those in the know within the building industry have found that finished basement walls need to be a breathable as possible. Everything from the type of insulation to the type of paint needs to be considered. Otherwise, you end up with the wall cavities being too humid. Google: Basement Insulation Systems by Nathan Yost, M.D. and Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.E.
4. One particular sore spot for me is that most stepped-flashing on brick buildings or chimneys is hardly ever tucked into the mortar joints as it should be. Instead, reckless builders apply a bead of caulk to seal this joint. Wait a few years, and they all leak.
5. Homeowners seem to think that it’s ugly to have 6-8” of foundation showing above grade. They’ll intentionally pile dirt against the building until the lower course of siding is partially covered. These walls turn into a rotting mess in short order. It’s all about a big hat (large roof overhang) and boots (foundation above grade).
6. Flashing around the windows is just as critical. The head flashing needs to be cut to lap over the top window flange. The rough window sill should get an additional layer of self-adhering flashing that is installed prior to window placement. Your suggestion to use an infrared camera will help to locate the wet areas around poorly flashed windows especially just after a rain.
7. If a home has a humidification system, open it up for inspection. If it’s moldy, walk away from the home.
8. In addition to drip pans, remove the inspection cover on the air-conditioning coil. Just like with humidifiers, if it’s moldy, run away.
9. People that have closets on outside walls that aren’t insulated properly should avoid piling boxes or hanging long coats that cover much of the wall surface. If they don’t, these colder areas will have higher humidity levels and may get moldy.
10. A building doesn’t have to smell or look moldy to be moldy. As you and I both know, indoor mold can make some extremely sick while leaving the rest less than optimal.
Hope you don’t mind these comments. Sometimes I get inspired to write a bit and this was a good chance.
Greg from BiotoxinJourney
Very glad to have your comments, Greg. There is so much to say on the subject. I appreciate the added detail. I’m going to remove the subject of the vapor barrier from the post. Building Biology stresses the importance of a “vapor-permeable wall” using natural materials such as earth or straw. When house hunting this is obviously difficult to find. Please feel free to add more thoughts. It’s all very helpful.
Andrea- This article is a lifesaver!!! Thank you SO much!!!!
So glad to hear, Mariah!
Thank you for this! With our house on the market… I’m nervous to find another clean home. Our last place made us really sick… And we were thankful to move, but 4 kids in one room only lasts so long? So as we look for our next place to grow roots, it’s nice to have this handy checklist to refer to.
Thank you again, Dr Julia
You’re welcome, Julia! Eight of us slept in one room for six months until we could find something clean and large enough. I relate. It’s not easy.
Thank you so much for writing all this down and sharing! A good friend of mine has had experienced toxic mold and I have learned so much from her experience too. I am going to have to let her know about your, Greg , and Hybrid Rasta Mama’s pages. So much great information! I think we have been dealing with some mold issues that started in a rental we lived in many years ago. We didn’t know at the time to ditch the things harboring the spores. This probably explains the symptoms I have been struggling with. Thank you all for the information!
Thanks for the encouragement, Jeannie. All the best to you as you continue your journey.
Thanks so much for sharing this at Savoring Saturdays. My husband and I actually used it when we were buying our first home two years ago! We had no idea what to look for and it was very helpful. 🙂
Have you found a specific age of homes to be healthier than others? Obviously, the newest homes generally have the highest chemical load (I generally notice this in homes up to three years old, sometimes older), but did you decide there was a good rule of thumb for when a home is just too likely to have mold issues? A decade old? Two decades? More? Or was the age of the home not really something you seriously considered?
My experience has generally been that I cannot spend time in a home that is more than 30 years old, and 20 year old homes are often tricky, even for short periods. I know everyone’s level of sensitivity is different, but I wondered if this played into your screening process at all.
That’s a great question! Yes, brand new homes can still be off-gassing quite a bit. As I understand it, a home that is five-10 years old is optimal. But it’s hard to make a broad statement because some older homes are safe if well maintained and constructed.
Hey Andrea,
With a history of serious mold mold exposure, when looking for a new home, do we need to use ERMI or is HERTSMI-2 sufficient?
Thank so much for helping through the years!
Polly
Hi Polly!
The best test is your gut instincts about a home. How do you feel in there? Do you feel safe? Assuming the answer is yes, then I think a HERTSMI can be enough. If there is a history of water damage or mold remediation then you would want an ERMI in my opinion – but then with a history I know that I would avoid the home. Trust your gut in my opinion.
Thanks so much!!! I know with ERMI I wouldn’t want to live in a home above a 2. What are your recommendations with HERTSMI results?
Less than 10 when using the HERTSMI scoresheet. Found in this article http://it-takes-time.com/2015/04/30/how-to-interpret-ermi-mold-tests/
Hi Andrea,
I wanted to share my experience with you. In hopes that some else won’t make our mistake. My husband and I purchased a newly built manufactured home while trying to avoid mold at all cost.
I have never had chemical sensitivity in my life, so this was not a concern. I have only been out of a moldy environment for less than three months now.
I had lived in my “new mold free” home for less than a month before severe chemical sensitivity hit me. The chemicals off gassing in the home caused me to be very foggy headed, as if the mold hadn’t effected me enough in that area, and I felt like I was coming down with a virus. But, the worst reaction was experiencing severe heart palpitations and feeling a crushing chest pressure and not being able to breathe well. I told my husband that I needed to leave this home too. His reaction was supportive, after he said ” You’ve got to be kidding me!” “My poor husband!”
I have been sleeping outside of my new home, in my Subaru, for the last two months while my husband removed all the flooring sealing our sub floor and replacing the floor with a non toxic one and Sealing our cabinets. This did not help us and we are now geting ready to sell our home.
I have lived in manufactured homes on and off throughout my life so, I didn’t think it would an issue This was, we thoght, a less expensive option for us as we have thrown out or given away all of our belongings and lost our home due to the mold.
I feel that I should have been more cautious about MCS and manufactured homes. We were tired and needed a home, but should have researched this type of housing before we bought it.
I have been the most effected health wise in my family and am thankful that my children are grown and not in our home during this trial.
We are exhausted, but remain hopeful knowing that the Lord works all things together for our good.
Angela
Hi, I too got chemical sensitivity after being exposed to toxic molds. We had to walk away from everything we owned and start new. We too got a mobile home, but we got one that has sheep’s wool as insulation, in the walls and ceiling. Everything is low allergy. Oak Creek makes the home.
Where do I find the air conditioning coil?
Go outside to my ac and then what? This is outside, correct?
No, you want something inside. Maybe refrigerator coils or ceiling fans. Anywhere dust is settled inside the home.
Thank you so much for this guidance. We have been working on our home for 8 months, and my 5yo son and I have lived in 7 different places. Unfortunately, there have been many moments when we thought we were finished, but we were not. I’m ready to give up on our house and rent for a bit while we give plenty of time to our search. Thank you, thank you.
I know it’s hard, but so much better to have knowledge.