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The Homeowner's Guide to Mold | 
| Author: Michael A. Pugliese
Publisher: R.S. Means Company
Category: Book
List Price: $21.95
Buy Used: $6.90
You Save: $15.05 (69%)
New (5) Used (18) from $6.90
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 630778
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0876298218
Dewey Decimal Number: 648.7
EAN: 9780876298213
ASIN: 0876298218
Publication Date: June 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
As homeowners learn more about the real damage mold can cause to their health and home, their concerns are rapidly rising. Theyre beginning to realize that their energy-efficient, "tight" homes built since the 70s energy crisis can actually be havens for destructive mold, thanks to poor circulation and "mold-friendly" materials like conventional drywall and particleboard. Theyre also discovering that many insurance companies are no longer covering mold-related damages. This puts the burden on the homeowner (and the contractor, for new or remodeled homes) to prevent mold before it causes serious and expensive problems.
Even a minor, hidden water leak, untreated, can result in major mold problems and thousands of dollars in damage and a severely mold-contaminated house cant be lived in or sold! Once moisture combines with dust or mold-friendly materials like drywall, mold can start growing and spreading in as little as 24-48 hours.
This Book Will Show You How to:
Inspect for mold throughout a home.
Remove mold and keep it from coming back including the best maintenance procedures to prevent mold growth.
Select mold-preventive construction techniques and new mold-resistant materials if youre building or remodeling.
Deal with insurance companies if youre thinking of submitting a mold damages claim.
Select a reliable mold removal contractor, and know when you need one.
Plus standard procedures and costs for mold remediation, testing, and repair work from RSMeans, the nations best-known construction cost authority.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 A clear and helpful resource with an available author. November 10, 2007
This book is clear and direct with just the right amount of necessary information if you are buying a house or need to remediate a mold problem.
Unfortunately I read this book after having an inadquate remediation. He emphasizes that the contractor who is doing the remediation should never be the same firm that is doing the pre and post-testing--a clear conflict of interest. I found it helpful that the real magic humidity number is 47% or less in order to discourage mold growth. And yes, he actually did spend time on the phone with us regarding our particular situation!
A very educational book with an accessible and extremely helpful author October 8, 2007
This is a terrific book, and the best investment on MOLD that I could ever have made. I found it while searching for information on the hazards and identification of mold and how to safely remove it. It is an easy read that provides a wealth of information and guidance. I had a small mold problem and after reading the book, going to the author's website and a couple of phone calls to Mr. Pugliese, I successfully removed the mold at a mere fraction of the cost of professional remediation. I highly recommend this book to every do-it-yourself homeowner who may encounter a mold issue.
 Mold remediation for the home owner August 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book at Home Depot. I am a certified microbial Consultant (glorified mold-inspector) by the American Indoor Air Quality Council.
I thought the book was well written and contains sound advice as far as removing and cleaning mold. It's nice to finally see someone tell people that bleach is not effective for mold remediation.
I can tell the author has a lot experience as a mold remediator. There are some things I disagree with in the section on testing for mold. Petri dishes (self test kits) are useless for the homeowner. They are very inaccurate. They may tell you have mold problem when you don't and miss a mold problem that exists.
Reading test reports is not always that simple either. The author has done a better job of explaining testing than most other books on the market.
The other disagreement I have is with the EPA guidelines on quantifying "how big is your mold problem". The problem with these guidelines is that they are based on the amount of mold you can see. Most mold is hidden. The EPA adapted them from the state of New York in the beginning when there were not other guidelines around.
Very interesting appendix on estimating how much it cost to have a professional do the mold remediation for you. It's nice to see some numbers. Usually the estimates from remediators vary greatly. Maybe this can be used a baseline to do a reality check on the estimates you get.
I (Dan Stih) am the author of Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health.
 For removal, not really for avoidance January 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this book looking for info specificaly to avoid building mistakes that could lead to mold. There is really no info on building techniques, this book is written for what to do after mold is already there. It's a disapointment for me as I have two old stone structures to renovate and 'prevent' mold. This book will be helpful to you, however, if you have a mold situation already.
Read this book if you are buying a house! October 26, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If you are looking for an authoritative guidebook on mold, this is it. I wish we had read this book before we bought our house, but I'm grateful we read it afterwards. We bought our "dream home" on 5 acres, only to find after living there a few days that it had a nightmare mold infestation that made my family ill. Michael Pugliese's Homeowners' Guide to Mold is an outstanding practical guide to dealing with a mold problem--from small, do it yourself fix-ups to professional remediation (like we had)!
It helped us understand just what we were facing and recommended steps we needed to take to fix the problem. This guide is thorough, easy to read, and goes beyond "just mold." It addresses what questions to ask, water problems, testing and cleanup, finding remediators, insurance, and prevention of mold recurrence. In addition, the guide is generously illustrated with color photos, and concludes with a resources section that deals with companies, products, and government agencies, so you know where to look for materials, laboratories, remediator qualifications, or further information.
The author also includes an informative website for additional questions and information. This is really an impressive, educational guidebook. It reflects a lot of experience and knowledge put into a clear and concise format that anyone can understand. Michael Pugliese has helped us tremendously.
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