I had new carpets put down in my basement when I moved in 3-something years ago. Periodically I noticed mushrooms growing through the carpet along one wall. I had no idea what to do about it and in the hecticness of baby, ignored it.
Now working from home I've finally gotten it together to try and sort it. I started calling foundations companies for quotes to fix what's presumably a water leak, but the reputable one is backlogged by months and couldn't even get someone in to give a quote until today. Another company told me they couldn't give a quote until the drywall was stripped out, and still another said they'd remove a strip of drywall but quoted $1000 to do it which seemed ridiculous. I tried to get a general contractor (friend of a friend) to do the drywall but he said there's no point until spring when water starts coming in again, to track down the leak for sure.
But the thing is, the reputable foundation company today, the guy took one look and told me to call my insurance. So I did, and predictably the insurance company doesn't cover mold so they won't be much help, but they sent out a restoration estimator anyway. Unlike all the others, this guy was clearly strictly by the book. Where the general contractor acquaintance just went ahead and started pulling up carpet to see how the damage spread, this guy wouldn't touch it and started advising me to plastic tape off the whole room. He also said he couldn't start any work till the drywall plaster was tested for asbestos.
Such conflicting opinions. I just want someone to take out the damn drywall for a reasonable price so I can get this sorted. Not sure how to get that since everyone seems to have caveats. Now I have to wait a couple days for the insurance company to officially tell me to shove it, then I guess I call more contractors until someone is willing to actually do the work now.
Meanwhile I'm googling black mold and I'm pretty sure it's the reason I had a bad eczema outbreak the moment the weather changed and I had to start running the heat and keeping all the windows closed. Also I have a headache which is probably 100% psychosomatic because nothing has changed in the past day except more information entering my brain. Fuck this.