Mold, Asbestos and Air Quality Inspections in Washington DC
From rowhouses and condos to a landmark hotel downtown, we inspect District buildings for moisture, mold, asbestos and indoor air problems. Our office in Silver Spring is a few minutes from the DC line, so the city is part of our everyday territory, not a long trip.
Old brick, plaster walls and the basement below.
Much of DC is rowhouses and older plaster-and-brick buildings, many with a basement or an English basement apartment below grade. These buildings tend to show moisture problems in the same places: where the ground meets the wall, where a party wall shares water with the neighbor, and where a roof or chimney flashing has aged out.
- Below-grade units. English basements often sit against damp masonry. We map moisture on the walls and floor and test the air before you rent, buy or move in.
- Tenant and landlord questions. DC law requires a DOEE-licensed assessor when 10 square feet or more of indoor mold is involved, and landlords must inspect within 7 days of a tenant's written notice and remediate within 30 days. We hold that license and document conditions impartially, so both sides work from the same facts.
- Renovating an older home. Plaster, joint compound, pipe insulation and old floor tile can contain asbestos. We sample before the contractor opens walls.
- Condos and apartments. A leak from the unit above or a shared riser needs a record that the owner, the association and the insurer can all read.
Landmark hotels, a hospital and a full apartment renovation.
Our District work runs from single homes to some of the city's best-known buildings. More than a dozen DC households have called us in, most of them about mold, and the commercial projects below show the same method at building scale.
The Willard InterContinental
Mold inspections, a written remediation plan and final verification for IHG at one of the city's landmark hotels.
Mostly mold calls, some asbestos.
Most of the DC homes we have inspected were mold and moisture questions, and a smaller share were asbestos surveys before renovation. Every one gets the same report structure: what we found, where the water comes from, and the work scope that fixes it.
Everything we offer is available in the District.
Mold inspection
Moisture mapping, visual inspection and sampling for rowhouses, condos and apartments.
Mold air testing
Spore trap samples against an outdoor control when a basement smells musty and nothing shows.
DC-specific answers.
Do you charge extra to come into the District?
DC is well inside our residential service area, which reaches about an hour's drive from Silver Spring. Mileage is billed only on longer drives, and we tell you on the call if it applies.
Can you inspect an English basement before I rent it out or move in?
Yes. Below-grade units are one of the most common DC calls. We take moisture readings on the walls and floor, look at how water reaches the foundation, and sample the air if nothing is visible. The report tells you what to fix and in what order.
I am a tenant. Can I hire you directly?
Yes. Tenants, landlords and property managers can all book an inspection. Under DC law a landlord must inspect within 7 days of a tenant's written notice and remediate within 30 days, and 10 square feet or more of mold calls for a DOEE-licensed assessor. We hold that license and do not sell remediation, so the findings are written to be read by both sides.
My rowhouse is over a hundred years old. Does it need asbestos testing before renovation?
Any building built before 1981 is presumed to contain asbestos until sampling shows otherwise. We scope sampling to the materials your project will disturb, so you are not paying to test rooms nobody is touching.
How do we handle parking and building access?
Tell us about parking, a concierge or a management office when you book. For condos and apartment buildings, we can coordinate the visit with the property manager.
Inspecting a DC home or building?
Weekdays 8 to 5. Tell us the neighborhood, the building type and what you are seeing, and we will quote it on the call. Also serving Maryland and Northern Virginia.