No one can say that Canada’s criminals aren’t creative: grow-ops have been busted in Canadian cities including the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in unique locations in recent years.
In September, a grow-op was found in an abandoned Saskatchewan movie theatre. In November, a GTA condominium was found to have a massive grow operation on the roof. In 2004, the former Molson Brewery in Barrie was found to contain more than 30,000 marijuana plants. (Creative locations or not, none were guarded by a brigade of actual live bears like a recent grow-op found in British Columbia).
After a home or building is used as a grow-op, it can become a health hazard because of the toxic black mold that thrives in grow-op conditions. While whoever ends up selling the building or home may clean it up, homeowners still may be in danger without a mold inspection.
Winter makes it a lot easier to spot neighbour homes that may be used as grow-ops. For one, the steam coming from the vents built throughout the grow-op is much more visible when grow-ops vent the extra heat and humidity to the outdoors. This also leads to snow not being able to build up on the roof because of the heat. If a roof has patches that are snow-free despite cold temperatures and thick snow cover on the rest of the roof, it could be a grow-op.
Canadian police have said that grow-op numbers in Ontario had reached “epidemic proportions”. Houses are still a favourite for people running grow-ops, and grow-ops don’t discriminate: everything from abandoned and run down houses to newly-built houses in the suburbs have been used as grow-ops, and with them come toxic mold infestations. There is little recourse for homeowners who buy grow-op homes after the fact. A mold inspection is always a wise investment on top of a standard home inspection before buying a home.
Mold Inspections and Grow Op Testing in Ajax, Barrie, Beaverton, Bowmanville, Bracebridge, Brantford, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Cobourg, Collingwood, Georgetown Guelph, Hamilton, Keswick, Kitchener, Lindsay, London , Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Muskoka, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, North York, Oakville, Orangeville, Oshawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Pickering, Port Carling, Port Hope, Richmond Hill, Severn Bridge, Sarnia , Simcoe, Southwest Ontario , St Catharines, Thornhill, Toronto, Waterdown, Waterloo, Whitby and Windsor Ontario.
For some Toronto homeowners, the winter months bring with them a sense of dread because of melting snow or ice buildup that can cause basement flooding and dampness.
If your basement foundation isn’t in the best condition, water runoff can end up in your basement and lead to water damage and constant dampness – optimum conditions for mold growth. The musty smell that often accompanies damp basements can also mean that there is a significant mold problem. These mold problems cause serious indoor air quality issues for Greater Toronto Area homeowners. Unfortunately, the cold temperatures that the winter months also bring don’t stop mold growth or kill mold infestations. If you do have a damp basement or chronic basement moisture issues, a mold inspection is a wise investment – not only for your family’s health, but to maintain the structural integrity of your home.
Mold can eat away at water-damaged drywall, wood and other home materials, causing irreparable structural damage if the infestation is not caught in time. Mold also releases spores that can aggravate allergies and asthma, contribute to respiratory issues and – in some species – be downright toxic.
Winter also may not always be to blame for a damp basement: improper ventilation throughout the home or high humidity upstairs can also result in basement dampness. If your basement is damp throughout the year, a mold inspection may also be able to help you pinpoint the source of any mold as well as the cause of moisture intrusion or water damage. In the long run, this can save homeowners money by preventing wasted funds on unnecessary basement repairs that don’t fix the actual cause of the moisture intrusion or mold growth.
Mold Inspections in Ajax, Barrie, Beaverton, Bowmanville, Bracebridge, Brantford, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Cobourg, Collingwood, Georgetown Guelph, Hamilton, Keswick, Kitchener, Lindsay, London , Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Muskoka, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, North York, Oakville, Orangeville, Oshawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Pickering, Port Carling, Port Hope, Richmond Hill, Severn Bridge, Sarnia , Simcoe, Southwest Ontario , St Catharines, Thornhill, Toronto, Waterdown, Waterloo, Whitby and Windsor Ontario.