Mold Inspection in Woodstock, GA

Woodstock's creeks and homes

Woodstock is a fast-growing Cherokee County suburb about 25 miles from downtown Atlanta, with a depot-era downtown built around the 1912 Woodstock Depot and a greenway network that includes the Noonday Creek, Serenade and Trestle Rock trails. Little River, Noonday Creek and Kellogg Creek all run through the area. In September 2009 the National Weather Service recorded Little River at Woodstock cresting at 20.80 feet against an 11-foot flood stage, and Noonday Creek at 19.66 feet against a 10-foot flood stage. Cherokee County was one of four counties designated for FEMA individual assistance afterward.

A lot of Woodstock housing is newer, but basements and crawl spaces on low lots near the creeks can still collect water, and finished basements hide damage well. The city's Community Development Department includes a Stormwater and Environmental Management division. Away from the creeks, the usual causes are the ones found all over the northern suburbs: an attic air handler with a clogged drain, a shower valve leaking inside the wall, or a bath fan venting into the attic instead of outdoors.

Inspection versus testing

Signs to report

• Water marks on basement drywall or carpet tack strip.
• Musty odor in a finished lower level after storms.
• Swollen trim around a basement door.
• Condensation on the air handler or ducts.

Timing

EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours, so after any storm water or plumbing failure, start drying right away and call if the smell lingers. Storm season and the humid months are when problems show, but the best time to inspect is before you finish a basement, list a home or buy one. Angi's Atlanta cost guide reports $352 to $1,262 for an inspection. For repair work, the City of Woodstock Building and Safety Division at the City Hall Annex on Highway 92 issues permits, and Code Enforcement in Community Development handles property maintenance concerns.