The story below is from our September/October 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
A relatively small renovation project turned into a big surprise when the project manager discovered mold that more than doubled the scope and cost of the project.
Taylor Reschka
Step flashing is a strip of metal that’s installed at a 90-degree angle where roofs meet walls. This directs water downwards and away from the building. The improper installation of the step flashing during the 2023 roof repair caused the mold issues.
John and Anne Alfieri’s home has changed a lot since they purchased it 26 years ago. After making improvements to the property over more than two decades, they contracted TBS to make minor bathroom renovations and finish their basement. The unfortunate discovery of mold damage required abatement and repair, turning a project of finishing touches into something much bigger.
Changes Through the Years
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Taylor Reschka
The kitchen designer at CAPPS by the West Lake Shopping Center recommended the raw stone backsplash pictured here.
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Taylor Reschka
Clean lines and lots of light create a comfortable bedroom.
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Taylor Reschka
The living room furniture is from Green Front in Farmville.
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Taylor Reschka
The Alfieris enjoy a view of their personal dock through their dining room windows.
John and Anne named their home the “Pizza Hut House” when they bought it in 1999 because they thought it looked like an old Pizza Hut.
John is a hobbyist woodworker, and the Alfieris decorated the home with furniture purchased through traditional vendors and John’s original creations over time. When the Alfieris redid their personal dock on Smith Mountain Lake in 2005, John used his woodworking skills to build the staircase leading down to it.
Meanwhile, Anne displayed her creative flair through landscaping. As a certified master gardener, Ann developed the landscape design and planted almost all the foliage.
These things improved the property, but the Alfieris wanted more space because the home was 1,400 square feet. Family had to sleep in tents in the yard when they visited because there wasn’t enough indoor space. The bedrooms upstairs had such low ceilings that people could barely stand up in them.
In 2013, the Alfieris tore the Pizza Hut House down and rebuilt the whole thing. The new house roughed the basement out for a bathroom and unfinished basement, which they planned to finish at a later date.
In 2023, the Alfieris noticed their roof was leaking. They hired a roofer to replace it, which required removing the front stone facade and then putting it back on. Unbeknownst to the Alfieris, this would complicate their future renovation with TBS.
Choosing to work with TBS
Taylor Reschka
The primary bathroom has a beachy look with shells on the floor. Ann selected the tile to match the wall paint.
In 2024, Anne and John wanted some small finishing touches on their home. Anne found TBS through a google search and got a quote to replace the shower and tile in the main level bathrooms and finish the basement. This was to be the cherry-on-top renovation that made the home complete.
Christiann Haselton of TBS gave the Alfieris their initial quote for the renovation. He saw the step flashing was installed improperly during the 2023 roof repair and suspected a mold problem, but he said he wouldn’t know for sure until he started the demolition.
As TBS started the demolition, Christiann discovered water damage behind the walls. He traced the stain down to the foundation, indicating that the leak had affected all three levels of the home and caused mold growth. Mold abatement, the process of cleaning and disinfecting surfaces to remove mold and removing contaminated materials, was needed on all three floors.
TBS had to pause their portion of the project and call in Green Homes Solutions.
The Importance of Safe Mold Repair
Christiann cautions homeowners to find an accredited business for mold abatement and repair. Improper mold removal can release mold spores into the air which can cause further growth.
TBS partners with Chris Himmell of Green Home Solutions for all its mold remediation projects. Green Home Solutions is nationally accredited and certified, and staff attends yearly classes to study the science behind mold remediation.
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Taylor Reschka
The headboards of these beds in the basement are John’s childhood twin beds that he and his twin brother slept in.
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Taylor Reschka
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Taylor Reschka
John used his woodworking skills to make the basement chest and the TV stand.
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Taylor Reschka
The Alfieris had a smaller screened-in porch in the Pizza Hut house. The 2015 rebuild made it bigger.
Green Home Solutions uses green-certified, plant-based enzymes to kill the head, body and root of mold so that the mold can’t regrow. Most mold removal products sold at box stores only kill the head and body, which is why so many people see mold regrowth after using these products.
Green Home Solutions then replenishes good bacteria using probiotics. Chris explains that the surface area of every home has a microbiome of good and bad bacteria, just like the human body. If you kill everything on a surface, that surface becomes a “graveyard of bacteria” with no good bacteria left. This opens the door for bad bacteria to grow back shortly thereafter.
Because the enzymes and probiotics that Green Home Solutions uses are green-certified, Chris says they spray them on “every square inch” of the home and in the air. These products also destroy allergens and pathogens and create a safe and healthy microbiome throughout the whole home.
How Homeowners Can Protect Themselves
How can homeowners protect themselves against faulty workmanship that causes mold problems or any other problems? Christiann says the best way is by ensuring that the contractor will provide a certificate of insurance before beginning any project. The general contractor should also hold insurance on all subcontractors.
This allows homeowners to file a claim against the contractor’s liability insurance if they have problems, even if it’s years down the line. If the Alfieris had gotten a certificate of insurance for repairs, the contractor’s liability insurance would have covered them. Without it, they couldn’t get any compensation.
Homeowners also need to look into their property insurance and know what it will and won’t cover. When the Alfieries contacted their property insurance company, they got another unpleasant surprise: their property insurance didn’t cover damage caused by faulty workmanship. The Alfieris consequently had to pay for the mold remediation out of pocket.
The Design Fun Finally Begins
Fortunately, Anne and John didn’t let the mold setback stop them. Once the mold was safely remediated, they got back to the fun part — design.
Taylor Reschka
Anne had an allowance for certain items, which is money allocated to parts of the construction project so that contractors can give an estimate for the job. TBS also gives each client a good, better and best option for floors, cabinets and vanities. The client can choose which cost and quality best suits their needs.
Anne describes herself as a “decisive person” and relied on her own preferences and advice from vendors rather than hiring a separate designer. She often had a general idea of what she would like and didn’t belabor the decision-making process.
When choosing the bathroom vanity for the basement, Anne said, “I want something simple.” The project coordinator at TBS sent Anne some pictures of what was possible within her allowance and “magically” made sure Anne got what she wanted while staying on budget.
As part of the upstairs bathroom renovations, TBS took out the shower inserts and retiled them. The manager of the Floor Show in Lynchburg advised Anne on the tile selection.
Anne designed the fireplace based on Pinterest, combining different things she liked to create an original amalgam. TBS adjusted the mantle for it to fit properly in the corner.
John and Anne’s home is finally complete, and Anne is happy the basement TV area is now “cozy.” She’s also grateful that the renovation revealed the mold issue so it could be resolved. Anne says, “We are truly happy with the renovations, and despite all the setbacks, the renovation process was totally worth it. TBS was great to work with and we are thoroughly enjoying our renovated home.”
The story above is from our September/October 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!