Mold Inspection of Austin
2700 VÃa Fortuna #145 Austin, TX 78746
(512) 200-7198
http://moldinspectionaustintx.com
mold inspection Austin
How To Read Mold Inspection Report
Clients of mold inspectors should be very welcome to call to discuss the investigator's findings and to ask for a reasonable amount of further explanation or guidance without incurring additional cost Austin TX Texas. For a discussion of valid and not very valid mold test lab reports for mold exposure, also see MOLD LAB REPORTS
What inspection methods and testing techniques form the basis of your indoor air/mold investigation report? Mold cultures are unreliable for overall characterization of fungal contamination of indoor air. Home test kits, settlement plates, samplers which collect spores onto petri dishes, and sterile swabs all have a place in the arsenal of tools but not for overall building characterization.
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Because Cladosporium is perhaps the most common mold genera, and because it's a pretty big family with perhaps 40 or more members or sub species, and because perhaps one of those members or species is toxic, a hasty lab might protect itself by an asterisked note indicating * Some members of this genera are toxic.
The idea of trying to come up with a uniform method of reporting mold levels in buildings, in this case with a mold score is to be applauded as an effort towards good science. But a mold score is more meaningless and confusing than meaningful and diagnostic when we lack any control over and reporting of building conditions at the time the sampling was performed.
If you paid a field investigator to examine your building you should be able to ask that person for additional advice concerning the lab results, and you should also be able to ask the lab director questions if the report is not clear.
The fact that a laboratory has some certification does not assure you that the certification is pertinent to the work being performed in your behalf, nor that the individual actually doing the work is properly trained .
If you see a large area of mold in a building a simple lab test can confirm that it is or is not a harmful (versus cosmetic) mold. And a carefully-collected sample of settled dust or other types of mold screening samples have some use in a rough building screen for evidence of hidden problematic mold.
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(June 5, 2014) joel vaughan said: Yes but where the hell can i find any information to tell me how much evidence i need to get a move from my mold ridden flat ! i think a mold kit will be insufficient for my evil landlords to have to do anything ! i reckon a company has to be hired and i have not the money for that as i only have about fifty quid as it has been my birthday - i am very ill can you advise please .
In one class I attended a mold test lab supervisor showed me the cheat sheet she provides to her afternoon high-school aged employees who are trained to look through the microscope for one of the eight common mold species whose photograph appears on a colored card. An under-trained lab technician may be tempted to stop examining a sample as soon as s/he finds one of the important eight on the card .
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Software often gives inspectors the choice of including photographs in the main body of the report, near the narrative that describes them, or photographs may be grouped together toward the beginning or end of the report.
Additional Reviewing - Review The Post Below
https://www.naplesnews.com/story/money/real-estate/2019/07/27/who-is-responsible-for-interior-damage-from-leaky-water-heater-heater/1807681001/
Attorneys at Goede, Adamczyk, DeBoest & Cross respond to questions about Florida community association law. With offices in Naples, Fort Myers, Coral Gables and Boca Raton, the firm represents community associations throughout Florida and focuses on condominium and homeowner association law, real estate law, litigation, estate planning and business law.
Q: The unit owner above me recently replaced his water heater. The water heater leaked and flooded his unit while he was out of town and the water flowed down into my unit. I understand that my insurance covers my personal property, but the association is refusing to fix the interior drywall and my insurance company is also refusing. Who is responsible? H.H., Marco Island
A: The likely answer is the condominium association, but that answer is only half complete depending on some other factors.
The very general rule under the Florida Condominium Act is that the condominium association repairs and replaces property insured by the association when the property is damaged by an insurable event. For purposes of this answer, we will assume the hot water heater leak was a sudden and insurable event. The association insures all drywall as originally constructed by the developer and like kind replacements. If the analysis stopped here, the condominium association would be responsible to repair the drywall and you would be responsible for the paint or wall coverings and the parties often reach an agreement on how to share in any remediation services which benefit both the drywall and the interior of the unit.
There are a few exceptions to this rule. First, the association only insures drywall as originally installed or like kind replacement. If you moved walls or performed interior alterations to the unit’s configuration, it is possible the association is not required to insure the drywall.
Second, the statute does authorize the condominium association to opt out of the above general rule. If the association did opt out of the statutory requirements, then liability for interior drywall is controlled by the express language of your Declaration of Condominium. Many declarations specifically provide that the condominium association replaces boundary drywall, but the owner replaces interior drywall and sometimes the obligation further depends on whether the drywall is part of a load bearing wall.
Finally, it is possible the above owner was negligent. If your condominium requires owners to shut the water off during an extended leave from the unit, it is possible the owner broke that rule by leaving town without shutting off the water and this breach may have augmented your damages.
Many owners and board members assume that the responsibility to repair the condominium property following water damage is straightforward, but there are many factors contributing to the analysis. For example, if the water leak is caused by a non-insurable event, the analysis follows the opt-out analysis above, but it can be very cumbersome to determine whether an event is actually an insurable event. Because of this, the recommendation is to consult with your attorney to determine the extent of liability, if any.
Q: I live in a condominium association and our community website is terrible. There are no minutes, contracts or financial records to view and the board doesn’t email any updates to the community. During the summer months, I have no way of knowing what is going on and was told the board must have a website. Is the board violating Florida law? T.R., Naples
A: Possibly, but I would need more information to answer the question. Florida law now requires condominiums with 150 or more units to maintain a website. Thus, condominiums with fewer than 150 units are not required under today’s law to maintain a website at all let alone a website with updated information. So, if your condominium includes less than 150 units, the board is not violating the statute.
If the condominium has 150 or more units, the statute then prescribes a number of requirements. First, the website must be independent and wholly owned and operated by the board or a website operated by a third party but in the association’s control. Second, the website must include an owner’s only section that is protected and inaccessible by the general public. The association must also post current copies of various documents in digital format on the website and protected in the owners only section of the website. Some of these documents include the condominium documents, a list of contracts and summary of recent bids, the annual budget, notices, financial reports, and contracts involving a director who is financially interested in the contract.
Q: Our homeowners association (HOA) includes a beautiful clubhouse with a great recreation room and fitness center. I work until 8:00 and used to work out in the fitness center after work. I went to the fitness center yesterday and it was closed citing a new rule adopted by the board. I had no idea this was happening, and the board is refusing to reinstate the old hours. What can be done? J.G., Bonita Springs
A: Probably not much. Florida law concerning rules in HOAs are generally broken down into two categories: 1) rules concerning what can be done on the owners’ lots; and 2) everything else authorized by the governing documents. If the board was considering a rule concerning what you can do on your lot such as rules concerning paint colors or fence heights, then the board must provide at least 14 days’ mailed and posted notice of the board meeting where that rule would be considered. In this situation, you would have known the board was considering such a rule.
That being said, rules governing the common areas such as clubhouse hours, are only required to be adopted by the board after 48 hours’ posted notice. Thus, unless you checked the bulletin board or unless the board emailed you a notice of the meeting, you may not have known this rule was being considered. Clubhouse hours generally fall within the board’s discretionary authority, so to change the hours you are going to need to convince the board to change the hours.
There are other factors that are relevant to the above analysis, so I would recommend you consult a licensed Florida attorney to review the governing documents to determine the extent of the board’s rule-making authority and whether your community covenants require notice and due process above and beyond the statutory requirements.
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I’ve Lived in East Austin for 60 Years, and I Don’t Recognize it Anymore
As gentrification reshapes my neighborhood, I fear we’re losing something of real value to our city.
As the cost of living in Texas’ cities continues to climb, gentrification is reshaping neighborhoods across the state. These changes might be starkest in East Austin, where small midcentury homes are giving way to $700,000 duplexes. A Whole Foods will soon open not far from Chalmers Court, one of the nation’s oldest public housing projects. In one pocket of East Austin, a University of Texas report found last year, there are now more dogs than children. The owner of Sam’s BBQ, a longtime gathering place for the East Austin’s dwindling African American community, recently turned down a $5 million buyout.
Fault Lines: Portraits of East Austin
By John Langmore
With Wilhelmina Delco, Michael King, and Johnny Limón
Trinity University Press
$29.95; 176 pages
Buy the book here.
In a new book of East Austin portraits, photographer John Langmore documents the neighborhood’s vibrant Black and Latinx culture. Langmore’s candid scenes show a rapidly disappearing way of life: Two men ride horses under Highway 35 on Juneteeth; patrons chat in a barbershop waiting room; kids squirm in the pews of Cristo Rey Catholic Church during Semana Santa (Holy Week).
The book also includes essays by longtime community leaders Johnny Limón and Wilhelmina Delco. We’ve excerpted Delco’s full essay below.
Fault Lines: Portraits of East Austin
By John Langmore
With Wilhelmina Delco, Michael King, and Johnny Limón
Trinity University Press
$29.95; 176 pages
Buy the book here.
In a new book of East Austin portraits, photographer John Langmore documents the neighborhood’s vibrant Black and Latinx culture. Langmore’s candid scenes show a rapidly disappearing way of life: Two men ride horses under Highway 35 on Juneteeth; patrons chat in a barbershop waiting room; kids squirm in the pews of Cristo Rey Catholic Church during Semana Santa (Holy Week).
The book also includes essays by longtime community leaders Johnny Limón and Wilhelmina Delco. We’ve excerpted Delco’s full essay below.
As an African American couple, we weren’t allowed to live in the University of Texas married student housing in West Austin, so Exalton and I stayed in veterans housing on the Huston-Tillotson campus. We later moved to a house on Astor Place, the one we live in today, on what was known as a street of educators. Dr. Charles Akins, the descendant of sharecroppers who went on to be the first Black teacher and principal in Austin’s integrated schools, was my next-door neighbor. If someone on our street passed away, they would barely be pronounced dead before someone was at your door collecting money so we could have a wreath at the funeral. If someone’s children were thinking about going to college, we all gave them advice and told them what to expect.
Eleventh Street was our downtown. It was full of businesses we cared about, and we all knew the proprietors of each one. Churches, beauty salons, and barbershops were scattered across East Austin and served as gathering places. Our neighborhoods had comfortable single-family homes, green lawns, libraries, parks with pools, sidewalks, and beautiful trees. The full socioeconomic spectrum was represented with no conflict between them. East Austin still has these qualities, which surprises some people.
I certainly don’t begrudge anyone the right to move to East Austin. It’s always been a welcoming place and remains so today. Blacks were ostracized from West Austin for so long, and I couldn’t stand to be accused of that same discrimination. But the more we improve East Austin, the more attractive it becomes to others. It’s inevitable that the neighborhood absorbs the people who move here and their culture, and this dilutes what existed before. I just hope it doesn’t result in the complete loss of East Austin’s Black identity or respect for what the Black community contributed to Austin’s history and diversity. Just the other day my granddaughter, who lives in New York, brought me a bag of kale chips she bought on Manor Road. I couldn’t believe it—in East Austin! I don’t in any way resent these changes, but kale chips and $10 smoothies weren’t made for East Austin’s Black community. It’s for the new folks moving in.
A longtime resident down the street recently passed away, and his children didn’t want to move into the house, so they sold it—for $357,000. That is simply unbelievable. When I moved here you could have bought all of East Austin for that amount of money. Black families who grew up here, with kids who are now comfortably middle-class, have to move out of East Austin to afford a home and schools they can enjoy. It’s happening in my own family. Only one of my three daughters feels she can afford to live here. The others moved to Pflugerville and North Austin.
It is sad to me that when African Americans arrive today they have a hard time finding Austin’s Black community and culture. An executive who transferred here from out of state had to follow a Black family home from Sears just to find the barbershops and Baptist churches that serve the community. Another woman who recently moved to Austin asked me, “Where are we?â€
That change has happened quickly, and I fear we’re losing something of real value to our city, both in terms of a history and for Black people. My plea is simply that all this change not come at such a high cost—that is, that Austin not forget the important contribution East Austin’s Black community made to the city. When the city wouldn’t hook up utilities for Black families trying to move into West Austin, the Black community didn’t roll over. We endured and set up a rich community that in many ways was better than what we saw west of East Avenue (now Interstate 35). Those generations of African American families deserve to be remembered for what they gave to our wonderful city.
https://www.texasobserver.org/ive-lived-in-east-austin-for-60-years-and-i-dont-recognize-it-anymore/
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