Can this stupid Papercreter respond too? hehehe
The standard rules of construction as they apply to mold will apply
here too.
KEEP IT DRY. KEEP IT DRY. KEEP IT DRY. KEEP IT DRY.
Whether a house is made from paper, wood, stone, adobe, cob,
concrete, steel, Lincoln Logs, or Tinker Toys, if water hangs around,
you'll get mold spores growing soon enough. While mold inhibitors
are an excellent extra protection, they are not a substitute for
dryness.
Make sure the roof is in good shape and keep it that way. Make sure
the exterior surface coating is keeping the water out. It doesn't
matter if the exterior is stucco, shingles, clapboards, vinyl siding,
or 100,000 flattened beer cans, it needs to keep the water out.
Plumbing leaks (even drips) should never go neglected.
If you're worried about mold, there are excellent modern tests that
can detect mold spores in the air. Almost all structures have at
least tiny amounts of mold in the air. There will be small amounts
of mold in the outside air most everywhere. This is especially true
after a rain. The key is whether the inside air has significantly
higher mold content than the outside air. An inspector should be
able to arrange a test.
If there is no significant mold in the structure today, then the roof
and exterior was likely built reasonably well. A 34 yr old structure
might be showing a few signs of age. This is to be expected. Don't
allow a small problem to grow into a big one. Be prepared to
maintain that exterior shell. Of course this is good sound home
ownership philosophy for any structure, papercrete or not.
Small mold problems can be fairly easily corrected. They don't
necessarily have to send someone running away in fear. The key is to
not just treat the mold, but to cure the water problem that caused
the mold to grow in the first place.
For example, it is very common for bathrooms to have some mold. Most
have at least a little. It's hard to keep them dry. Proper venting
is important. As long as proper cleaning is done regularly, and the
pipes in the walls don't leak, the mold typically will not spread
into the bones of the structure. That is where bigger problems can
occur. Something as simple as a loose tile in a shower is easy to
fix if it is corrected immediately. If one waits and allows water to
get behind the tiles and mold starts, bigger problems result. Often
a complete gut job renovation will be required if mold grows behind
bathroom tiles for very long.
Hope this helps.
--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "scottkts" <scottkts@...> wrote:
>
> I am looking to buy a house that has an addition (2 stories)
recently
> added to it by a do it your-selfer. She made her own papercrete
blocks
> with recycled paper and portland concrete. They are
> 4" x 14" thick and she used them for insulation on the outside
walls.
> It is basically- outside wall, papercrete block holding wieght and
then
> 2 x 2 boards to tack the sheet rock on..
>
> This is in North Western Wyoming, were it can be cold and windy
with
> lots of snow, but not much rain.
>
> My question is- most importantly, are there any mold issues?
> -what do papercrete walls do to the value of the home (it's built
in
> 1973)
> and
> -how well do they insulate and what is the life span?
>
> I would appreciate any comments.
>
> Thanks,
> Heather
>
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/papercreters/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:papercreters-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:papercreters-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
papercreters-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
