Colorado had a cold snap around the end of December. With temperatures dropping below zero for two days. CMS Restoration got a lot of calls during that period and were slammed. Several weeks after that cold snap, we got a call from a homeowner saying that her entire house was flooded. When we arrived, we found the biggest icicles that we have ever seen on the side of the house. The house has three levels and the leak had started from the upstairs, going down to the main floor and the basement. The leak had had been going on for a week before anyone discovered it.
The house was pouring so much water, that the concrete could not hold anymore water. The concrete started to push the water through the house. That process is called hydrostatic pressure, and grew these huge icicles. We had the arduous task of taking these icicles down to prevent more damage to the concrete. Various power tools were used to get these icicles down. We started with a sawzall and a skill saw in an attempt to get the icicles down. Some of the icicle were loose enough that we could knock it off with a hammer, chipping away at it. Our boss had a bright idea of using a jackhammer to really get at it and break this thick icicles and ice apart. It took our crew a couple hours to get all the icicles off the house, as well to clear a path next to the foundation.
This house had a lot of contents that was affected by water damage, and mold was starting to grow on quite a few contents. We called a contents company that we work with often to haul away all the contents and furniture that was in the house. They salvage what they can, take inventory of all the items they take away. They cleared all the space, so we could proceed to do the demolition and mold remediation that is needed. Mold remediation requires any affected of the following materials to be ripped out, since they can’t be properly cleaned. Baseboard, carpet, pad, drywall, insulation, hardwood flooring and tile were all taken out and disposed of. The upstairs had several rooms affected including the master bathroom. Main floor had kitchen, dining room, laundry room and pantry.
The entire basement was affected, and was stripped down to the studs. The independent environmental consultant that we work with tested the house for mold spores. Testing is important to compare the pre and post testing to see if we have remediated the mold properly. After all the demo was done, we HEPA vacuumed the affected areas, and sprayed an anti-microbial sealant on all the mold that was left behind on any surfaces. We fogged with a anti-microbial agent that encapsulates any remaining mold spores that might’ve been left behind. After we got the clearance from our independent environmental consultant, the rebuild process can now get start to put the house back to normal.