Environmental Risk Assessment

Same-day and next-day appointments are usually available across our Dearborn service area, with 24/7 emergency response for active leaks, recent water damage, or urgent real estate timelines. Standard scheduling runs 1 to 3 business days depending on availability.

Our certified mold inspectors assess bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, basements, attics, crawl spaces, HVAC components, and any area showing signs of past or current water issues. Thermal imaging and moisture meters identify hidden moisture behind walls and under floors.

The Rouge River and its tributaries run through the southern portions of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, and properties in the surrounding neighborhoods experience both direct flood risk and the chronic groundwater effects of proximity to a river system. Historic flooding along the Rouge — which has affected Dearborn neighborhoods in multiple significant events — has left behind moisture damage in basement and lower-level spaces that was not always fully remediated. Even in years without visible flooding, the elevated water table near the river corridor maintains hydrostatic pressure on foundation walls in adjacent properties. Any home within the Rouge River influence zone that has not received a recent basement and crawl space assessment should be considered a priority for inspection.

Pricing varies based on the size of the property, the scope of testing required, and whether any lab work is included. Most residential mold inspections in Dearborn fall within the standard industry range of $300 to $600, with a clear quote provided before any work begins.

Air sampling, swab testing, tape lift testing, wall cavity sampling, and HVAC mold testing. The inspector recommends the right method on-site based on what's found. Samples go to a state-certified lab, with results typically back in 24 to 72 hours.

Mold needs water to grow, so finding the moisture source is what prevents the same problem from coming back after any cleanup. Moisture detection during the inspection identifies plumbing leaks, roof leaks, condensation issues, and humidity buildup that's feeding any growth.

Yes. Post-remediation verification confirms the remediation contractor's work succeeded and the space is safe to reoccupy. Because we don't perform remediation ourselves, the verification stays independent of the remediation contractor's interests, which is what insurers and tenants look for.

Inspection and testing only — we do not perform removal or remediation, and that separation is deliberate. The company telling you how much mold you have should not be the company billing you to take it out. What you get is the diagnosis: how far the growth extends, the moisture source keeping it alive, lab confirmation of what is present, and a written report you can hand to several remediation contractors so they bid the same scope instead of their own estimates. In Dearborn that independence usually works in the homeowner's favour. Basement moisture is close to universal in this housing stock, so a remediation company walking a century-old basement will nearly always find something to quote, and the useful question is not whether moisture exists but whether it is active, where it enters, and how much material is genuinely affected. A defined scope routinely produces a smaller job than a walkthrough estimate.

The visit opens with history — the age of the house, what has flooded or backed up, what has been repaired — then moves into a systematic survey with thermal imaging and pin and pinless moisture meters alongside the visual inspection. In Dearborn the basement is where the work concentrates, and for good reason: the city's brick bungalows and two-story colonials sit on original stone or poured foundations built long before modern waterproofing, and after seventy to a hundred years of groundwater pressure and freeze-thaw cycling, intrusion through foundation walls and floor slabs is the norm rather than the exception. The inspection maps where water is entering, checks the rim joist and sill area, the base of finished basement walls, and any framing installed against foundation walls. Window frames get attention too, since decades of winter condensation feed moisture into the wall cavity below. Expect two to three hours for a typical home.

Michigan does not license mold inspectors or mold remediation companies — there is no state credential to look up, and anyone can describe themselves as a mold professional here. What you can verify still tells you most of what you need. Confirm recognized third-party industry certification and current liability insurance. Confirm samples go to an accredited independent laboratory rather than being read on site by the person selling you something. Confirm the company does not also perform remediation, since an inspector who profits from the cleanup has a direct financial reason to find more of it. And confirm the deliverable is a written report with photographs, instrument readings, and marked sample locations. One thing Michigan does license is contractors: residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors are licensed through the state, so while the mold credential cannot be checked, the licence of whoever performs the actual repair work can be.

Yes — commercial and industrial buildings across the city, retail and office in East and West Dearborn, apartment buildings, and rental houses managed on behalf of owners. Commercial and industrial inspection differs mainly in where moisture hides: low-slope roofs pond and leak above ceiling systems, rooftop and packaged HVAC units generate condensation across long duct runs, and large interior volumes let a leak run a long time before anyone notices. Older industrial buildings add below-grade areas, utility tunnels, and mechanical spaces that flood quietly. For rental property the recurring issue is the basement again, and the documentation matters as much as the finding, because a basement moisture complaint between an owner and a tenant is difficult to resolve on description alone. Reports are written so an owner, a property manager, an insurer, a tenant, or counsel can each rely on them, and they carry no interest in how large the cleanup turns out to be.

Give every contractor the same report and ask them to bid the documented scope, so quotes differ on price and method rather than on how much mold each company claims to find. Verify licensing through the state — Michigan licenses residential builders and maintenance and alteration contractors even though it does not license mold work specifically — and confirm liability insurance and workers compensation. Then press on the moisture source, because in Dearborn that is where the real decision sits. Removing damp drywall and framing from a basement without addressing why water enters through the foundation guarantees a repeat, and the fix is frequently exterior or plumbing work rather than remediation: grading and downspout discharge away from the wall, a drain tile or sump system, or a backflow preventer where the concern is sewer backup. Ask whether the contractor will coordinate that work or whether you need to arrange it separately, and settle it before demolition starts.

It is the independent check performed after the cleanup and before containment comes down and the basement is refinished: confirmation that the affected material was genuinely removed, meter verification that framing, subfloor, and masonry dried to a normal moisture content, and clearance air sampling compared against an outdoor control taken the same day. It should come from someone other than the remediation company, since a contractor verifying their own work is grading their own exam. In Dearborn it matters most before a basement is refinished, and for a concrete reason: masonry and poured foundations release moisture slowly, so a wall whose surface reads dry can still be wet enough behind new studs and insulation to start the problem over inside a finished space where nobody will see it for years. Verification before those finishes go back is the cheapest step in the entire project, and the one most often skipped.