Mold in Walls & Drywall in Pasadena, TX

Pasadena conditions

Pasadena is a city of about 152,000, roughly 17 miles from downtown Houston, with the Houston Ship Channel along its northern edge and its southeastern tip on Galveston Bay near Armand Bayou. Vince's Bayou runs through town. The 1900 Galveston hurricane heavily damaged Pasadena, and the same Gulf weather still drives most moisture problems: hard summer storms, high humidity and air conditioning that runs most of the year. Homes in neighborhoods such as Golden Acres and Parkview Manor face the usual culprits of attic air handlers, sweating ducts and slow plumbing leaks inside walls. A condensate line that clogs in July can send water down an interior wall for weeks, and because the back of the board gets no light or moving air, it stays wet and grows mold well before the front shows a mark.

Clean the surface or remove the wall?

EPA says areas under about 10 square feet are usually a homeowner job, and that mold should never be painted or caulked over.

Signs of a hidden problem

• A smell stronger near one interior wall or closet
• Black or gray spotting along the bottom edge of drywall
• Wallpaper or paint pulling away in a bathroom that is not used much
• Water stains that move down a wall from the ceiling

Timing and local offices

Dry wet areas within 24 to 48 hours if you can, since EPA says growth can start after that. If you hire the work, a mold assessment consultant who holds a TDLR license gives you the protocol at least one calendar day before removal starts. Residential building permits for the rebuild are filed with the City of Pasadena Permit Department. Renters with unfixed leaks can contact City of Pasadena Code Enforcement, which enforces the city's health, safety, housing and sanitation ordinances, including those for dangerous buildings.