Mold or asbestos found during a remodel: what to do next

This is not a health diagnosis and not a cleanup recipe. If demolition opens a wall and you see damaged material, old pipe wrap, crumbling insulation, or a musty black growth, the next step is to stop disturbing it and write down what happens before anyone covers the wall. That surprise is an unforeseen condition. The price and the delay belong in a change order, not in a text that says "we handled it."

Pause the work that is touching it

• Stop sanding, scraping, sweeping, and vacuuming that material. The EPA says that if you are unsure, treat suspect material as if it contains asbestos and leave it alone, and that sampling it yourself is not recommended because doing it wrong can release fibers (EPA).
• Keep people and pets out of that area. Do not ask the crew to "just close it up" so the schedule stays intact.
• Photograph it without scraping a sample off. Note the date, the room, and who was told. You want a record, not a souvenir of the material.
• Say, in writing, that this area waits until you know who is qualified to look at it and what that does to the price and the date.

If it might be asbestos

You cannot tell by looking. The EPA says that if a renovation would disturb suspect material, such as floor tile, ceiling tile, or old pipe wrap, or the material is damaged, have it sampled by a trained and accredited asbestos inspector, and have a qualified lab do the analysis (EPA, remodeling).

• The person hanging the tile is not automatically the person who should sample or remove it. The EPA says repair or removal, when the material will be disturbed or is more than slightly damaged, should be done by a trained and accredited asbestos professional.
• Federal law does not require training and accreditation for people who inspect or remove asbestos in a detached single-family house. Some states and cities do. The EPA still says homeowners should hire trained and accredited workers, and that it is better to use one firm to inspect and a different firm to remove, so the inspector is not grading their own work (EPA).
• Loose pebble-like insulation is a reason to pause. An EPA renovation guide says not to remove or disturb insulation that looks like vermiculite, and to hire an asbestos contractor if the remodel would disturb it (EPA, single-family renovation protocols).
• Lead paint is a different rule. A pre-1978 house can have both. The pamphlet and the firm certification for paint are in lead paint rules for remodeling. A lead-safe renovator is not an asbestos inspector.

If it is mold

The CDC says mold can look like spots and can smell musty, that you should clean it up and fix the moisture problem, and that the CDC does not recommend mold testing to decide whether to remove it. Health effects differ by person. The same page lists a stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing or wheezing, burning eyes, or a skin rash for some people, and more serious reactions for people with asthma, allergies, or weakened immune systems (CDC).

A tile crew closing a wet wall does not fix a leak. Ask who stops the water, who removes the damaged material, and what that does to the date and the price. Write it as a change order before the wall is closed. The money for a surprise like this is why a contingency sits outside the planned lines. See how much contingency.

The Insurance Information Institute lists mold with maintenance problems a standard homeowners policy does not cover (III). That is not a promise about your policy. Ask your insurer, and do not assume the contractor's liability policy pays to dry the house. More on the policies is in insurance for a home remodel.

Do not pay to cover it up

If the next payment is for closing walls, pause that payment until the writing says what was found, who is handling it, and what it costs. A contractor who wants more money for the discovery still needs the change in writing first. See contractor asking for more money.

Keep the record with the project

Save the photos, the dates, the lab or contractor names, and the signed change order with the rest of the job. RenoBinder keeps the change order next to the budget. One room is free.

General information, not medical, environmental, or legal advice. For a health worry, talk to a doctor. For what your city requires, call the building department.

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