A Comprehensive Environmental Assessment.

1. 01 —

   Detailed Client Interview

   building history · symptoms · intake

   Before a single instrument comes out, we talk with with the homeowner. Before we even get to the home, we collect a thorough questionnaire to give as much context as possible. Whether health symptoms, past water events, renovations, HVAC history, what feels different inside vs. outside the home, maintenance, occupant behavior, and more. A comprehensive intake catches what no instrument can. You can run every test in the world, but if you skip this, there will be a lot missed.

2. 02 —

   Visual Assessment

   trained eye · careful and systematic approach using building science principles

   A bright, high-lumen flashlight and a top-to-bottom walk of the home. This also includes the exterior. If water gets in, we want to know where, so we follow the roof lines, gutter systems, windows, grading, drainage, and all other areas prone to outdoor moisture getting in. Indoors we pay attention to dust patterns, discolorations, warped or swelling building material, as well as design and placements of rooms and mechanicals in the home. We also have a trained eye for the building science principles that impact the home such as how heat and moisture move, the building envelope and pressure pathways, and making recommendations based on science not just theory or opinion. Most issues are visible if you know where to look and you take the time to look systematically.

3. 03 —

   Smells & Senses

   MVOC detection · homeowner-informed

   Microbial volatile organic compounds — the musty, earthy smell mold releases can be a dead giveaway. Sewer gas smell can be a plumbing and endotoxin bacteria problem. Chemical and VOC smells can also impact the environmental quality of the home. If a family member says one bedroom feels different than the rest of the house, that's worth listening to. The body is its own instrument and we always take that into consideration on our assessment. (Side Note: This is solely how a K9 mold dog company operates - following mold scents to determine places of mold contamination).

4. 04 —

   Thermal Imaging

   temperature differential mapping

   A thermal camera doesn't see moisture directly — it sees temperature differentials. Our infrared scans are sure to cover all the walls, ceilings, floors, around windows and plumbing chases, and more. The thermal scan flags anomalies that a flashlight-only pass would miss, and tells us exactly where to point the next instrument. It can also detect low insulation points and pathways of air infiltration.

5. 05 —

   Moisture Readings (with a moisture meter as well as temperature, humidity and dew point readings)

   pinless and pin verification and comparatives

   A mold assessment is a moisture assessment. Mold can only grow because of moisture (liquid water, dampness, chronic humidity, etc). If the thermal scan flags a suspected wet area, a moisture meter can verify if it is moisture or not. We used comparative readings, and we are taking our time tracking down where water is, was, or could be.

6. 06 —

   Borescope Inspection

   behind-wall camera access

   A small flexible camera on a fiber-optic tube, through a small access hole, lets us see the places a flashlight and a moisture meter can't reach — behind cabinets, inside wall cavities, up in the stacking-effect pathways between floors. A lot of hidden moisture sources have been found exactly this way. If we have a reason to look, we look.

7. 07 —

   Strategic Sampling

   air · surface · dust (not random)

   This is a piece where many inspections go wrong. Air, surface, and dust samples each have different strengths and significant limitations. A single random air test can be a coin flip or it can be used in an advanced way that targets an issue and help us get answers. A real assessment picks which test belongs where, based on everything the prior steps outlined. Sampling is a data point that fits into the puzzle as needed — it can help us confirm or deny what the building investigation already told us, not replace it.

8. 08 —

   Reporting & Ongoing Support

   plain-English findings · contractor vetting

   A written report in plain English — what we found, what it means, and a remediation protocol if one is warranted. Not a cookie-cutter template. We stay available after the report: answering questions, interpreting data, helping vet remediation contractors, and post-remediation verification when the work is complete.

We're detailed detectives for your home who understand how to make the hidden things visible and the complexities more simple.

— Andrew Melrose, IEP