Penetrating Damp - Mold from leak in new build - Housing Developer not going to protect from mold

flyingvee

Hi, I really hope someone can help.
We bought a new build a few months ago. The shower didn't work due to it being incorrectly fitted (the hot and cold pipes were in reverse).
Housing developer (HD) fix this by going in through kitchen ceiling and switching the feeds.
Then a month ago we notice water dripping inside the shower, down the tiles. HD tells us this is only inside and theyll get someone out to us but not to worry.
Then mould starts coming through the grout into the shower and also down the 2story stairs wall behind the shower. 
The shower is inspected from the shower side and plumber confirms the pipes are too short and no 'o ring' and water has been leaking into the wall cavity and the insulation he can see is full of mold.
HD says they will come and rip the wall out fix the shower and replace the insulation.
However they will not conduct a mold survey, will not have a mold speacialist make the house safe after they have disturbed all of the spores, despite us having a child with severe allergies, a two year old and me with a very vulnerable neurological/autoimmune condition.

Does anyone know if we have any rights to make them remove the mold safely not putting us at further risk?
Positive comments only please. I have been going through alot recently and I really don't need trolls please.

JJR45

flyingvee said:

The shower is inspected from the shower side and plumber confirms the pipes are too short and no 'o ring' and water has been leaking into the wall cavity and the insulation he can see is full of mold.
HD says they will come and rip the wall out fix the shower and replace the insulation.
.

Not sure it would leak through the wall cavity or how he would see into the cavity or the insulation as you would have to remove the intenal skin (breeze blocks).
The water pipes would usually go behind the plasterboard, I would say at a guess any mold would be contained within the area between the plasterboard and internal wall. It would unlikely it would have got through the breeze block and the insulation.
The insulation generally does not harbor mould as it is installed while they build, if it did it would go mouldy as they build, as it gets soaked regularly during the build process.(good old British weather)

Removing and replacing the plasterboard should sort it IMHO.

AdrianC

flyingvee said:

We bought a new build a few months ago. The shower didn't work due to it being incorrectly fitted (the hot and cold pipes were in reverse).
Housing developer (HD) fix this by going in through kitchen ceiling and switching the feeds.
Then a month ago we notice water dripping inside the shower, down the tiles. HD tells us this is only inside and theyll get someone out to us but not to worry.
Then mould starts coming through the grout into the shower and also down the 2story stairs wall behind the shower. 
The shower is inspected from the shower side and plumber confirms the pipes are too short and no 'o ring' and water has been leaking into the wall cavity and the insulation he can see is full of mold.

HD says they will come and rip the wall out fix the shower and replace the insulation.

Is this an internal partition wall, or an external wall?

However they will not conduct a mold survey, will not have a mold speacialist make the house safe after they have disturbed all of the spores despite us having a child with severe allergies, a two year old and me with a very vulnerable neurological/autoimmune condition.

It would be perfectly safe for the vast majority of people. Yes, including two year olds.

If you and your other child have specific health conditions that mean that there is a genuine risk to your own health, then I suspect you will need to work hard to prove that situation to them for them to not regard you as over-reacting. Start with a letter from your GP, explaining the nature of the risk.

BTW, it's mould this side of the Atlantic, unless you have a town in North Wales in your wall.

deannagone

I have asthma, take the usual asthma inhalers and have to take antihistamines.  I did react very badly to mould in a car, but only when I sat where the mould was.  In the front seat I was fine with an open window.  

I suspect you and your offspring would only encounter sufficient mould spores to cause a reaction in the actual bathroom while the work was being done.  I'm sure you'd avoid that area with or without mould spores anyway.  That's all you need to do.  While the work is being done.

I'd ask the contractors to keep the bathroom window open and the bathroom door closed.  If necessary put up a film barrier over the door frame (or ask them to do it).  They should do this anyway to reduce dust.

Like I said, I have quite reactive asthma, but real life goes on, I just reduce risks wherever possible and medicate when it reacts.

RelievedSheff

JJR45 said:

flyingvee said:

The shower is inspected from the shower side and plumber confirms the pipes are too short and no 'o ring' and water has been leaking into the wall cavity and the insulation he can see is full of mold.
HD says they will come and rip the wall out fix the shower and replace the insulation.
.

Not sure it would leak through the wall cavity or how he would see into the cavity or the insulation as you would have to remove the intenal skin (breeze blocks).
The water pipes would usually go behind the plasterboard, I would say at a guess any mold would be contained within the area between the plasterboard and internal wall. It would unlikely it would have got through the breeze block and the insulation.
The insulation generally does not harbor mould as it is installed while they build, if it did it would go mouldy as they build, as it gets soaked regularly during the build process.(good old British weather)

Removing and replacing the plasterboard should sort it IMHO.

Unless it is a timber framed house with no breeze block of course!!