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1. Onsite Environmental Assessment
- Puget Sound region only
a. Residential
b. Commercial Buildings and Schools
2. Virtual Environmental Assessment
3. Phone Consultations
4. Consultation for Designing and Building Healthy Homes
5. Information Packets (Reports)
Area served: We are located in Seattle, Washington and provide onsite environmental assessments in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
What we do: We discuss the complaints or concerns and symptoms, as well as the location and timing of the complaints. We note the recent history of the building - moisture, leaks, remodeling, etc. We do a walk-through inspection of the building with instruments that measure the following conditions:
- Temperature and relative humidity of the air
- Moisture content of walls, ceilings, and floors
- Chemical gasses, including outgassing from carpets, furniture, furnace, etc.
- Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels
- Fine dust levels in the air
What we inspect: We look at the entire home from the crawl space or basement to the attic. Environmental problems are not always from one source. Often several things interact to cause a problem. Residential inspections usually last around one and one half to two hours. We inspect:
- Appliances - Furnace, ducts and filter, ventilation system, gas water heater and gas stoves, vacuums, showers, sinks and toilets
- Pollutants - Mold, allergens, fine dust, pesticides, solvents, air fresheners and cleaning products.
- Air leaks - Between crawl space and house, and garage and house, ducts in crawl space, garage or attic
- Moisture from leaks or condensation in basements, under windows and in bathrooms
- Materials - Carpets, pads and subfloor, cabinets, shelves, trim, textured ceilings, furniture, insulation, etc.
Testing options: EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. recommends minimum testing or sampling in most buildings to find out what is there that is not visible.
Minimum assessment tests include one air test and one settled dust test. The air test captures, identifies and counts the molds, yeast and dust particles in the breathing air. Each type of mold is identified and counts are given in spores per cubic meter. The total dust concentration as well as a list of all the different kinds of particles found is also given. The air test is a “snapshot” of what you were breathing on the day we test.
Click here to see a typical Air Test Report
The settled dust test collects dust from ten locations in your home on a sterile swab. The swab is sent to a mycology lab for analysis. The results are given in in mold spores and fragments as well as dust particles that have been settling into the dust of your home over the past several weeks or months.
Both tests together give a good picture of past and present conditions. Your results are compared with hundreds of other homes in our database. Results that are significantly higher than the median level in our database usually indicate a mold or dust problem in your home.
What you will receive: You will receive a comprehensive report two to three weeks after the inspection that will describe our observations, all test results with interpretations, conclusions and recommendations. Our reports include:
I. Findings – Observations and test results
- What the walk-through found
- What were the test results
- What the levels and units mean
- Description of instruments used
II. Interpretations – What the findings mean
- How bad is it? – a slight, moderate or severe problem
- How these results compare to other similar buildings in your area
- Most probable cause of the problems
- How concerned should you be? A few square inches of mold on one window will not be a problem for most people. A wall or closet full of mold will be a problem for almost everyone
III. Recommendations – What to do about it
Every problem has a solution. We give step-by-step instructions on how to deal with any problem found.
- Effective and safe clean-up procedures
- Resources for remediation and repair services and healthier products
- Ways to prevent reoccurrence of problems
- Heating and air filtration improvements
- Ventilation improvements
It will cost: Onsite environmental assessment costs are based on the following:
- The size of the house
- The number and complexity of the problems
- Type and number of lab tests
- Travel time
- Higher costs are for multiple air tests, or other tests for lead, asbestos, formaldehyde, or other tests.
See the sidebar for Estimated Home Inspection Fees.
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Area Served: We are located in Seattle, Washington and provide onsite environmental assessments in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.
What we do: Commercial investigations vary from one hour to several days depending on the size of the building and complexity of the issues and HVAC systems. We discuss the complaints or concerns, as well as the location and timing of the complaints. We note the recent history of the building - moisture, leaks, remodeling, etc. We do a walk-through inspection of the building with instruments that measure the following conditions:
- Temperature and relative humidity of the air
- Moisture content of walls, ceilings, and floors
- Chemical gasses including outgassing from carpets, furniture, furnace etc.
- Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels
- Fine dust levels in the air
What we investigate: The scope can vary from a very limited look at one office, to a thorough investigation of the entire building. We can remain inconspicuous and say we are just checking the HVAC system, or we can conduct interviews with employees. Environmental problems are not always from one source. Often several things interact to cause a problem. We inspect your:
- HVAC- ducts and filters, ventilation system
- Pollutants- Pesticides, solvents, deodorizers, cleaning products
- Moisture leaks
- Materials - Carpets, pads and subfloor, cabinets, shelves, trim, textured ceilings and insulation
Testing options: EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. recommends minimum testing or sampling in most buildings to find out what is there that is not visible.
Minimum assessment tests include one air test and one settled dust test although this depends on the size of the building inspected. The air test captures, identifies and counts the molds, yeast and dust particles in the breathing air. Each mold species is identified and counts are given in spores per cubic meter. The total dust concentration as well as a list of all the different kinds of particles found is also given. The air test is a “snapshot” of what people were breathing on the day we tested.
The settled dust test collects dust from ten locations in the inspected area on a sterile swab. The swab is sent to a mycology lab for analysis. The results are given in mold spores and fragments as well as dust particles that have been settling into the dust over the past several weeks or months.
Both tests together give a good picture of past and present conditions. Your results are compared with hundreds of other homes, schools or office buildings in our database. Results that are significantly higher than the median level in our database usually indicate a mold or dust problem in your building.
What you will receive: You will receive a comprehensive report three weeks after the inspection that will describe our observations, all test results with interpretations, conclusions and recommendations.
I. Findings – Observations and test results
- What the walk-through found
- What were the test results
- What the levels and units mean
- Description of instruments used
II. Interpretations – What the findings mean
- How bad is it? – a slight, moderate or severe problem
- How these results compare to other similar buildings in your area
- Most probable cause of the problems?
- How concerned should you be? A few square inches of mold on one window will not be a problem for most people. A wall or closet full of mold will be a problem for almost everyone.
III. Recommendations – What to do about it
Every problem has a solution. We give step-by-step instructions on how to deal with any problems found.
- Effective and safe clean-up procedures
- Resources for remediation and repair services and healthier products
- Ways to prevent reoccurrence of problems
- Heating, A/C, and air filtration improvements
- Ventilation improvements
It will cost: Onsite environmental assessment costs are based on the following:
- The size of the building
- The number and complexity of the issues
- Who does the inspection (principal or staff)?
- The amount of testing and lab fees that are needed
- Travel time
- Additional fees may apply for other tests such as formaldehyde, VOCs or other gases, lead, asbestos, etc.
See the sidebar for Standard Building Inspections Fees
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For people who live outside Western Washington we offer two "virtual services that allows us to “see” inside your building using interviews, photos, samples and questionnaires. Call EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. and request a Virtual Environmental Assessment. You tell us your problems and concerns. We both decide if a VEA is appropriate for your situation.
Basic Assessment
Our basic virtual assessment includes an initial phone interview and instructions on how to collect tape samples in your building. When the lab results come back we send a brief report with interpretation and recommendations for what needs to be done. The cost is $150 for one tape sample and brief report, and $110 for each additional sample.
Comprehensive Assessment
Our comprehensive virtual assessment begins with an initial phone interview and instructions on how and where to take photos, and how to collect tape samples in your building as in our basic assessment. In addition we send you a VEA packet which includes:
- A questionnaire: What are your concerns or problems? Where are these problems occurring? What events may have caused the problem? Recent history of leaks, remodeling, etc.
- Where-to-look suggestions
- Photos of typical places where problems are often found
- Request for photos of all concerned areas (photos or video are acceptable)
EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. reviews your questionnaire, previous phone consultations, photos and lab results to make an assessment of your home. A follow-up phone or email consultation is sometimes required. We send a report that includes our findings, interpretations, solutions and recommendations. This usually includes step-by-step instructions and resources to help you solve your environmental problems. If we can’t solve the problem with the information requested, we may have to recommend testing, sampling, or an onsite inspection.
Cost for a Comprehensive Virtual Environmental Assessment begins at $295 and varies by number of follow-up conversations and number of samples test.
Call EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. at 206-297-3808 and ask for a Virtual Environmental Assessment
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Phone consultations, with Dan Morris, President of EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. are $30.00 - 10 minute minimum, $160/hr plus.
Call EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. at 206-297-3808 and ask for a Phone Consultation
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Phone and/or site consultations for new constructions specifications, HVAC or filtration specs, etc.
Fees
Site visit: $160/hr plus,
$70/hr travel time
Phone consultations: $30.00 - 10 minute minimum, $160/hr plus.
Call EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc. at 206-297-3808 and ask for a Phone Consultation
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Fees for Environmenal Investigations
Standard Building Investigations
Reports
Available Lab Testing and Fees
Mold and Yeast
Non-Viable
24-Hour Rush: Double above lab and report fees.
Viable Mold Tests: Same Fee; Turn around time is 2-3 weeks minimum. No 24-hour rush available.
Typical Fees
Residential Prepurchase
with no lab testing: $300-$400
Residential Clearance with 2-3 samples: $500-$800
Residential Whole House Assessment with 2-4 tests:
$600-$900
Commercial Prepurchase or Clearance: $300-$1000*
Large Commercial or School: $500-$3500*
Very Large Commercial or School: Call for estimate*
*Depending on number of buildings, size, scope, location, and number of samples.
Consulting Fees for new construction specifications, HVAC or filtration specs, etc.
Phone Consultation:
$30 minimum for 10 minutes or $160/hr plus.
Site visit: $160/hr plus,
$70/hr travel time
Virtual Environmental Assessment
Basic: beginning at $150
Comprehensive: beginning at
$295
EHSI/Healthy Buildings, Inc.’s Goal
Our goal in all investigations is to understand the root cause of the problem before offering solutions.
WE DO NOT sell any equipment, filters etc.
WE DO NOT recommend equipment (magic boxes) that promise to solve all your air quality problems.
WE DO NOT believe that duct cleaning or treatment will, by itself, solve IAQ problems.
WE DO work with you to identify the source of the problems.
WE DO consult with Ph.D. mycologists, chemists, toxicologists and M.D.s when needed to solve problems.
WE DO maintain resource lists of qualified professionals who can get the recommended work done.
WE DO get most of our clients from client referrals and from government and nonprofit environmental organizations such as the American Lung Association, the EPA and Health Departments.
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