My wife and I are in the process of selecting a contractor for a new build. We visited one of their current in-progress builds to get a feel for their work quality. Mold is a major concern for us upfront — my wife has a serious mold allergy and it was the first thing we disclosed to the contractor when we met. What we found in the basement has us second-guessing everything. Photos attached. Specifically: • Extensive dark spotting across the OSB subfloor (visible from the basement ceiling) • Widespread mold on installed framing lumber, including studs already incorporated into the wall structure • Heavy moisture staining on framing members • The sill plate area showing significant moisture saturation with water visibly pooling on the concrete below it
This builder has been in business 30+ years, is the top-rated in our area, and has only 2 negative reviews I could find. His other completed builds looked fine from what I could see, but they were already closed up — which is exactly what worries me. My questions for the community: 1. How bad is this really? Is some of this normal for an in-progress build? 2. Is there a meaningful difference between surface mold that can be treated vs. what’s shown here? 3. If we were to move forward, what contract protections would you insist on? 4. Would you walk away entirely, or is a 30-year reputation enough to give the benefit of the doubt? Appreciate any insight from builders, inspectors, or anyone who’s been through something similar