Heavenly Hands Inspection Process...

THE CUSTOMER INTERVIEW:

In order to properly assess the condition of your home, boat, or motor coach, we need to know some of its history. It is our job to ask the important, often over looked, questions that will help us do our job "the right way".

THE ASSESSMENT:

We visually examine both the exterior and interior to pinpoint problem areas. Is there visible mold growth in the kitchen, laundry room, or hidden in a bathroom wall? These are all common locations for mold growth. Our assessment is designed to locate probable areas of growth. We look for sources of excessive moisture. Common sources may include: Cracks in exterior cladding, roof leaks, plumbing leaks, high humidity due to poor air conditioning systems.

THE CAUSE:

Now that we have a little history and have completed our assessment, we are ready to put together our recommendations. We will develop a sampling/testing plan specifically tailored to your unique situation. Our sampling may involve mold sampling, bacteria sampling, VOC testing, particle counts, and allergen screening. This allows us to determine specific types and levels of contaminants that may be affecting your indoor environment.

THE INSPECTION:

There are several levels of inspections. We will explain the levels to you and make a recommendation as to which level we believe is right for your situation. It is up to you to decide which level of inspection we will perform. We will provide you with a Mold Screen Inspection Agreement prior to the commencement of any sampling. This will remove the chance for misunderstanding on what level of service we are to provide.

Limited Sampling: To detect the presence of mold contamination in client defined areas. The limitation of the Limited Mold Sampling service is that other sources of mold may be present in other areas.

Mold Screen Inspection: This level of Inspection utilizes a visual assessment of the entire home, boat, or motor coach and identifies "red flags" for mold. If "red flags" are found, we will develop a sampling/testing plan specifically tailored to your unique situation. We will provide a written sampling plan. You will then need to decide which samples you want us to perform. This is the most popular inspection service in real estate transactions and in situations where there is an unidentified source for a mold problem.

Clearance Testing: Clearance Testing is designed to determine the success of remediation efforts. Clearance Testing is provided for those remediated areas within established containment zones.

Post Clearance Testing: Also designed to determine the success of remediation efforts. Post Cleaning Testing is used where there were or are NO containment zones in place.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT:

The Indoor Environment can be a source of one or multiple pollutants.

Is it MOLD, ALLERGENS or VOC's?

Once identified, our inspectors will proceed at your request and approval to test. This testing may take many forms.

MOLD TESTING

If our assessment has revealed the need for further testing, our comprehensive mold testing will serve to provide you with three important pieces of information:

  1. Is mold present?
    We will use the appropriate types of sampling to determine if a suspected area contains mold growth


  2. What type of mold is it?
    Is the mold growth Stachybotrys, Aspergillums, or Cladosporium? Distinguishing between different types of mold growth is impossible without laboratory testing. For your protection, we only use Accredited and Certified Laboratories.

    Our lab testing will:

    • Accurately determines the species of mold growth in your property.
    • Quantity of mold.

    Mold spores can be found in the cleanest of buildings, therefore we measure the quantity of mold to determine if a mold problem is present.


  3. Types of sampling we perform:

    • Airborne
    • Surface
    • Bulk
    • Dust
    • PCR
    • VOC

BACTERIA TESTING

Our assessment may reveal the need for Bacteria Testing if dangerous bacteria growth is suspected.

An example of bacteria is E. Coli. E. Coli can lurk in sewage contaminated water which may be present indoors if a toilet has recently backed up into the home. Our swab sampling analysis can detect E. Coli and other types of Coli forms.

We may recommend bacteria sampling if there is a need to:

  1. Determine inhalation exposure.
  2. Identify the presence of hidden sources of bacterial growth.

VOLITILE ORGANIC COMPOUND (VOC) TESTING

Our assessment is not limited to mold sampling. This type of testing can prove fruitful when the cause of an indoor odor cannot be identified. A VOC test can be used to identify thousands of different types of organic gases.

Studies conducted by the EPA have found that VOC levels of common pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside the home than outside.

VOC's come from a wide variety of sources including: Paints and lacquers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, and even some cosmetics.

ALLERGEN TRIGGERS SCREENING

There are times when a suspected mold problem will turn out to be an ALLERGENS issue.

People with allergies and asthma think of their home as a safe haven. Unfortunately, houses carry their own unique allergens such as dust mites, animal dander and cockroaches.

Doctors have determined that these indoor triggers are a major source of asthma and allergy symptoms.

An Allergens Assessment is useful in revealing the presence and exposure to pollen, grass, ragweed, algae, diatoms, fern, moss, spores, fungus, cat and dog dander, insect parts, skin cell fragments, dust mites, fiberglass, soot, rusts, carbon, and Mold spores.

Now that you have decided what level of service you desire from us, the assessment, and/or sampling has been completed, and the samples have been tested by the lab, it is time for us to tell you what we found. This is another area that separates us from the competition.

THE REPORT:

Your report from Heavenly Hands Home Services is written just for you. It is confidential, and as such, it will only be released to you and those you choose. The report will include:

  • Introduction.
    This section describes what we did and where we did it.
  • Background.
    This section describes the history and the nature of the problem. Notes taken from the interview will be placed in this section.
  • Scope of Work.
    A description of work performed as per the Mold Screen Inspection Agreement, including a description of the physical areas of focus and limitations of assessment.
  • Site Visit Findings.
    Information gathered from the assessment will be summarized here, as well as, any stains, growth, odors or problems are listed in this section.
  • Measurements.
    Measurements including temperature, relative humidity and moisture meter readings are listed in this section.
  • Sampling.
    Any samples taken are described in this section.
  • Conclusions.
    Here we will summarize the problems identified in the assessment and how they were supported by the lab results.
  • Recommendations.
    If we have arrived at the conclusion that there is a problem, we will recommend what steps you should take to resolve the issue. We will cite any standards or guidelines in the justification of our recommendations. We will provide a cost for creating, if requested, a Recommended Guidelines for Abatement Report (Protocol).
  • Photographs.
    We will attach photographs taken on site.
  • Lab Report.
    We will attach the Lab Report, if any.
  • There are numerous other customer services we provide, too many to list.