How do you find a mold informed architect?

Few architects understand the ramifications of water damage in a home and the affects it can have on the inhabitants.

We should start with the basics. What is considered water damage? Quite simply, it is any water intrusion found in basements, attics, or any other floor, which has occurred from an improperly designed home, improperly installed shower, appliance leak, toilet overflow, roof leak, foundation leak from a storm, flooding from rainstorm, snow run off, hurricane, punctured pipe, or leaking window. Basically, water damage occurs whenever water is not where it should be in your home.

Does water damage mean mold will exist immediately? No, but it doesn’t take long. Mold needs moisture, food, oxygen and a temperature between 40° and 100° in order to grow.

Mold can grow on many materials in homes. Any organic material that has the above conditions can grow mold in as little as 24 to 48 hours.

And this is why the architect plays such an important role. How the home is designed can greatly assist in the deterrence of future mold growth.

Finding a mold-aware architect is not necessarily easy, as there currently are very few in the US. However, you may use what you learn in this course to inform yourself before you begin the process of choosing an architect and builder so that they may incorporate these important elements into the design of your home. Additional architect and builder courses are available with the building language they will understand to properly design and construct a new mold-resistant home.