Mold in Walls & Drywall in Friendswood, TX

We rebuilt after Harvey. Could mold still be in the walls?

It can happen. Harvey's rains caused 500-year flood events along Clear Creek through Friendswood, and a preliminary estimate put about 3,000 homes inundated; the city issued 1,787 permits for Harvey repairs in 2017. Most of those houses were stripped and rebuilt, but where studs or bottom plates were closed up before they were fully dry, or a wall was dried in place rather than opened, mold can grow on the back of new drywall. A recurring musty odor, paint that bubbles near the floor or soft baseboards are the usual clues. A mold assessment consultant can check with moisture readings and a small opening before anything larger comes out.

What causes wall mold in homes that never flooded?

Friendswood began as a Quaker colony in 1895 and today is a suburban city of about 41,000 in northwestern Galveston County, partly in Harris County, about 24 miles from Houston. Its newer and older homes alike see the region's usual sources: attic air handlers with clogged condensate lines that overflow into interior walls, leaks behind showers and sinks, upstairs bathrooms dripping into walls below, and wind-driven rain past windows. In a humid climate, a wall that stays wet a couple of days is enough. Because the growth starts on the hidden face of the board and in the insulation, the first sign is often an odor rather than a stain, and repainting only hides the symptom while the moisture continues.

Who removes it, and who issues the repair permit?

Texas requires two companies. A consultant who holds a TDLR mold assessment license writes the protocol, and a separate company that holds a TDLR mold remediation contractor license removes the mold; one company can't do both on the same project. Friendswood Community Development handles building permits and inspections, and it issued repair permits after Harvey, so ask there before the new drywall goes in. After clearance, keep the Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation and the before-and-after photos with your Harvey repair records; they can help with later insurance underwriting, though they don't promise any claim outcome.

Local note for renters

Friendswood Code Enforcement investigates substandard and dangerous buildings and takes reports through a Submit a Concern form, which is one place to raise a leak a landlord hasn't fixed.