ENVIROTEST LABORATORY INC

Since the winter storms of February of 2015 I have been going through a never ending nightmare in my townhouse.?? I have been in never ending battles with Commerce and?another company.? In addition to all the damage to my home I? developed a distinct, foul odor throughout my house.? I have had adjusters and 13 different companies in my home.? No one has been able to fully identify and remediate the problem.? For almost a year and a half I have been living in a home with no flooring and unfinished walls in addition to the foul odor. I've had one company after another in my home without resolution. I have two people and two companies to thank for finally ending this nightmare.? One is Brady DiRusso?of Affordable Environmental, Inc. ?and the other is Sam Cohen of Envirotest in Dedham, MA.? Affordable Environmental has taken care of the mold issue and will be? review?in a separately. Sam Cohen is?a Knight in Shining Armor.? I was told he was the best and I can attest, he is.?He is extremely busy because of this.? ?After all of the various companies, Sam was the only one to find the problem (literally within minutes).? Not only was he able to identify the problem, he was able to substantiate it with his highly advanced?technology.? He provided me with a 30-page report to provide to my association.? Sam also made himself available and quickly responded to numerous phone calls, text messages and voice mails.?He even responded when I texted him while he was away on vacation!???He never made me feel like a bother, was professional and responsive at all times.? Sam went above and beyond in all aspects of his work, particularly with the time and care he afforded me.? He did not rush in and rush out but took the time to answer all my questions and was thorough.? ?When the association responded but the smell lingered, Sam returned and was able to provide the association with a video of the mold and wood rot that they had not removed.? You can't argue with pictures and video!? He made himself available to speak with the maintenance workers and with the association whenever necessary.? Sam will stay with the job and with you until it is done correctly. It would be my sincere recommendation that you don't waste time and money with other companies.? Sam is the best there is, he is thorough, knowledgeable, reasonable,?effective and gets the job done right.

Since the winter storms of February of 2015 I have been going through a never ending nightmare in my townhouse.   I have been in never ending battles with Commerce and another company.  In addition to all the damage to my home I  developed a distinct, foul odor throughout my house.  I have had adjusters and 13 different companies in my home.  No one has been able to fully identify and remediate the problem.  For almost a year and a half I have been living in a home with no flooring and unfinished walls in addition to the foul odor. I've had one company after another in my home without resolution.

I have two people and two companies to thank for finally ending this nightmare.  One is Brady DiRusso of Affordable Environmental, Inc.  and the other is Sam Cohen of Envirotest in Dedham, MA.  Affordable Environmental has taken care of the mold issue and will be  review in a separately.

Sam Cohen is a Knight in Shining Armor.  I was told he was the best and I can attest, he is. He is extremely busy because of this.   After all of the various companies, Sam was the only one to find the problem (literally within minutes).  Not only was he able to identify the problem, he was able to substantiate it with his highly advanced technology.  He provided me with a 30-page report to provide to my association.  Sam also made himself available and quickly responded to numerous phone calls, text messages and voice mails. He even responded when I texted him while he was away on vacation!   He never made me feel like a bother, was professional and responsive at all times.  Sam went above and beyond in all aspects of his work, particularly with the time and care he afforded me.  He did not rush in and rush out but took the time to answer all my questions and was thorough.   When the association responded but the smell lingered, Sam returned and was able to provide the association with a video of the mold and wood rot that they had not removed.  You can't argue with pictures and video!  He made himself available to speak with the maintenance workers and with the association whenever necessary.  Sam will stay with the job and with you until it is done correctly.

It would be my sincere recommendation that you don't waste time and money with other companies.  Sam is the best there is, he is thorough, knowledgeable, reasonable, effective and gets the job done right.

Sam was professional when there performing a mold test and seemed knowledgable, but said that included in the cost of the test would be a return visit after the mild was cleaned up to certify that the mold was gone. After many many phone calls to schedule the return visit, he either did not return the call, or the call was "dropped" when I finally got through with no call back or immediate voicemail when I tried calling him back. It seemed as though he was doing everything he could to avoid returning to finish the job. I am very disappointed.

Sam used a device to measure mold counts and inserted a fibre optic cam behind the walls to see what was going on.  Good news - nothing.  He got into the drains and the lever for the bathtub drain, found a minor pocket of mold and eradicated that with bleach.  He left instructions on how to address this in the future.  
Sam is professional, personable, and more than competent.  I recommend Envirotest Labs to anybody.
Thanks, Sam, and thanks, Angie!

We had ice dams on our roof last winter which caused water to leak into the first floor ceilings in the family room and the living room.  We also discovered mold in the attic and called Sam Cohen at Envirotest Laboratory Inc.  He came the very next day and tested our ceilings and walls with a special device that detects moisture.  This cost $290.00.  Sam told us that he saves people thousands of dollars, and I can see why, since he can detect where the moisture really is.  Sam has a passion for his work and he explained everything to us very clearly.  He was spot on.
A week later, Jeff Hill, from Envirotest, came and performed mold remediation in part of our living room ceiling, where we had had dripping water into pails last winter.  He took down the entire family room ceiling and treated the mold there, and in part of a wall.  He also treated the mold in the attic.  Jeff and his helpers were very professional, and cleaned up afterwards.  His final price was less than his estimate because he did not have to take down the entire living room ceiling.  Cost: $3,100.00.  It seemed very reasonable for the work done.
What a relief to get rid of the mold in the house!
I highly recommend this company!!  (They came highly recommended from a trusted contractor.)

We paid $380 for an air quality assessment that was supposed to culminate in written lab results.  When the Envirotest representative came to our house in November, he said we get receive the report by the end of the week or the beginning of the next week.  It is now three months later and we still do not have it.
In addition to the three emails I sent asking for the report, I also called the Envirotest office twice.  Each time, someone took down my name, address, and email address and said they would follow up.  Each time, no one did.
Which is a shame, because outside of the unexplained delay in the report, I was pleased with Envirotest?s work.  After the representative first came to our house, he returned twice to test the air in the garage below our unit.  He advised us to get the Honeywell HEPA air filter, which seems to have worked well in addressing our particulate problem.
I don't understand why the company, which was so responsive in testing the air, was so unresponsive in getting us the
results.  At a minimum, I would have expected that the company would call me back when I left my contact information, explaining why the lab report was delayed and when I could expect it.  But they never did.

unknown

Sam is excellent!
My wife and I have been having respiratory issues in our bedroom, waking up every morning with red, itchy eyes, and a sore throat. We tried cleaning everything, but to no avail. We looked at other air quality consultants, one of which wanted $1200 for a consultation for one floor only, and up to 2k to look at our basement as well, plus additional for each air quality test. Sam is MUCH more reasonable and probably did a much better job than they would have done.
We called Sam and he came over and spent almost three hours at our place, examining each room in our house and the basement in detail, taking particulate air quality measurements with his instruments, and taking air samples to analyze at the lab. He was able to identify a myriad of problems with our house, and sent back a detailed room-by-room analysis of air quality and a detailed action plan. He also suggested specific brands of air purifiers to use that were more cost-effective and better performing than the ones your might choose by yourself.
After enacting every suggestion of his, the air quality was improved but still not great, so he came back at no charge to help us figure out what else needed to be done, and told us to be in touch until all of our problems were resolved.
Overall, Sam is professional, thorough, and exceptionally nice to deal with. We had some small scheduling mix-ups, so just make sure to reconfirm the appointment time with him a few days in advance and everything should be great.
I highly recommend his services.

Sam responded to my initial inquiry within a couple of hours, and came out to our house on the next day.  He was thorough and detailed, and was able to isolate several problematic areas and make recommendations.  He went above and beyond by showing me where cold air was leaking into the house, making various recommendations to improve the air quality in our home, and showing me areas in our attic with heavy moisture condensation.  He didn't rush, was detail oriented, and spent a good amount of time answering all of my questions.  We had a complete and detailed inspection report within 36 hours of the inspection.  What I appreciate the most is Sam's availability for follow-up questions - I've reached out a couple of times since the inspection, and Sam has responded very quickly!

unknown

unknown

unknown

Sam came over and did an air test for my condo because there was a concern of mold. Sam was on time and did a thorough review of my unit including the basement. he was able to isolate that we had a humidity problem and not a mold problem. Put ourt  minds at ease and that was worth the money alone, however he made some great recommendations and issued a very thorough report. as well  He was tough to get a hold of at first due to being out of town and having some family issues. I nonetheless have to give a B for responsiveness because whomever was taking his calls while he was unavailable was not 100% clear with me about when to expect a response. I am glad I waited it out however because he really helped us out. Dehumidifier in the basement and things seems to be working out.  I would recommend him.

No mold- saved $2600 and still have basement intact.  I am probably going to get a new furnace though.. 27 years later it may be time. 
Very highly recommended!

I can't say enough about Jeff and the amount/quality of work that he did at my house.  The house that I bought had been uninhabited for about 2 or 3 years and was built in 1863.  The basement was absolutely covered in mold to the point where I thought I'd have to tear it down.  But Jeff reassured me that he could salvage it...and sure enough, that's exactly what he did.  He went in there and demo'ed the entire basement...treated the mold with Aftershock...then he painted using special mold absorbing paint!  My basement looks absolutely clean now and I have no reservations whatsoever about bringing my kids down there.  Jeff was a true professional...always showed up on time...was very respectful and courteous...returned phone calls and text messages.  A real stand-up guy. I HIGHLY recommend Envirotest for any mold remediatiom needs. 

We had Jeff come out and do the required testing of the entire house for asbestos so that we could obtain our demo and building permit to move forward with our project.  Not only was Jeff responsive and quick with getting out to our project, but he also had the best price when I had called around.  Unfortunately we tested positive in one area for asbestos, but Jeff did an awesome job and had already farmed out the removal project to multiple contractors and came to us with the bad news with the good news that he already had someone lined up that would do the work for a great price.  We were very pleased with our experience during this process and would highly recommend Envirotest Laboratory Inc to anyone.  Thanks!

I have used Sam before for mold and asbestos services, and each time he has come over he has been incredibly helpful and objective. This time he came to assess the extent of water damage due to ice dams, and the possibility of mold. I wanted a second, objective opinion from him because the water abatement company told us we needed to rip out kitchen cabinets and take down an entire wall to dry up moisture in the walls, because it would not dry fully on its own because we had spray foam in the walls.
Sam did a moisture test and explained to us that, contrary to what the abatement folks were telling us, the spray foam is actually what will continue to allow things to dry up because unlike fiberglass, it does not absorb moisture. He said to just wait until things dry up, rather than do unnecessary, expensive work. In essence, Sam saved us thousands of dollars and immense aggravation of uprooting the kitchen. If you ever need an objective opinion around mold or other environmental issues, Sam's the guy to go to.

This was a terrific experience! We were extremely stressed by our asbestos scare, and Envirotest was so responsive, helpful and time-efficient. We were very impressed by the owner, Sam Cohen, and by the company as a whole. They made a daunting experience manageable, and we were able to obtain results much more quickly than expected. I would highly recommend Envirotest in the future.

Sam was very professional and knowledgeable and his assessment seemed fair.

I called Sam because my contractor had pulled up what seemed like asbestos tile without alerting us to the fact he was going to do this. We were very concerned because we have a 3 year old and did not want her (or us) to be breathing in asbestos fibers. Sam immediately sent over his colleague Jeff who did an air test to reassure us that breathing the air in the basement was safe, and also took a tile sample to get it tested. Fortunately we were able to cover over the tile area with mortar in order to place new tile so it did not need to be abated, but we really appreciated Envirotest's timeliness in coming over and doing the testing for us. I've used Envirotest several other times for other types of environmental testing and would use no one else!

Sam came to my place last year and I wasn't sure whether I would recommend him or not which is why I did not write a review at the time. A friend of mine had Sam do an evaluation recently (they had no idea that he had evaluated my home until after the fact) and had a similar experience.  I think Sam knows his stuff and has been in the business a long time, but needs to be far less casual about the business since it is not reassuring to his customers. I wasn't clear that he remembered the appt when I called to inquire about the estimated arrival time and where he was supposed to be.  He did arrive within a reasonable time following that conversation.  He provided lots of info. verbally about what he thought of my place and potential areas of concern. I had to call for the report and he then referred me to his office to contact. I thought it unusual that the onus would be on me to see that a report was sent to me.  In my friends case, he found mold in the duct system and gave them a contact for removal.  The remediations company found no mold at all and couldn't justify that their services were needed.  They had similar issues with obtaining the written report and billing as well.  I'm not sure what to think, since I think he has potential to be very helpful,and knowledgeable but his heart is not really in it. I chose his company because it sounded reasonable w/ competitive pricing, but I would probably not go this route again.

unknown

went fine. they wanted payment prior to releasing test result which was o.k. prompt service

Provided multi-page, detailed and very thorough report of moisture issues both inside and outside the house.  Listed several recommendations regarding steps to take to alleviate moisture problems, provide better insulation, and prevent recurrence of issues..

Amazing! Was here hours after calling, professional, affordable. Two thumbs up.