If you search for a mold inspector in Bee Cave or Lakeway, you’ll find several different types of companies offering what can sound like the same service. There are licensed mold assessment companies, mold assessment technicians, home inspectors who offer mold testing, mold detection dog companies and mold remediation contractors. They each have a different role, and knowing who you are hiring can save you from needing to bring in another company later.
A Mold Assessment Consultant (MAC) is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) to perform mold assessments and, when needed, write a Mold Remediation Protocol describing the work that should be performed by a remediation contractor.
A Mold Assessment Technician (MAT) is also licensed by TDLR, but works under the supervision of a MAC. A technician can perform assessment activities and collect samples, but the consultant has responsibility for the assessment and consultant-level work.
Some home inspectors offer mold or air-quality testing in addition to a standard home inspection. Their mold qualifications and services vary, so it is worth asking exactly what license they hold and what their mold inspection includes.
Mold detection dog companies use trained dogs to identify areas where the dog detects an odor associated with mold. This can be another investigative tool, particularly when the suspected mold is concealed, but finding a location of interest is not the same as determining the moisture source, collecting laboratory samples, or developing a Texas Mold Remediation Protocol. Some mold dog companies have a MAC on staff and some do not.
Mold remediation companies perform the actual removal and cleaning. In Texas, mold assessment and mold remediation are separate licensed activities, with rules governing who can assess and remediate the same project. You cannot legally do the inspection and the remediation.
Once you understand who you're talking to, these are the questions we would ask before choosing a mold inspector in Bee Cave.
Texas licenses Mold Assessment Consultants and Mold Assessment Technicians through TDLR. If a MAT is coming to your house, ask which MAC is supervising the assessment. If the company isn't a licensed mold assessment company, ask what service they are actually providing and what happens if they find mold.
This can become particularly relevant if the investigation leads to remediation. Some companies that perform initial mold testing or detection do not have a MAC who can prepare a Mold Remediation Protocol. In those cases, they may need to refer you to a separate Mold Assessment Consultant to prepare the protocol and conduct the Post-Remediation Verification testing.
House of Thyme is sometimes brought into projects at this stage. Another company has identified a mold concern, and we're hired to perform the consultant work and prepare the remediation protocol.
There is nothing wrong with using more than one company and it is fairly common, but it's useful to know how the process will work before you start.
Ask this specifically, especially if you live in Bee Cave or Lakeway.
Many homes in this area have two HVAC systems, with at least one system or significant portions of the ductwork located in the attic. We regularly encounter mold investigations involving air handlers, plenums, ductwork, supply registers, condensation and the materials surrounding HVAC equipment.
An inspector who remains entirely within the conditioned part of the house may never see those areas.
Ask whether accessible attic spaces are part of the inspection and what parts of the HVAC system they normally examine. If you have two systems, ask whether they will evaluate both. If there is suspected growth around a supply register, ask whether they will investigate farther upstream rather than looking only at the vent.
Not every mold problem in Bee Cave is an HVAC problem, but HVAC and attic conditions come up often enough that we would want to know before hiring an inspector whether those areas are actually going to be examined. Keep in mind that mold inspectors are not HVAC companies and will not be inspecting the functioning of your HVAC but are just there to look for potential mold growth.
Visible mold is generally the easier part of an investigation. The harder question is what happens when there is evidence of a problem but nothing obvious growing on the surface of the wall.
Ask the inspector how they investigate concealed areas. Depending on what they find, that may involve moisture meters, infrared imaging, a borescope, targeted sampling or further investigation of an area with a history of water intrusion. A borescope can allow an inspector to look inside a wall cavity through a relatively small opening rather than immediately opening a large section of drywall.
That doesn't mean holes should be drilled throughout the house. There should be a reason for invasive investigation. But we have seen homeowners go through previous mold inspections where nobody investigated inside a wall even though the history and findings pointed toward a concealed area. We've also seen the opposite and a significant amount of damage was made to homes with too many holes.
If mold is growing, moisture got there somehow. The source could be plumbing, a roof or exterior water intrusion, HVAC condensation, elevated humidity, an appliance leak or another building condition. The moisture source may also be somewhere other than where the mold eventually becomes visible. Finding mold without understanding why it grew can leave the homeowner with only half of the answer. You can remove affected material, but if the moisture condition remains, you haven't solved the underlying problem. Ask the inspector how they approach moisture-source investigation and what equipment they use. A mold inspector with a building-science approach should be looking at how water and moisture are moving through the home, not simply trying to find a surface that produces a positive mold sample.
There shouldn't be one sampling plan for every house. Air samples, tape lifts and other testing methods answer different questions. The appropriate locations for testing should also depend on what is discovered during the inspection. Ask how the inspector determines the number, type and location of samples. If the answer is simply that every customer receives the same three or five air samples, ask what happens when the visual and moisture investigation points toward an area that isn't covered by that package.More samples aren't necessarily better. The useful question is what each sample is intended to tell you. For example, suspicious material on a surface may warrant a direct surface sample. A different situation may make air sampling useful. An inspector should be able to explain why a sample is being taken and how the result will contribute to the investigation.
"Mold testing" can describe very different services. One company may spend considerable time investigating the home and then use laboratory samples to answer questions raised during the inspection. Another may arrive, set up air pumps in several rooms, collect the samples and leave. Air testing tells you what was captured in the air at the location and time the sample was collected. It doesn't physically inspect the inside of a wall, tell you why an HVAC plenum is condensing or locate the source of a plumbing leak. Before booking, ask what the inspector actually does during the appointment besides collecting samples. Ask whether they take a history of previous leaks and water events, use moisture-detection equipment, inspect accessible HVAC and attic areas, and investigate suspicious locations.
This is a good question to ask before you hire anyone. An air sample is one piece of information from one location during one period of time. If an inspector finds a moisture anomaly, suspicious material inside a wall cavity, visible growth in an HVAC component or another meaningful finding, a normal room air sample doesn't make that physical evidence disappear.
Ask how the inspector would proceed in that situation. The answer should give you a good idea of whether the company views air sampling as the investigation itself or as one tool within a larger investigation.
If the amount and circumstances of the mold require regulated remediation under Texas law, a licensed Mold Assessment Consultant prepares the Mold Remediation Protocol that establishes the scope for the remediation contractor. Ask whether the company performing your inspection has a MAC who can provide that service. This is particularly useful to clarify when hiring a company whose primary service is something other than mold assessment, such as a mold detection dog service or a business operating with technicians under an outside consultant. If they can't prepare the protocol, ask who they normally refer to and whether another assessment or site visit will be necessary.
Ask who will make money from the work being recommended. House of Thyme performs mold assessments, testing, Mold Remediation Protocols and post-remediation verification. We don't perform the remediation itself. That means if we recommend removing affected drywall, cleaning an HVAC component or remediating another part of the house, we aren't bidding on the work we just recommended. We also have no commission arrangements with any companies to be paid for recommending their services. When comparing mold inspectors, ask how the assessment company is related to any remediation company it recommends and whether there is a financial relationship between them.
A Texas license tells you about licensing. Reviews can tell you what previous customers experienced. Don't look only at whether the company has 4.9 or 5 stars. Read what people actually say. For a mold inspector, useful reviews often mention whether the inspector was thorough, whether they explained what they were seeing, whether they investigated unusual areas, whether the report was understandable and whether the homeowner knew what to do after receiving the results. For someone searching for a mold inspector in Bee Cave or Lakeway, local reviews can also be helpful. A company regularly working in Bee Cave, Lakeway and the Lake Travis area is likely to have reviews from homeowners nearby.
Mold inspection quotes aren't always apples-to-apples. Ask how much inspection time is included, how many laboratory samples are included, what additional samples cost, whether laboratory fees are included, whether HVAC and attic inspection is included or additional, and whether there are circumstances that could increase the price. Also ask about services that might come later. If mold is found, what does a remediation protocol cost? If remediation is completed, what will post-remediation verification cost? A lower initial inspection price may still be the right choice, but you should know what is and isn't included before comparing it with another company's quote. Some companies charge a lower inspection fee and have higher sampling costs. Other companies may have higher inspection fees with lower sampling costs. Some include lab testing and some don't. You will have to ask some questions to have proper apple-to-apple quotes.
Ask whether you'll receive only laboratory results or a complete assessment report. A mold lab report tells you what was identified in the samples submitted to the laboratory. It doesn't necessarily tell you where moisture was found, what the inspector saw in the attic, what was observed around the HVAC system, where a borescope was used or what needs further investigation.
A useful mold assessment report should put those pieces together. The homeowner should understand what was found, where it was found, what may be causing it and what the recommended next steps are. If the moisture source needs to be corrected by an HVAC contractor, plumber, roofer or another trade, that should also be communicated when the evidence supports it.
For homes in Bee Cave and Lakeway, we would pay particular attention to three things when comparing mold inspectors: whether they will inspect accessible attic and HVAC areas, how they investigate mold that isn't immediately visible, and whether they're looking for the moisture source rather than stopping once mold has been identified.
House of Thyme is based in Bee Cave and regularly performs mold inspections in Bee Cave, Lakeway and the surrounding Lake Travis and greater Austin area. We approach mold assessments from a building-science perspective, using the inspection findings to determine where moisture investigation and laboratory sampling will be most useful.
We are a Texas-licensed mold assessment company and can provide the assessment, Mold Remediation Protocol and post-remediation verification when those services are needed. We don't perform mold remediation.
Whether you hire us or another local mold inspector, asking these questions before you book should give you a much clearer idea of what you're actually paying for.
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