Designer House Project - Help Needed

[PrimaDonna]

We have a unique opportunity to work with the 2017 Designer House in our area. Each year they take a home and various designers and landscapers are assigned an area transform the house. Tickets are sold for tours (that last a few weeks) when it's complete and proceeds got to local charity. Lots of exposure on a project like this.

We were contacted by one of the designers who is transforming the old root cellar in to a wine cellar. The walls, stairs and floor need to be cleaned to prep the area for her design. Her project will be temporary and the homeowner will not be keeping the area as the wine cellar once the even is over. (Read...they don't want to put money into it)

There has been moisture in the area and the walls show it. The want them cleaned and prepped for the painter. The homeowner "doesn't want to pay" to have anything done, so it will fall on the designer. We are willing to work with the designer as we see the potential for ourselves. But, as you can see from the pictures, the walls are flaking and chipping....(it adds to the character right?)

We plan to require the homeowner and designer to sign off on the fact that we will not be doing any type of remediation and that we recommend they have the area tested for mold prior to us beginning any work and if they choose not to, releasing us from any liability or issues that could occur (we will have written/reviewed by a lawyer).

There are no drains in the area, so we will have to remove any debris and use our tools to remove water from cleaning. Our plan is to "power wash' the walls and use the turbo on the floors.

We aren't looking for perfect. The Rustic look is what they are going for, but it does need to be clean. What products/methods would you recommend for the walls and floor?

Any other precautions or disclaimers we should include?

 

[Desk Jockey]

Its a problem and one that if you take it on should be done with great concern. Everything documented as if preparing for a lawsuit...because these things happen. Better to head it off with documentation.

Some of the worst molds are those that stay wet over long periods of time continually. That wall looks as if it could easily support growth.

With moisture getting behind the paint it will be difficult to get the new paint to adhere. For paint to adhere it needs to be dry and clean surface. Rotz of ruck!

Soda blasting would clean it up enough to get paint to stick provided its dry enough. Although it has its own issues with cross-contamination and clean up.

If you do the work I suggest treating it as a mold project. Containment, critical barriers, neg air and HEPA vacuuming.

Control what you can see, as well as what you can't. This way nobody can accuse you of not controlling the spores.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Meg, I know the PR value seems to be great, but this job doesn't just have pitfalls and booby traps....it has black holes and nuclear bombs.

Add all that Richard mentioned to the fact that you have designers, who live in their own world and have less than zero regard for mere mortals, especially "service people", and a home owner who doesn't want "to pay anything", I see a recipe for legal Armageddon.

Unless you have a lawyer create this release, any such agreement that expresses an acknowledgement of health related microbial growth and yet takes no responsibility for what could happen likely would be not held in high regard in court.

Also bear in mind that all the people who will be in that house will not have signed that release, and any one who gets sick there might come calling.

Meg, this isn't a fun project....it's a house of horrors.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

I cannot tell by the pictures but is it really mold or is it efflorescence from moisture coming into the basement through the Morter? It can sometimes look like mold but it will always be chalky white to grey, it is the calcium being leached out. My house is over 100 years old and I have it all over the basement. It starts behind the paint and bubbles up cracking/removing the paint.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Jeremy you are probably right.

A lot of it could be efflorescence. The concern is that without testing you can't see what can be harmful. Mold spore are so small it would only be a guess without testing. A risky guess.

Unfortunately testing from a CIH is not cheap. It could be $600.00 - $1200.00 just to find out.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

If it's temporary then the Designers' Carpenter can shoot some shimmed 2 x 4's to the wall and nail 3/8 plywood around the room, and the Designer can go from there.
I wouldn't make their problem your problem at all. It's a construction challenge not a cleaning challenge.
Get liability release anyway... because behind that temporary design wall is an issue the home owner has decided not to address.

 

[EDS]

Great filming location for a horror movie...

 

[Old Coastie]

Meg, that one wall backs up to the grade and is being dampened by groundwater outside the rock foundation.

For an event, it can be made to work. In my home I would first spray a mildewcide, then lightly scrape the effloresence. Take thenormalprecautions against airborne particulates, spores, silica dust and so forth.
The stucco is loose, so be careful not to do more damage than necessary. Then whitewash all surfaces with waterproofing, or foundation sealant. When air dried, it can be painted with latex and will last about six months before breaking down again.

I'm not sure how you make money on this. In fact, the painter should deal with all the prep work.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I agree let the painter deal.with it.

I believe its all donation. At least it is when we do it. Our name is list in the book and on a poster board list all the contributors. The money goes to a good cause here.

 

[EDS]

Wow the knowledge here is incredible...

 

[PrimaDonna]

In fact, the painter should deal with all the prep work.

Agreed...but the designer said he wouldn't touch it. He's no dummy.

I sent her an email explaining our concerns and that we recommend testing to be done to determine if mold was present before we would do any work. If testing is refused then waivers must be signed. I doubt we will hear back as likely no one would be willing to sign them. Which is fine by us. ....Maybe we will just get the part of cleaning the stone floor.

 

[Andy]

If you don't think that you can clean it to the standards that your business strives for then pass. Yes you would get PR but in this situation any PR you might get could be negative.

 

[The Great Oz]

If you don't provide basement waterproofing services, your job is cleaning, not pre-paint prep of a potentially wet wall. You hand it off to the designer's chosen waterproofing company after cleaning. Their treatment will encapsulate any remaining mold, and liability for future "water behind the paint" is transferred to them. If the designer won't go for that extra contractor, decline the job.

My only suggestion for cleaning is to use hand held spinnys to do the walls, just to visually document that you're not blowing mold everywhere.