If you’ve found mold in your home, you’re probably wondering how much you can expect to pay to get rid of it. Of course, mold is a serious condition and must be corrected immediately. You’ll want to take immediate steps to identify and remove mold while fixing the source of moisture that led to the environment that allowed mold to grow.
When deciding to take care of mold yourself or hire a professional, think about these questions.
How much mold is there in your home?
How deep is mold? It can be difficult to assess how much mold has surpassed what can be seen without proper mold inspection, especially if it’s hidden deep in walls or cracks and crevices. Surface mold is much easier to treat and contain. There are many sprays and soaps that are made to kill and remove mold. Many homeowners may even be proped enough to replace drywall and insulation on their own. The real problem arises when mold has gone into the air or has penetrated several structural elements of the house. And sometimes it can be hard to know how far mold has traveled.
What caused mold?
It is very useful to determine the source of the moisture that caused the mold when determining whether or not you need to perform your own remediation. Obviously, the source of moisture must be corrected as well as the mold. Knowing the source of moisture can also help you determine how much mold is present, especially if you know how long moisture has been an issue. For example, you may know that your roof started leaking from a small hole a month ago, which can help you determine how much mold is present and how deep it is growing. Maybe you’ve had a flood or other known water source in your home.
Again, the problem arises when there are unknowns. Even if you find the source of the moisture, can you be sure of the duration of exposure and the depth of the moisture? If you’re unsure, it’s best to call the pros.
The health and safety of your family is much more important than the price you’ll have to pay to remove mold, but this guide will help you if you need to bid.
If the area is small, you can remove mold yourself with just a few dollars of cleaning products. If you’re concerned about spore breathing, you can get a respirator, which will cost about $25 for a simple version on the mouth and nose, to about $150 for a professional-level unit. If you’re not sure if you need a respirator, there are 7 ways to find out if mold is dangerous. For large infestations, it’s time to call the pros.
When the work is too big
It’s much cheaper if you can take care of mold yourself, but large areas can’t be treated very easily being a homeowner. One of the things a mold remediation specialist can do is clean areas like the crawl space under your home and duct work in the walls and attic. Mold spores that enter your heating and cooling system can circulate in your home and continue to make you sick even if you have cleaned the area where you found the mold.
“Okay, so what can it cost?”
The level of infestation will directly affect your demoulding costs. The cost of fixing a crawl space can really vary. It could be as little as $500 or as much as $4,000 depending on the size and amount of mold present. If the attic and ducts are involved, the cost of these generally ranges from $2,000 to $6,000. If your home has been flooded and mold is everywhere, there’s a lot more to do. This could push your remediation cost up to $10,000 – $30,000 or more, depending on the size of your home.
Even if you have an idea of how much mold removal costs, be sure to go around. The first company you find may not be the best for your needs. Prices can vary from company to company, but you also need to pay attention to the level of experience and the type of guarantee you’ll get if mold comes back.
Remembering insurance considerations
Most consumers don’t have that kind of money to spend out of pocket, so when considering insurance, make sure you get something that will cover at least some of the remediation costs if you live in a flood zone. If your home has mold, here are some tips for managing water damage claims through your existing insurance.
Look for experienced contractors
You want people who have eliminated mold (especially black mold) for a while, not new people who are not sure about the job. You’ll also want to see if there’s some kind of guarantee offered – and there should be. You don’t want to know that people haven’t done their jobs properly and the mold has come back, just to be told that nothing can be done until they pay more money.
When you choose to hire a professional and certified company, you can rest assured that the job will be done completely and completely. They will send experts to your home who will be able to assess the extent of the damage and inform you of the necessary sanitation and repairs. They will also be able to ensure that mold does not return after remediation is carried out.