Broken pipe in finished basement ceiling

We are looking at buying a house that is in very good shape except for the finished basement. A pipe broke in the ceiling of one of the rooms and about half of it fell in. Now mildew is growing on the walls and carpet. Replacing the carpet was on the list of things we were going to do anyway, but the mildew on the walls has me concerned. The walls are drywall on 2X4 stud walls with insulation and a vapor barrier. The basement walls are cinder block. This is in a 16 X 21 room and the problem covers two walls. I can also see mildew on the bottom 3 to 4 inches of the other two walls. Probably from the carpet being wet. There is no sign of water damage anywhere else in the basement and the seller is willing to guarantee there is not another water problem down there. If I buy this home, should I plan on ripping out all the drywall and insulation in that room? I plan on doing the whole ceiling and the two walls that are really bad, but I am unsure of what to do with the other two. What other problems should I look for? The house was empty when the water pipe broke and the water could have been running for three days.

Reply to
Gordon Parks
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basement. A pipe broke in the ceiling of one of the rooms and about half of it fell in. Now mildew is growing on the walls and carpet. Replacing the carpet was on the list of things we were going to do anyway, but the mildew on the walls has me concerned. The walls are drywall on 2X4 stud walls with insulation and a vapor barrier. The basement walls are cinder block. This is in a 16 X 21 room and the problem covers two walls. I can also see mildew on the bottom 3 to 4 inches of the other two walls. Probably from the carpet being wet. There is no sign of water damage anywhere else in the basement and the seller is willing to guarantee there is not another water problem down there. If I buy this home, should I plan on ripping out all the drywall and insulation in that room? I plan on doing the whole ceiling and the two walls that are really bad, but I am unsure of what to do with the other tw o. What other problems should I look for? The house was empty when the water pipe broke and the water could have been running for three days.

What, no carriage returns??

A few links which may help:

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Do some GOOGLE searches for: mold + health, mold + remediation, and so forth.

I would not rush into this home purchase. While some people may say that mold danger is overblown, you don't *know* what effect it may have on your family members. That's an expensive crap-shoot.

Take your time and do the research before signing this home contract.

Jim

Reply to
Speedy Jim

Get a mold contractor to look at it, get an estimate, then tell him he needs to drop his price by twice that amount. Get three estimates if you can and use the middle one. Worst case you'll be out the cost of the inspection, best case, you'll get a few dollars for your troubles.

Otherwise, pass on the deal. Never accept something like that - they could be selling because it's a $xx,000 repair job!

Also, don't post in HTML; use Plain Text.

Pop

Reply to
Pop

Greetings,

Obviously you must put up new drywall on the ceiling. If the walls have dried out why don't you just go over them with 3/8" drywall as well? Even if mold was as bad for you as asbestos, once encapsulated it should not make much of a difference. If the wall is in good shape you might consider just adding an anti-molding agent to your paint, cleaning up the walls, and painting over them. If the inside of your wall was made of solid mold it wouldn't affect your health so long as there is no way for the spores to get out. The guarantee, if properly written, should protect you from any wetness problem other than the existing mold. You might be able to purchase this house under market due to this problem. It sounds like it could potentially be a good deal.

Hope this helps, William "Gordon Parks" wrote in message news:91IAd.40736$k25.40681@attbi_s53... We are looking at buying a house that is in very good shape except for the finished basement. A pipe broke in the ceiling of one of the rooms and about half of it fell in. Now mildew is growing on the walls and carpet. Replacing the carpet was on the list of things we were going to do anyway, but the mildew on the walls has me concerned. The walls are drywall on 2X4 stud walls with insulation and a vapor barrier. The basement walls are cinder block. This is in a 16 X 21 room and the problem covers two walls. I can also see mildew on the bottom 3 to 4 inches of the other two walls. Probably from the carpet being wet. There is no sign of water damage anywhere else in the basement and the seller is willing to guarantee there is not another water problem down there. If I buy this home, should I plan on ripping out all the drywall and insulation in that room? I plan on doing the whole ceiling and the two walls that are really bad, but I am unsure of what to do with the other two. What other problems should I look for? The house was empty when the water pipe broke and the water could have been running for three days.

Reply to
William Deans

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