Mold Inspection & Testing in Tacoma

In the crawl space we go under the house rather than looking through the hatch. We check whether there is a vapor barrier at all, whether it is torn, gapped, or rolled back by whoever last ran a duct, and whether the soil under it is damp to the touch. We look for standing water and for the tide line it leaves on pier blocks, for insulation sagging out of the joist bays because it absorbed moisture and lost its grip, for white or gray growth on the underside of the subfloor, and for whether the foundation vents are open, blocked by shrubs, or screened over with lint from a dryer that was vented under the house.

In basements we read the walls. Efflorescence — that chalky white bloom on the concrete — tells us water has been moving through the wall. We check the base of the walls behind stored boxes and finished paneling, the cold joint where the wall meets the floor, and whether the grade outside runs toward the house. Then we go outside and follow the gutters and downspouts, because in the North End and Proctor a huge share of basement seepage traces to a downspout that empties at the corner of the foundation.

Inside, we use moisture meters and, where it helps, thermal imaging to find cold spots on exterior walls and inside closets on the north side. Condensation mold has a signature: it starts high on the wall or in the closet corner, it is worst behind furniture and stored clothing where air does not move, and it comes back every winter. Original single-pane windows are the other giveaway — we check sills, the wall below the sill, and the paint for the blistering that means water has been sitting there for seasons.

In the attic we look at sheathing on the north slope, at the discharge points for bathroom and kitchen fans, and at nail heads. A fan ducted into the attic instead of through the roof or gable wets the sheathing from below all winter, and the staining usually forms a cone right above the duct end. We also look for roof leaks under moss, since moss on a pitched Tacoma roof holds water against the shingles and works its way under them.

Sampling is used when it answers a question, not by default. Visible growth on a joist does not need a lab to tell you it is there. Air samples are useful when someone is having symptoms and there is no visible source, when you need to know whether spores from a crawl space are reaching the living space, or when a buyer, seller, or property manager needs documentation on paper. Surface or tape samples confirm what a stain is when it might just be soot, old water staining, or the dark gray of settled dust.

You get a written report that says what we found, where the water is coming from, what needs to be removed, and what needs to be corrected so it does not return. If remediation is warranted we scope it plainly, and if it does not need remediation we will tell you that too.