Mold Removal in Lafayette Hill

When growth shows up on basement walls, in a crawl space or behind a bathroom, Best Option Restoration handles mold removal for Lafayette Hill homeowners and property managers. Our work covers the source of the dampness, the damaged materials and the drying that follows.

Lafayette Hill has no government of its own. It is an unincorporated community that lies primarily in Whitemarsh Township, and the township building on Germantown Pike is where permits are handled. Drainage is a long-standing local topic: a township stormwater task force reported in 2006 that runoff was a township-wide concern and listed flooded basements among its effects.

What Makes Mold Removal Different in Lafayette Hill

• Slopes that send water downhill. The 2006 task force report studied the Barren Hill Road and Harts Lane areas, where the land falls from east to west toward the Schuylkill River and runoff from Harts Ridge was not fully captured before it reached the properties below. Homes on the low side of a slope need grading and foundation walls checked first.
• Storm drains sized for small storms. Near Warner Road, Joshua Road and Germantown Pike, the same report found the storm system adequate for small events but overwhelmed by large ones, with water collecting in low-lying lots. Repeated wetting like this is a frequent cause of growth along basement floor edges.
• Wet basements away from any creek. Whitemarsh Township's flood-prone property policy states that some single-family homes flood repeatedly in major storms even though they are not near a mapped floodplain. A dry flood map does not rule out a moisture problem here.
• Housing from two eras. Census estimates for the 19444 ZIP code show about 27 percent of homes built in the 1940s and 1950s and about 34 percent in the 1980s and 1990s. In the older group we look hard at masonry basement walls. In the newer group we look at finished lower levels, where moisture can stay hidden behind drywall.

How Our Mold Removal Process Works in Lafayette Hill

1. We walk the property, inside and out, and use moisture meters to map which materials are wet.
2. We seal off the affected rooms with plastic sheeting and run filtered air machines so debris stays in the work area.
3. We take out porous materials with visible growth, such as drywall, paneling, insulation and carpet pad.
4. We clean the remaining framing, masonry and subfloor by vacuuming and wiping each surface.
5. We set drying equipment and track readings each visit until the structure is dry.
6. We document dry conditions, outline the repair scope, and review with you what caused the moisture.

Property Types We Work In Around Lafayette Hill

About six in ten homes in the 19444 ZIP code are detached single-family houses, and roughly three in four households own their home. Whitemarsh Township describes itself as a post World War II bedroom community that grew up between older settlements, and single-family houses from those postwar decades are a large part of our work here. We also work in townhome communities, in the larger apartment and condominium buildings that make up about 14 percent of local units and in the shops and offices along Germantown Pike.

Areas We Serve In and Around Lafayette Hill

Best Option Restoration serves Lafayette Hill and the nearby parts of Whitemarsh Township and its neighbors:

• Barren Hill
• Whitemarsh Valley Farms
• Spring Mill
• Miquon
• Plymouth Meeting
• Conshohocken

Common Questions About Mold Removal in Lafayette Hill

Do I need a township permit to rebuild after mold removal?

Cleaning and drying do not usually need one. Whitemarsh Township does require permits for repairs and alterations to a building and for plumbing work, and it has its own submission list for finished basements, so we check with the Building and Codes Department before rebuilding.

I rent out a house in Lafayette Hill. Does that change anything?

Whitemarsh Township licenses residential rentals and renews each license every two years. We document the work so you have a record for your files.

Why does the musty odor return every summer?

Warm, humid air meeting cool basement walls leaves condensation on masonry and stored items. We measure humidity and surface moisture to tell condensation apart from a leak or seepage.

Is growth on a few joists a large job?

Size depends on how far the dampness has spread, which is what the moisture map shows. According to the EPA, wet materials can begin to grow mold in 24 to 48 hours, so the damp area is often wider than the visible spot.

To have a Lafayette Hill property looked at, contact us and schedule an inspection.