The process
The workflow runs from property history to reconstruction. A canine indication, a moisture reading, and a laboratory result each answer a different question.
Step 01
Collect the water-loss timeline, prior repairs, earlier laboratory results, property size, and client objectives. Identify access limits and choose a targeted survey, whole-property investigation, or protocol-focused scope.
Documented result. Approved scope, access conditions, and quote.
Choose a scope. The line under it is what a client should see before buying.
Building areas; water-pathway review; instruments; canine search if available; laboratory plan; report and review meeting.
Include apparently clean locations beside suspected hidden water pathways when findings justify investigation. A drilled-in swab is one possible method, not a universal requirement. Record permission, entry point, material, depth and location, tool cleaning, access risks, and a sample photograph. A surface swab cannot describe the full thickness of wood or a whole wall cavity. A concealed-source question may require material or other targeted examination.
Thermal imaging identifies temperature differences, not mold. Moisture readings describe conditions at the tested material. Canine indications guide investigation but do not establish species, viability, toxin levels, or health risk. Swabs and other laboratory methods have method- and location-specific limits. Interpret results against the predefined question and the building findings.
Agree verification criteria before cleanup. Do not turn any spore finding into automatic failure, or an isolated negative sample into whole-property clearance. Report unresolved inaccessible areas, and distinguish fungal structures or residue from a demonstrated active source.
On regulated Texas projects, check TDLR mold rules: assessment and remediation are separated, with a stated school-district exception. This page does not decide whether a specific job is regulated.
Prepare a scope brief