Mold in Walls & Drywall in Ellenwood, GA

Local conditions in Ellenwood

Ellenwood is an unincorporated community along I-675, about 11 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta, first settled around 1830 and named for the Ellenwood Plantation. It spans parts of DeKalb, Clayton, Henry and Rockdale counties. The drivers of wall mold here are the same ones found across the metro: hot, humid summers, heavy thunderstorms, red clay that holds water against foundations and plumbing that leaks out of sight. Homes with slab or crawl space foundations can both get damp lower walls if gutters and grading send water toward the house.

Because the community crosses county lines, the first practical question after finding a wet wall is which county your address sits in. That decides who issues the permit for the rebuild and who takes a renter's complaint about a leak that goes unrepaired. Your property tax bill or the county's address lookup will tell you.

Which office covers your address

Unincorporated DeKalb also requires owners of multifamily rentals to submit an apartment complex registration certificate based on a county-authorized third-party inspection of interior code compliance.

Signs of hidden wall mold

• Paint lifting or blistering near the floor of an outside wall
• Stains spreading from a window corner after storms
• A sour or earthy smell inside a closet or cabinet
• Spotting that keeps coming back on a bathroom wall
• Drywall that feels soft or damp

When it spreads

Hidden growth speeds up in the humid stretch from late spring into fall, and summer storms are when most new leaks show up. If water gets into a wall, EPA says to dry it within 24 to 48 hours. Larger areas, over about 10 square feet, are usually better handled by a company that can contain the work. For health questions in the DeKalb portion, DeKalb Public Health says it addresses indoor mold only for permitted facilities such as restaurants and hotels, and offers information for homeowners.