Q: What specific strategies and products are you using to prevent mold?
A: Mold has become the issue of the day and must be addressed before, during, and after the physical construction process.
Dry-store any porous materials purchased in advance or stored on site prior to use.
Scale mock-ups of critical or potential water intrusion areas. Prior to construction, we will build a mock wall while paying close attention to the flashing details related to window installation, door installation, expansion joints, deep brick notches, weep systems, kick-outs in vinyl siding and roof flashings.
Pay particular attention to the installation of house wrap.
Bring manufacturers on site to offer methodology related to their products' installation and flashing. This assures an ongoing learning process to keep field personnel up-to-date on new products and ideas.
Address problems more aggressively. In the past, a soaked carpet may have been extracted and dried out only to be re-laid. Today, that same carpet will be pulled, the unit dehumidified and a new carpet inserted.
Matt Robinson is executive vice president of Summit Contractors, a general contracting firm based in Jacksonville, Fla. To participate in future Q&As, contact Rachel Z. Azoff at [email protected].
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