we are thinking of buying an old house that we really love for its character.the house is a fixer upper needing a roof repair that has been left unattended for some time,to add to that problem there is a significant amount of mold on all of the walls(which are made of concrete)my son is allergic to mold among other things.what can we do about this mold problem or is this a bad idea?

If the house you are considering has concrete walls, and you see mold or mildew; the root cause is moisture. Moisture can be transmitted through the wall from the outside, or be condensed onto the wall by moisture in the house condensing on the cooler surface. These walls can be completely cleaned using a mild biocidal agent and sealed. Moisture can be controlled by use of air conditionsing, dehumidification and other mechanical means. If the problem orginates outside the house, that is also usually able to be corrected.

The fact you have family members with known allergies to mold, is a concern here. Personally, with that situation, I would not consider a home with an existing problem. You will aways fight a battle with moisture in a home constructed with concrete walls; so my advise is that this can be cleaned and controlled, but a family with known mold allergies should carefully consider whether they want to risk exposing a family member, or perhaps not being able to sufficiently clean the home to make it habitable by an allergy sufferer.

Mold can be treated as can the moisture issue with concrete. If you have any questions, please contact me below, I would be happy to help.

kingvolcano@aol.com