Flash Back Friday - mold
So,this is what you get when you let leaking water problems go for too long. We had an attached sunroom on our previous house and found out (too late) that the roof was leaking. It affected the ceiling and walls as well. Our historic home was built with cinderblock, so the wallboard and insulation were removed so the workers could get to the cinderblock. The cinderblock was sanded and bleached, and a negative air pressure machine was installed in the room. (It apparently draws moisture out of a room.) Then the cinderblock was sanded and bleached again.
The sunroom was sealed off from the rest of the house, and the outside entrance was covered in heavy duty plastic and the biohazard sticker. The workers also wore bio hazard suits and high end respirators. And my kids used that as a playroom?!
I discovered the leak one day while it was raining. Kitty had just been released from the hospital for asthma and pneumonia. While in the sunroom, I noticed water dripping from the INSIDE of the upper window ledge. Hhmm, I'm no expert, but that didn't look good. I climbed on a chair and pushed on the ceiling, which felt soft. Again, not a good sign.
I called Hubby (out of town of course, everything always happens when he travels for work....) Then I called the insurance company because I thought it was more than we could fix on our own.
Funny thing about insurance companies. After an assessor came out and they began the repairs, we received a cancellation notice! So, they can take my money for 20 years, but if I make a claim, they cancel me?!
Just a word of warning, insurance companies don't like to deal with mold. Get an estimate if you have water damage. If you can fix it for less than your deductible, consider doing it so they don't cancel your coverage. We also found out other insurance companies would cover us, but with a rate increase. They actually black-balled us for 3 years, even after we moved. We were considered a risk for some reason.
So, if you happen to see any of those orange colored water spots on your ceiling, get them checked out-pronto! The longer the leak goes, the worse it is.
And the last thing you need when it comes to asthma is mold.