[Greenbuilding] firing a roofer, preventing mold, etc

Sun Oct 7 11:17:08 EDT 2007

thanks so much to those of you who have replied.
last night i removed the crown molding above one kitchen cabinet. i'm 
glad i did. No standing water above cabinet, but lots of bad mildew 
smell and lots of bubbling paint. Ceiling is just plaster and i am 
removing insulation from above. I have a fan on it.

Questions:

1. Do i have to remove living room ceiling? Nothing visible yet, but 
a few gallons of water poured out from around the ceiling fan. That 
room is sheetrock over plaster, and i don't now if there will be 
horrible mold growing in between. I am removing insulation from above 
and will put fans on it when not working

2. protection from possible asbestos exposure. The vermiculite is wet 
and seems to hold lots of water. however i have discovered that 
insulation above can feel dry when vermiculite on the bottom and 
boards beneath are wet. so i am disturbing some dry vermiculite in 
the process.

3. How to protect myself. When i am working, i have a fan blowing out 
of the window. From now on i will throw bags of wet insulation out of 
that window. I have a good respirator., but i have ben using my hand 
as a moisture meter. Friend gave me real one last nigh, but feeling 
for wetness is much quicker. Can asbestos be absorbed through the 
skin? I can live with irritation from fiberglass.

4. this is all off of my 2.5 y.o. son's room. what do i have to do 
before letting my kid back in the room?
He, my 4.5 yo daughter, and my wife, are in the rest of the house, 
but only bad thing is mildew smell. (not too bad this morning).

I will try to get the guys insurance info today. I am not counting on 
him having any. I will probably pay him nothing, and do the work on 
the interior myself. I found a guy who can finish the roof starting a 
week from tomorrow.  I can have the inspector kick him off the job on 
monday. but most people are saying call him an tell him to remove his 
trailer and nothing else and to not come back. I don't think i can 
possibly miss work monday. I am going to try to have my friend, the 
police officer down the street, on call.

-Ben

At 9:36 AM -0400 10/7/07, Courtney Moriarta wrote:
>Agreed on the vermiculite.  You should wear a good cartridge-type respirator
>when working with any insulation -- even breathing in cellulose dust is not
>good for you.  Look for the magenta/yellow cartridges.  Most major hardware
>stores carry them these days.  It'll cost you about $40 but will be well
>worth it.  It's also a good idea to wear disposable tyvek coveralls.
>
>Get everything out that is wet and won't dry well.  This includes the
>insulation and any stored items you may have had in the attic (cardboard
>boxes, clothing, etc.).  Sheetrock may or may not need to be replaced,
>depending on the extent of the damage.  Try drying first unless it is
>already falling apart.  Run fans in the attic.  If you contact a company
>that specializes in moisture mitigation, they can provide good centrifugal
>fans and commercial grade dehumidifiers.  The faster you get it dried, the
>better your chances of avoiding any long-term problems with mold.
>
>Make sure the insulation around the ceiling fan and any other electrical
>ceiled fixtures is removed and allowed to dry well.  Some of the chemicals
>used in fireproofing cellulose can be corrosive to metal when exposed to
>moisture.
>
>Don't forget about the walls.  If the water got into the walls, that is a
>whole other problem.  You may need to open them up (cut a hole in the
>sheetrock) and blow air into the cavity with a fan to dry them.  Again,
>depending on the extent of the moisture. . .
>
>If you really want to know when things are dry, you can get a surface
>moisture detector from Professional Equipment (Grainger may have them, too)
>for about $200.  Kind of expensive if you are not in the business of doing
>moisture inspections but if it saves you a couple thousand dollars in
>damage, it could be worth it.
>
>Homeowners insurance?  I would contact them.  They may be able to initiate a
>claim on your behalf with the contractor's insurance (assuming he has one.)
>Attorney?  I'd find one, depending on what happens with the insurance route.
>Stay home Monday?  I would.
>
>Glad to hear you were able to stop payment on your check.
>
>Good luck.
>
>-Courtney
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org
>[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at listserv.repp.org] On Behalf Of Mike Paulsen
>Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 11:38 PM
>To: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
>Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] firing a roofer, preventing mold, etc
>
>Ben Pratt wrote:
>(snip)
>>  There is still wet insulation (Fiberglas batts over
>>  cellulose, over expanded mica).
>(snip)
>>  Questions:
>>
>>  Protecting my property and my family:
>(snip questions I'll leave for your insurance company, building
>inspector, & lawyer.)
>>  I will continue to remove all the insulation i can find.
>>  What else should i do?
>
>The vermiculite insulation may contain significant levels of asbestos.
>Assume it does until you have it tested.
>
>
>
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-- 
B  e  n  j  a  m  i  n   P  r  a  t  t
Professor
Department of Art and Design
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, WI 54751
715 232 1537