New condo construction concern -- could it be mold??

Question

I'm slightly worried my problem could be mold/moisture related & need professional advice. I have asked a few builders & friends and several people have looked at the problem, but no one can offer an opinion, as they have never seen anything like it!

We moved into a new condo 1/06 - building was completed late 2005. We have a corner unit facing Southeast.

On all of my exterior walls, not only are the nail pops showing thru w/ a black appearance (which I understand happens), I have black "lines" running down the entire length of the wall - exactly & evenly spaced where the studs are located.

This first appeared a few months ago in our living room area & at first, we thought it was just shadows. Then, we noticed it on each of the outer walls in the bedrooms. Over the past few months, the black marks have become darker & more prominent and seem a bit wider. I'm still waiting to hear back from the developer as to what their plan is. In the meantime, I'm getting worried!

Answer 1

this definitely sounds like mold. You will want to call a mold remediation specialist to come out and give you a quote on what they think needs to be done. Even if you have to pay $100 for the guy to come out its worth it.
Next- you didn't mention whether you bought the condo directly from the developer, or from an individual. If you bought it from the developer, they will still need to warranty work done in your unit even though the building was complete in 05- because they still need to honor the one year warranty for YOUR UNIT.
If you bought it from another owner, your problem will be with the previous owner, who may be responsible because of the same one year warranty.
Finally, even after all this, the cause of the mold still needs to be found- if it is a "common area" element of the building that is causing a water leak, or any other cause of the moisture- the developer may still be responsible.
Read everything you signed when you bought the condo, and find out if there is a homeowners association.
The best case scenario will be if the builder assumes responsiblity and makes all the necessary repairs- the worst case scenario means that you could have the HOA, the builder, and the developer battling over who is responsible.

Answer 2

Hi UK builder here, we are building a lot more timber framed properties in the UK these days and part of the building regulations are that a vapour barrier is to be fitted ( to stop damp ) and also in most cases a dry wall (plaster board) with a foil back to stop damp. It must be the same in the US. I believe no barrier has been placed at the rear of these dry wall boards ( is the problem on external walls ) and as such if the boards are foil backed the dampness will come through on the board joint ( studs ) as the foil holds it back but at the butted joints its just jointer ( plaster ). I have a fault finding and rectification business and we come across this a lot, but only in areas. I know this sounds drastic but cut a small hole in the dry wall to have a look in the wall void and also the back of the board. Sorry you have this problem, in the UK you would be insured for this.

Answer 3

Sounds like the beginning stages of mold. Moisture travels from warmer sources to cooler. The wall studs are apparently cooler than the rest of your wall. You don't say what your heat source is, but your symptoms usually appear in homes that have uneven or unbalanced warm air flow. You should find out if your heat supply register for that area is open and you're getting enough warm air from it. You may also want to look at your interior moisture sources (fish tanks, plants, etc.) and try to minimize their impact, as well as ensuring your bathroom exhaust fans are used during (and for 10-15 minutes after) showering. Same for boiling on your cookstove... run the exhaust fan.

Answer 4

It sounds like mold. Something similar happened to friends of mine in their new townhouse. They noticed something on their wall and when they moved a picture hanging there, the back of the picture and the wall were covered in black mold. They were already in the process of trying to sell their townhome because they were moving out of the state and they had to pay to have it fixed themselves because they couldn't afford a lengthy court battle with the contractor (who refused to fix it).

I'm so sorry that happened to you. Good luck.

Answer 5

Wash it with the two Tide with bleaching answer or placed slightly bleach on warm water, something like a million gallon of water to one a million/2 cup of bleach, and go away it soaking in that mixture for some hours, get rid of it from that answer and wash it on my own. if that would not help/artwork, in simple terms throw the clothing away.