OUR STORY
We Were In Your Shoes
Andrew Lauer CEI, CRS, CMI, President
CEI = Certified Environmental Inspector)
CRS = Certified Remediation Specialist
CMI = Certified Mold Inspector
President = I'm responsible for all the bills
I started Santa Monica Mold and Environmental shortly after my own home was found to contain mold. One day I noticed a ‘sewage' like smell coming from the basement stairs of our home. My wife and I had recently bought and renovated the 1911 Craftsman style home in Santa Monica, pouring our sweat and tears into the project and making it a true gem.
When I noticed the smell I thought to myself this could be a real problem. We had re-piped most of the house but costs ran high and we decided to hold off on the basement line to the sewer. Wouldn't you know it? I crawled down into a tiny crawl space and saw the not-so-tiny leak. We called a plumber who took one look at the damage and told us he wouldn't be able to fix the problem because, in his opinion, the area was ‘chemically' unsafe. Within hours a Toxic Waste Remediation Company had completely sealed off the lower half of the house and recommended we evacuate the house. Mold and sewage had overtaken the area including the basement and underneath the house through the crawl space. My wife was pregnant at the time and we weren't going to take any chances as we had heard about the dangers of highly toxic molds.
Luckily for us, we had a great insurance company and they paid for our hotel room and meals for 10 days while the multi-step process of removal, remediation and re-testing were completed. Having a background in home building, I took a keen interest in the process and saw for my own eyes what was being done. While the event was ‘scary', once I understood what was going on I took a different attitude towards it.
As I learned more about Mold and it's effects I began to see it as a great way to help a lot of people deal with something potentially extremely harmful. And like most things, if caught early and treated correctly, mold can be handled and abated with professional ease.
The difference between our company and most is this: We care because we've been there. Our inspectors come with a construction background and are all CEI's. We know houses and buildings. We know where to find the problems and how. When we arrive at a job site we come with the proper equipment and are prepared to crawl, scrape and clamber into the crevices of a site to make sure you and your family are safe.
THAT'S OUR PROMISE