A broken hot water pipe floods and steams this 3,500-square-foot lodge; Stanley Steemer handles mitigation and mold remediation.

The owners of the Black Bear Lodge in Inlet, New York, were in Florida for the winter while a caretaker checked on their beautiful Inlet home, which overlooks Fourth Lake. Late in February, the caretaker entered the home and, to her horror, she couldn’t even see because the home was filled with steam and humidity. The conditions inside were so bad, it was difficult to breath given the humidity and mold in the air.

The home had pine ceilings and walls throughout, which were buckled and covered in mold. Hardwood floors throughout the home were buckled and in some spots, raised up nearly two feet. Ceiling fans upstairs wilted like flowers and were covered in mold. Additionally, the home was filled with custom Adirondack furniture and decorations, all of which was covered with mold.

The caretaker walked through the home the next day with the homeowner’s insurance adjuster who recommended they call Stanley Steemer to handle this massive mitigation project. The first step in this project was to remove all the wet, moldy carpeting from the upstairs to get that moisture out of the home. The next step involved cleaning and packing out all of the contents for storage in the one section of the basement that was minimally affected.

After the contents were removed, the heavy demolition began. All the hardwoods were beyond salvage and needed to be pulled. All the insulation behind the ceiling boards were wet and covered with mold, necessitating the removal of nearly all the ceilings and walls in the home. All fiberglass insulation was removed as well.

To accurately and completely deal with the mold issue, everything needed to be disassembled, including the custom fire place, kitchen, and custom cabinets in the sewing room. Once all the debris was removed, a large volume desiccant dehumidifier was installed with ducts running throughout the home. While this took place, Stanley Steemer completed the detail work of removing the thousands of nails and staples covering the studs throughout the home. This tedious work makes for a seamless reconstruction phase.

Once the home was dry, the mold remediation process took place. All of the ceiling beams and roof backing needed to be sanded and then sealed with a clear sealant. The homeowner, wasting no time in getting the home back in shape, arranged for new foam insulation to be installed shortly after the mitigation was complete.