Basement Mold Removal in Cottontown, TN

Warning signs to look for

• Musty air that follows you up the basement stairs
• Gray, green or black spots on paneling, drywall or the underside of wooden stairs
• Damp or crumbling mortar joints in block walls
• Mildew on stored luggage, shoes or cardboard boxes
• Water on the floor along one wall after heavy rain

Color does not tell you how risky a mold is. Growth on porous material means moisture has been there long enough to matter.

Cottontown conditions

Cottontown is a small rural community along State Route 25 northwest of Gallatin, about 24 miles from Nashville. It got a hard reminder of how fast water moves here on the morning of May 19, 2017, when flash flooding hit the community; the water had begun to recede by later that day, but a few hours of standing water is enough to soak a basement wall and its carpet. Sumner County's Flood Insurance Study says headwater streams rise rapidly in intense local rain and that the county's major floods usually come in late winter and early spring. If your basement took water in a storm and wet materials could not be dried within 24 to 48 hours, EPA's advice is to assume mold has started.

Even without a flood, a below-grade room in a humid Middle Tennessee summer collects moisture. A hygrometer tells you if the air is staying above 60 percent.

Pricing

Angi reports a national range of roughly $500 to $3,000 for basement mold remediation, with foundation sealing around $2,250 to $7,100 nationally. Local quotes vary with the size of the area, how much finished material has to be thrown out, and whether grading or drainage work is needed to keep water out. Any job of $25,000 or more needs a Tennessee contractor's license, and mold remediation is classification S-F.

After you call

You will be put through to an independent remediation company that works in Sumner County. They will ask what you see, where, and when the basement last got wet, then arrange a visit. Expect containment around the work area, removal of moldy porous materials, cleaning and drying of the framing and concrete, and advice on keeping water out. Because Cottontown is unincorporated, permits for rebuilding after the cleanup go through the Sumner County Building & Codes Department in Gallatin.