Post-Remediation Clearance Testing in Cottontown, TN

Signs the job needs a second look

• The remediation company plans to inspect its own work and call it done.
• Wood in the crawl space or wall cavity still reads damp.
• Stains were painted or sprayed over instead of cleaned or removed.
• A musty smell remains after the drying equipment is gone.
• The flood or leak that caused the mold hasn't been addressed.

Local conditions in Cottontown

Cottontown is a small unincorporated community along State Route 25 northwest of Gallatin. Flash flooding hit it on the morning of May 19, 2017, part of a wider Sumner County event, and the water had begun to drop by later that day. Short floods like that are easy to underestimate. EPA's guidance after a disaster is to assume mold growth wherever a flooded home could not be dried within 24 to 48 hours, which is why a clearance inspector should check framing, insulation cavities and subfloor rather than only the surfaces you can see. The county's Flood Insurance Study adds that headwater streams rise quickly in intense rain and that major floods tend to come in late winter and early spring.

Rural homes here often sit over crawl spaces, so expect the inspector to spend time under the house. Rebuild permits for this unincorporated area come from the Sumner County Building & Codes Department in Gallatin.

Cost

National figures from Angi: about $303 to $1,075 for a mold inspection and $250 to $500 for a mold test. Prices around Sumner County vary with the size of the cleaned area, how many samples are taken, whether the inspector needs to crawl under the house and how far they travel. A large job with several containment zones costs more than a single room. If a remediation job reaches $25,000 or more, the company must hold a Tennessee contractor's license before bidding, and the mold remediation (S-F) classification fits this work.

What happens when you call

You will reach an independent local inspector. Say what was cleaned, how large the area is and whether the containment is still up. Ask how they judge a pass, whether they plan to sample and how soon the written result will be ready, so your rebuild crew can plan around it.