This raised house in Uptown, New Orleans had a significant issue: mold in the crawl space. This was due to a lack of ventilation in the area, with no vent holes around the home. When I took this picture, the only light came from my flashlight, as no light entered from the sides. It was completely dark in there, indicating no ventilation. Thus, I anticipated finding mold everywhere, in various colors. You can see the slight shade of white on the joists and subfloor—that’s mold. There is also mold on the crawl space floor. The mold smell was immediately noticeable upon entering the crawl space, but short-term exposure to toxic mold is not a major concern.
Different colors of mold, including orange, green, and yellow, were scattered throughout the crawl space. Most of the mold I test turns out to be toxic. In the crawl space, this mold damages the wood structural components, causing significant issues over time. If left unchecked, the mold can lead to more wood rot and potentially spread into the wall cavities and the home.
The problem arose because the homeowners or contractors built the home incorrectly, closing off the crawl space. This was a major mistake. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, people use air conditioning in their homes, cooling the floorboards. The hot, humid air in the crawl space then comes into contact with the cooler wood, causing dew to form. This saturates the wood with water, creating an ideal environment for mold growth. The crawl space effectively becomes a petri dish, with evaporation from the soil and poor grading around the home leading to water pooling in the crawl space. This results are a significant water and mold problem under the house. Mold can sometimes spread into the home through switch plates, outlets, and other openings.
These “closed crawl spaces” are particularly common in older parts of town, such as the French Quarter, the Marigny, the Garden District, Central City, and Treme, where construction predated modern building codes. It’s a health hazard, and I report it to my clients. The good news is that the problem can be fixed, but that’s another story. Some other good news, Sunshine Home Inspection does mold toxic mold testing by a degreed meteorologist. Just give us a call.