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Looks like it's going to be about 4K which I'm pleased with. Both the contractor and inspector came out to take a look and gave great information.

My inspection is tomorrow so I am going to point my inspector To the area and see what he thinks!

Sorry - maybe I worded it wrong.. I'm not asking whether the price seems in line, but just what I should ask my contractor when he goes out to look at it, and what to look out for. We wrote it into the contract that I need to have an impartial party come give a bid.

Hi all, Put an offer in on the house that had a known issue with the fascia board (due to clogged gutters). The previous offer fell through because the buyer was spooked by a 9k repair estimate. Since then, the seller has received an estimate from a contractor her agent recommended for 3k. It includes... Repair fascia/drip edge @ left & right front corners of garage. Repair fascia/drip edge @ right front gable. Repair fascia/drip edge/soffit @ left front gable. Repair fascia @ left lower rear gable. Repair fascia/drip edge at left rear corner of house (facing rear). Repair fascia/drip edge/soffit @ left rear corner of garage (facing rear). Install flashing at five small gable ends. Replace damaged shingles at front porch gutter. From experience, does this look adequate for repair? Anything I should specifically ask about or look for? Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but from the naked eye it doesn't seem bad at all. Thoughts?

I've made the decision to do nothing. My knee jerk reaction to spray even though I know all moisture issues were corrected was based solely on future resale, and the potential of a ruined deal because of an under-educated buyer. If it would make somebody feel comfortable, I'll spray at the time of selling, but until then all the corrections made will eliminate any future growth, and I feel confident in that. Thanks all for the suggestions and help!

If I'm being 100% honest, it's not necessary to do in my eyes. I've corrected any problem that was there (slight negative grade, couple of jammed gutters, and some downspouts). And the growth is just so minor - my inspector said 8/10 houses on my street would have the same thing. At this point, I want peace of mind, and to avoid any conflict at the time of resale. It's an EPA approved product being applied by a licensed company offering a lifetime regrowth warranty - I would think that would make the next owners feel secure. That being said, I don't want somebody to be put off by not having insulation in the floor joists. Honestly, it's sad that there is such a lack of education surrounding this issue, which ultimately is causing a lot of people who don't actually have an issue to pay good money for a "fix". I understand for most folks it's easy to take things at face value, but I just wish people would be more willing to listen to their inspectors instead of their real estate agents. (rant over)

Hi everybody - I'm going to be spraying some Bora Care with Mold Care in my crawl soon, and wanted to get opinions on keeping in the cotton batt insulation between the joists, or just removing it all together. I'm located in Middle TN so weather is pretty mild. My old place didn't have it (built in 1990), and I never seemed to have an issue, but thought I would check anyway. Main concern is a future buyer thinking there would be an issue - although again that didn't happen in my last place! Thanks!

Will do, thanks for the help. @Kurt, the main inspiration is because the minor fungus growth

Not yet, he is giving me the official bid today. Estimated at 1k. Good grief.

If it's gonna fix my drainage, I want it! Seems like the french drain is the best solution.

I spoke with the landscaper and a contractor. I won't be adding any dirt or changing any weep holes. A good ol' french drain will be going in, along with some light landscaping (not against the house, but a foot away or so). He wants to put in some very thirsty ornamental grass.

and thanks for that reference link, Marc. Weeps and (I assume) flashing are above grade, so that makes me feel a bit better about it.

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I may be ignorant here, but the rim joist goes around the perimeter, correct? if so, that does not have fungus, a couple of the floor joists in the area do. Assuming it is due to moisture under there.

Rim joist is not below grade, just 2-3 rows of brick veneer

Thanks, Jim. The only problem it is causing now is slight fungus on the joist closest to that outside wall. When my inspector saw the fungus he said he almost didn't mention it because it wasn't bad enough. I'm just worried about the future, though. The house only is 6 yrs old (granted in it's first year we had a 100 year flood which could have easily caused a bit of fungus afterwards).

I'm just baffled right now. I just went out to take a closer look. The entire back of the house is graded so that three rows of brick veneer are under earth. Is this right??

Thanks all... Adding more dirt would make it so that dirt was touching the bottom 4 rows or so of brick. Is that a no-no? I could create a swale but the valley would be so low in the yard. Might be worth it though.

Hey guys, My new home has a slight negative slope into the back of the home. I'm trying to be preventative in regrading the yard to move water away from the house, and consulted with a landscaper yesterday. He mentioned he could simply add some dirt, but would not recommend it until I move my weep holes up (currently they are sitting at the bottom brick). A quick google seemed to tell me that you cannot simply "move" weep holes. I'm trying to think through other options here. Do I install metal covers similar to what is around my crawl vent? Go through hiring somebody to tear the brick apart and redo the weep holes so I can grade the lawn? Keep in mind this is pretty much preventative - there is a tiny bit of evidence of moisture in the crawl. I called my inspector, and he was unsure of what to do since he did not see or note any of this in his report. Thanks all

Thanks all so much for the help and thoughts. I've decided to first and foremost fix the grading and gutter issue as soon as I move in. Then, I'll probably end up spraying Boracare just for my wife's peace of mind, and checking on it every few months. For real though, you all really eased my mind, so thank you. I was on the verge of buying into the hype. Also should note, I called my inspector, and he agreed he would follow this plan if it were his own place.

Good point.. What else would I be able to ask him to do? As for the ventilation, should I keep the crawlspace vents open year round then?

Correct - we are in the process of buying. The sellers will give us about $1000 in lieu of repairing it themselves, based off a quote from a mold contractor to spray. This is enough to cover the mold guy spraying, but he would like another $1000 to remove the insulation. Just trying to figure out if it's worth going through all of that (and if it is necessary), or better to just use the $1000 to fix the drainage issue with a landscaper and to buy a gallon of BoraCare and call it a day.

So I take that as the crawlspace looks OK? I was considering doing just what you said, minus the insulation but if that is going to be best id take the time to take it down and put it back up.

Hi Marc, There is ductwork down there, but no intentional air-conditioning. There are crawlspace vents around the foundation, and the previous owners had them shut.

Hey everybody, I wanted to post some pictures of my home and get some advice on my situation. Just bought a home, and the inspector found "organic growth" on the joists (didn't want to call it mold). Had a mold company come out and confirm there was light mold on some of the joists toward the back of the home due to a sloped backyard and gutter draining into the house. The sellers agreed to pay for the mold company to spray moldicide (mold company said they did not recommend remediation because it was such a light mold). However, the guy from the mold company is trying to convince me to spend an extra 1k to remove the insulation. I guess my question is really about what the best option is: 1. Have the guy come out and only spray the exposed wood 2. Have him rip out the insulation, spend the extra 1k, and spray it all down 3. Leave the insulation in, get some Boracare, and spray it down myself Also added pictures of the foundation wall which shows some water, and of the area where the inspector assumes the water is getting in. Along with the above options, we are definitely going to be doing landscaping to help move water away from the foundation. I know this is a biggie to keep it from coming back. Pics are attached. Thanks all! Click to Enlarge 26.13 KB Click to Enlarge 31.28 KB Click to Enlarge 36.98 KB Click to Enlarge 31.05 KB Click to Enlarge 54.83 KB Click to Enlarge 31.05 KB Click to Enlarge 40.62 KB Click to Enlarge 71.18 KB