After the drying
Mold Inspection & Testing in San Mateo, CA
An independent assessor confirms whether the assembly that got wet is actually dry, whether growth started while it was not, and how far it reaches. An inspection after a water loss confirms whether the assembly that got wet is dry now and whether growth started while it was not. Readings are taken in the material, cavities are opened where the readings point, and the result is a written scope of what is dry, what is not, and what has to be corrected for the repair to hold.
No obligation: the assessment comes before any scope
On this site, inspection is the last check of a water job rather than the start of a separate one. Most people reach this page because something was wet, was dried, and a smell or a stain came back. The inspection answers whether the material is dry now and whether anything grew while it was not. Nothing here is medical advice; questions about health are for a clinician.
Often needed alongside
- Mold Remediation
Growth and the material it grew into come out under containment, what remains is cleaned, and the assembly is dried and read before anything closes it in.
- Structural Drying & Dehumidification
Sealed air movers and dehumidifiers bring framing, subfloor and drywall back to a measured dry standard, with daily readings logged from inside the material.
Frequently asked questions
Why does an added upper floor matter in a loss?
Because the two halves of the house are not the same building. The upper floor is newer framing, newer board and newer plumbing sitting on walls that were built for a roof rather than for another story. Water crossing that junction moves from one kind of construction into another, and the two dry at different rates.
Where does water from upstairs actually go?
Into the floor structure at the junction first. A failure in an added bathroom lands on the deck of the new floor, which is the ceiling of the original house, and runs along it until it finds a way down at a wall line. The room it shows up in is frequently not the one under the bathroom.
Is the original roof still in there?
Sometimes, and it is worth knowing before anything is opened. Some of these additions were built over the existing roof structure rather than removing it, which leaves a closed void between the two floors with old decking in it. That void holds water and cannot be reached without opening a ceiling.
These questions come from the San Mateo page.