Running a business · 10 guides
Environmental Services: problems and fixes, explained by Zeke
Zeke D'Avy is the only environmental services member of BNI Preston Center. These guides are written for a Dallas–Fort Worth reader who has the problem right now: what is happening, what to check, when to call, and what it costs.
- Young children in an older house: how to tell if lead paint is a risk and how to test You cannot see lead in paint, and intact paint is usually not the problem. Dust from worn and chipping surfaces is. Here is how a parent figures out whether an older house is a risk and which test answers that question. What parents should know firstWhy 1978 is the year that mattersWhere lead tends to hide in a family homeThe curtain rod I still think about
- What drives the cost of mold, lead and asbestos testing, and what you are paying for The price of an environmental inspection is set by the question you need answered, how many samples it takes to answer it and how fast you need the result. Here is how each of those moves the number. The short answer on priceStart with the decision, not the testMold and moisture: what moves the numberLead paint: why an inspection and a risk assessment are priced differently
- The remediation crew says it is done: how clearance testing proves the mold is gone A clean, freshly painted room is not proof that mold remediation worked. Clearance testing is. Here is what it checks, who is allowed to do it in Texas and how to keep the problem from coming back. Clearance testing in briefWhy a finished-looking room proves nothingWho is allowed to declare clearance in TexasWhat a clearance visit checks
- Mold assessment or mold remediation: who does what in Texas, and why they must be separate Assessment answers what is wrong, where and how much. Remediation fixes it. In Texas the two are separate licenses, separate documents and, on the same project, separate companies. Two different jobs, in plain termsWhat an assessment gives youWhat remediation involvesWhy Texas keeps the two jobs apart
- Is a mold air test worth it? Air quality testing myths, and when it earns its fee An air sample is a useful tool in the right situation and an expensive number in the wrong one. Here are the myths that drive unnecessary testing and the cases where sampling actually answers a question. When an air test is worth paying for, and when it is notMyth: an air test tells you whether the house is safeMyth: you have to identify the species, especially black moldMyth: a clean air result means there is no hidden mold
- Home test kits for mold, lead and asbestos: what they can tell you and where they mislead A mold plate will almost always grow something, a lead swab answers a narrower question than the box suggests, and an asbestos kit asks you to do the risky part yourself. Here is how to use them, or skip them, sensibly. The honest answer about home kitsMold plates: why the dish nearly always grows somethingWhat even a good mold test cannot tell youWhy a North Texas summer makes kit results even murkier
- Buying an older Dallas home: which mold, lead and asbestos tests to order A general home inspection flags problems; environmental testing tells you what they are and what they will cost. Here is what to order on an older Dallas house and how to fit it inside the option period. What to test, in order of priorityThe clock you are working againstWhat the general home inspection does and does not coverMold and moisture in a house you do not own yet
- Before you hire a mold inspector in Texas: the license check and the questions to ask Texas licenses mold assessment, and checking a license takes a couple of minutes. Here is how to do it, what the titles mean and the questions that separate an investigator from a salesperson. The quick answer: check the license, then check the independenceWho licenses what in TexasTechnician, consultant, remediator: what the titles meanThe one rule that protects you most
- Asbestos and lead testing before a remodel: what happens and how long it takes The cheapest moment to find asbestos or lead is before the first wall comes down. Here is what a pre-renovation test involves, how long it takes and how to fit it into your contractor's schedule. The short version: test first, then set the demolition dateProjects that should trigger a testIs the building old enough to worry about?What happens on the day of testing
- A musty smell and a stain on the ceiling: is it mold, and where is the water coming from Visible mold is the last step of a problem that started with water. An inspector's job is to find the water, measure how far the damage runs and give you a scope you can hand to a contractor. The smell you cannot place and the spot that keeps coming backWhat mold needs, and where Dallas homes give itWhat to look for on your own before you call anyoneWhen a small spot is just a spot, and when it is time for testing