Sunday, November 10, 2013

Sick house syndrome admittedly seems next to impossible...



Sick house syndrome admittedly seems next to impossible...in a home that is probably NOT air-tight.

Sure when Hurricane Charley hit our home back in 2004 we had to gut it, but our windows had been replaced the year before and the ceilings were the main replacement interiorly, not the walls.
You see, the roof sheathing had been ripped off and that is why it rained inside and ruined our interior, but the walls were salvageable being real plaster as the ceilings had been, but miraculously were not as severe.
The house was originally built in 1958.
Thus the concern for many illness causing properties and so today after some discussion about how we both have been feeling, more so lately…not so good...
Flu-like, head-achy, sinuses with my eye pain and red eyes for me for years and next month we will have been in this home fifteen years; the longest of any of our homes in forty-two plus years of marriage and this our fifth home in all those years!

After the hurricane we did have the ‘mold people’ here, sounds like a horror movie title, but yes, they were here and found a little bit that they removed, it was all covered by our homeowners insurance at that time and so we still have that in our insurance today, that is mold remediation, but then we had surpassed our deductible due to all the other damage from the hurricane we had no additional charges for that then.
And until my bath surround was compromised a few years back and replaced with waterproof hardy board and real subway tiles, not that fiberglass board stuff we have not had an issue in there… But Hubby’s shower in his bath is that fiberglass insert and I wonder if it could be back there? I so wanted that to be removed and for his to be turned into a real ceramic tile one too!
But recently there was a crack in the wall under the windows in this room, the sun-room, which Hubby repaired, but I felt that it being an outer wall that perhaps it should have been inspected inside of it, although what is on all the interior and exterior walls in this closed in room from being a screen room is the cement board that is usually used exteriorly for the stucco look.
In fact that is what our entire exterior of our home is, cement stucco board.
It is supposed to last for decades and is water, mold and insect proof and that is why we chose it.
On most of the house it was applied over the existing block with screws and that is why we had gotten a 31% discount on our wind insurance from the state originally. This room has a wood frame on its outer wall only, with it over it as well as the attached bathroom.
All new plumbing and electrical as well as the roof was done in 2004 as well as the kitchen and laundry and baths all new then. And so we now are testing for mold with two Petri dishes that were placed in either end of our tiny home.
Our garage is attached we had converted it from a carport many years before and that is another reason to be concerned with carbon monoxide, we now have an alarm for that. We do have an all electric home, including heating and air-conditioning, water heater and cooking, stove and oven.
Radon had never been tested on this home to our knowledge and we are on a slab, not on a basement, not many here in Florida, but crawls are; only one of our three homes here in Florida had one though. And so we are doing a radon test as I write this tonight, it will be completed by Tuesday at 12:30 P.M. forty-eight hours from when it was begun, and then mailed into the appropriate place that comes with the test including envelope with free mailing and results; except in good ole NJ there is a ten dollar charge.

Radon is the one that worries me the most to deal with, due to not wanting to evacuate our home or call on Erin Brockovich: (“Erin Brockovich-Ellis (born June 22, 1960) is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, despite the lack of a formal law school education, or any legal education, was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993. Since the release of the film that shares her story and name, she has hosted Challenge America with Erin Brockovich on ABC and Final Justice on Zone Reality. She is the president of Brockovich Research & Consulting, a consulting firm. She is currently working as a consultant for Girardi & Keese, the New York law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, which has a focus on personal injury claims for asbestos exposure, and Shine Lawyers in Australia.” Thanks to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Brockovich )
, although knowing me if need be I would go that far! NOT KIDDING

So wish us luck that it was all for nothing, but something we probably should have done years ago.
That is that we hope that all tests are NEGATIVE. PS if anyone wants to also do these tests Lowe’s and Home Depot carries them.

On that note of something significant, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya here!

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go?

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