Smell of mold/mildew in house

[emelsea]

For the last 3 or 4 weeks, the front of our house (an upstairs bathroom, a living room on the ground floor, and the area of the basement directly under these rooms) smells strongly of mold and mildew.

My husband and I have exhausted our search for a source, aside from ripping out walls. I have a humidistat in each of these rooms, and they are measureing a LOW amount of humidity already, so I'm hesitant to get a dehumidifier because I don't want the air any dryer in here (we have forced air heat and it's pretty dry).

What kind of professional should I call to further check this out? Do I call a general contractor? And, in the meantime, do you think an air purifier would help?

[bigteamug]

Is it possible that you have a small plumbing or other leak inside the walls? Do you see bubbly/blistery paint anywhere, or new cracks in the walls/joint compound? What has the weather been like? What does the upstairs bath have in it - shower with a tile floor, bathtub? And how old is your house?

There are leak detection places, but be careful - they may push for you to use your insurance co, and that might not be a great idea - it can make it difficult to sell your house if there is a black mark on the insurance clue report.

[emelsea]

Originally Posted by bigteamug

Is it possible that you have a small plumbing or other leak inside the walls? Do you see bubbly/blistery paint anywhere, or new cracks in the walls/joint compound? What has the weather been like? What does the upstairs bath have in it - shower with a tile floor, bathtub? And how old is your house?

There are leak detection places, but be careful - they may push for you to use your insurance co, and that might not be a great idea - it can make it difficult to sell your house if there is a black mark on the insurance clue report.

There are no visible signs on the drywall in those rooms or on the ceiling in the living room or floor joists in the basement. No cracks, stains, bubbles, discoloration. The house is about 7 years old, and we are the original owners.

The weather has been cold. Below freezing for the past few weeks.

The upstairs bath has a tub (rarely used) and separate shower that has the pre-formed base and tiled walls. The rest of the bathroom floor is also tiled.

I'm wondering if it's the windows? Those two rooms (living room and upstairs bath) have windows that are directly in line, and are kind of "bumped" out. And the smell is strongest near the windows.

I did a quick google for "mold inspectors", but the sites I've clicked on didn't seem legit.

[HeatherAtHome]

In that case, I would think about the windows or even the roof.

[bigteamug]

In a newer home, could be the windows weren't flashed properly, or have some condensation issue, where you can't see it. What about calling a window repair place in town and asking them for some advice, or things to look for? Or a really, really good home inspector, just to look at the windows? You could probably arrange a by the hour fee with them for a small job. I suggest a home inspector, since theoretically, they wouldn't have any vested interest in finding unneeded work.

Good luck! Mystery leaks stink. I hope ours is gone.

[SuzyLee]

Not to scare you but this could be a really serious problem. I would start calling around to contractors and see if any have specific experience with this type of problem.

My old boss was doing some routine basement finishing to his newish house, and accidently discovered mold. They further investigated and the entire house was modly under the drywall. He had to go to court to get money from the builder, and it cost over 100K to get everything fixed. I am telling you this not to freak you out, but to encourage you to get professional help dealing with this ASAP- it is not the kind of thing you want to mess around with.

[SunshineJ]

Don't just check inside, look outside as well for any cracks or suspect areas - it's possible that a leak would've opened up and let water seep in behind the walls without visible damage on the inside at this point. Probably the first thing I'd do after that (if I didn't find anything) would be to call a good home inspector. They are trained to look for problems and while price varies by area, if you're just having them check those few rooms and not like the entire ventillation area and hvac, it should be pretty reasonable and at least give you some ideas who to contact next. Good luck!