Kitchenette Work is Blocked on Wall Mold

[wander]

Hi all,

We’ve halted work on flooring the kitchenette as we’ve discovered a mold problem in the wall:

I think this is linked to water intrusion through the covered window outside where the air conditioner is sitting.

I’m far from an expert on home renovations, so I’m not sure how we should proceed.

I’m worried that we’re going to find a much large problem once the existing drywall is removed.

We could:

• cover that portion of the building with a tarp until we get drier weather
• strip the wall down to the outer wall and completely seal off the window until the summer
• replace the existing window with an openable one that an air conditioner (I think this might require a professional to fix, and I don’t know if it counts as structural.)

Does anyone have experience in this area or thoughts on how we should proceed?

[JohnC]

Does the landlord know about this? Do they have any preference on how we proceed?

[Janet]

Not yet I don’t think. He’ll likely approve whatever sensible direction we decide to take once we figure out what that is.

[Janet]

So obviously, fix the wall and then put a hot tub in there.

I’d love to see a window in there so we can put in a legit air conditioner. Those 2 rooms were really hot when we looked at the place last August. Good news tho is the main part of the space was nice n’ cool.

[rsim]

@JohnC

Does the landlord know about this? Do they have any preference on how we proceed?

I’ve updated the landlord and building manager on the situation and am waiting to hear back with a go-ahead to do the repairs or whatever we see fit to do at this stage.

[wander]

Update: the wall was pulled out and the moldy drywall was removed.

The boarded over window has been replaced and properly caulked, which should stop the leakage of water into the building.

Flooring and baseboard replacement can now proceed! Many thanks to @Petetheviking for lending us his top-notch contractor skills and @kleenpwr for additional work!

[Janet]

Looks amazing! Thanks all of you for doing that and for driving allover town to find a replacement window!