Builder schedules massive mold cleanup
Mold is growing again in some of Pulte Homes' Apple Valley developments, prompting the company to schedule examinations of 590 homes. This time, the mold appears to be growing in the shower, between the panels and the wall...Mary Ann Greco said although the letter did not say the problem had to do with mold, once they called in, Pulte customer service informed them that it was indeed the pesky fungus.
Builder schedules massive mold cleanup
590 homes affected at Pulte's A.V. communities
September 27, 2006
By TATIANA PROPHET Staff Writer
APPLE VALLEY â Mold is growing again in some of Pulte Homes' Apple Valley developments, prompting the company to schedule examinations of 590 homes.
This time, the mold appears to be growing in the shower, between the panels and the wall.
"Because there's the possibility that the caulking around these shower 'surrounds' might break down over time, we want to go in and proactively address the issue now," wrote Pulte spokeswoman Melanie Hearsch in an e-mail to the Daily Press.
Residents of The Estates at Jess Ranch have received letters informing them of "an issue affecting certain homes at our Apple Valley communities," the letter states.
Mary Ann Greco said although the letter did not say the problem had to do with mold, once they called in, Pulte customer service informed them that it was indeed the pesky fungus.
"Why didn't they find it the first time they checked?" asked Greco, whose house has been inspected four times, with mold being zapped from the kitchen in February.
James Quigg / Staff Photographer Thomas Greco looks over
some of the workmanship around his shower, while his wife Mary
Ann Greco talks about the mold inspections going on in their home
in Pulte Home's Estates development; 590 homes in the development
are undergoing mold inspections.
Her husband replied: "Maybe it didn't develop then, who knows?"
The Grecos, who are retired, are taking the hardship in stride. They tried to sell their house a few months ago, but had to disclose the mold problem and ended up taking it off the market.
"We couldn't sell it," Mary Ann Greco said.
Pulte launched its investigation after a homeowner found mold growing in the shower, and the company found the same condition in 13 other homes, said spokesman Mark Marymee.
If mold is found, it will take two to three weeks per home to clean up the mold, he said. As during other times of mold clean-up, Pulte will be offering to move residents to a hotel and pay their board.
But Hearsch added that there will be no health risk during the clean-up.
"If they choose to stay, each bathroom in which mold will be removed will be completely sealed off during the remediation process," she said, adding that all the homes being examined have more than one bathroom.
If residents go to a hotel, both bathrooms will be worked on, she said.
The Grecos already saw their neighbor's bathroom being "ripped out."
"With what I saw going on next door, I don't want to be here," she said.
Shauna Anderson, another resident of The Estates, said she thought the mold clean-up was "no big deal."
"It's good customer service," she said. "They brought it up to us. They didn't have to let everyone know."
In February, when they cleaned up the master bathroom mirror, Anderson stayed at the Springhill Marriott for six days.
"It's points," she said with a smile.
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