HNST Mold Inspections

It went great! My parents had a couple of leaks in their house in an upstairs bathroom and mold developed in the basement. Apparently in NY, if there is mold in your house, you must get a NY State licensed mold assessor to determine everywhere that mold is or could be. We got John Skelly’s name from a mold remediation company. John talked to me and explained what things we could and could not do, and what we did and didn’t have to do. He gave us multiple financial options. His fees were very reasonable. It turned out he also is licensed to assess for asbestos and since my parents’ house was built in 1968, we asked him to also check for asbestos. When he got to the house, he looked everything over well and also took air samples which were sent to a lab. He took special pictures showing where there was moisture. Throughout the entire process, he talked to me on the phone as well as by text and email, constantly keeping me apprised of all that was happening. After he was done, he sent me an email with a letter explaining everything to me-and to the mold remediator we hired-that included what they needed to do and where. It was a detailed letter with an incredible amount of data referring to moisture content, types of mold, and possible reactions to living with mold, among other things. He had a lot of technical equipment. He took multiple pictures showing where the mold and water damage was and included these in his report. Many of these photos were taken with special cameras and equipment. He even cited an incredible array of research and information if we or the remediators or anyone else wanted more information or knowledge. I forwarded the email to the remediators and they got to work. At the remediator's suggestion we had John come back again to “clear” the work they did, when they were almost done. He looked everything over well and took more air samples which he again sent to a lab. He told the remediators to do a few minor additional things but said they were primarily done. He did great work and was very thorough. For example at one point the mold remediators told him they had detected moisture content in one place a week before John came to the house even though he did not detect any there a week later. Rather than leaving that out of his report, he went back to the house and took a moisture reading again, and then included that information-citing the photos they took showing the moisture readings the remediators got-when they had been there. John is obviously smart and clearly knows what he is doing. When he wrote what the remediators needed to do, he wrote out quite an elaborate plan for them including the precautions they should take and what equipment they should use and where. While I’m pretty certain that many remediators know most of what he discussed, I’m fairly certain it was still very useful for them to know his recommendations since he is licensed to evaluate if and where mold is and how to best deal with it. It was also useful to me to know the extent of the work that was needed as well as the precautions the remediators needed to take to keep my elderly parents safe during the process. It was also impressive that he had all of that knowledge. In addition to everything else mentioned, John was also very supportive and was extremely helpful. When he learned from the remediators that my parents had a leak that hadn’t been able to be seen before the sheetrock on the walls and ceilings were down, he got out a ladder and looked at the leak carefully, even though it was way up in the ceiling in their basement. He had my Mom flush the toilet and took video of where the water was leaking so that we could show it to the plumber we next hired, as well as to the insurance company to demonstrate where the leak was and that it couldn’t be seen until the drywall was down from the walls and ceilings. He told us with this new information that he believed there was a leak in some part of the toilet and that this is clearly causing a leak and is likely what caused most or all of the mold. He really went above and beyond for us. He didn’t need to have done any of what I just mentioned above. In the end he wrote up another report talking about the remediators and the leaks. He also wrote it so that we could show the insurance company and let them know what was going on. Between John and the mold remediators my parents and I ended up having what could have been a very dragged-out, annoying, costly situation, be something that was as painless as possible and was even quite interesting and informative. As I said above, John really went above and beyond for us. He didn’t need to do some of the things he did. You cannot go wrong if you hire him to assess mold or asbestos or anything else he is licensed to evaluate, in your home. I very highly recommend John Skelly.

very thorough inspection and detailed report. Very satisfied.

John really lives up to his company's name (HNST) - he is honest, trustworthy, diligent, detail oriented and very professional. I would highly recommend his services to anyone who is looking to inspect for mold.

Knowledgeable, educational, thorough and customized recommendations to suit our needs.

All went well John is a professional knows his job would recommend to anyone needing this type of work

My wife and I called John in a panic when mold was discovered in our apartment. He was very kind and explained to us in detail the issues related to the mold that we needed to understand. John also walked us through the mold remediation and testing process. John's knowledge and insight were exceptional; he was also very patient and thorough in answering all of our questions. John is clearly an expert in mold remediation and testing. After our apartment was rid of mold and the tests were done, we followed up with John to understand the results. John was again remarkably thorough and clear in his explanations, translating the results into terms we could comprehend. He was also patient with us as we tried to grasp the potential health effects of the mold. John made us feel like we had an ally in this stressful and difficult situation that was sprung upon us in our apartment. We can't thank John enough for his kindness and help. And we can't stop raving about how intelligent John is and how experienced he is in this area. We highly recommend John for any mold work you need done!

John was so helpful since our first conversation. He was able to schedule us a day after I contacted him. He was punctual to our time. In addition, John was extremely thorough in his assessment of the scope of our problem. He had a hypothesis of the possible culprit to our situation. We had a small leak during the winter in our heating system. He provided so much education and guidance of the next steps to do. We decided to complete additional air quality test in addition to mold testing. His reports are very thorough and straightforward. We appreciate all his guidance and suggestions.

Mr. John is extremely knowledgeable. His recommendations to remediate the problem were detailed and extremely helpful. You cannot go wrong with John.

John Skelly came to the house for a scheduled appointment. He spent close to two hours carefully inspecting radiators, walls, ac unit, furnace room, etc. and took three air samples. He is very thorough and very knowledgeable, and really took his time - noting some things that he recommended that we do (clean ac vents, consider professional duct cleaning). The lab results were interesting in part because they didn't show what I expected them to, so we now have a plan to follow thanks to John. Important note: this isn't a remediation company, so I didn't have the sense that he was creating a case for selling me another service. Neutral unbiased information is always useful.

We were very satisfied with the services provided by HNST.

John was so easy to deal with and a complete professional. Super responsive, showed up on time and performed a very thorough inspection, checking every nook and cranny. Clealry takes care and pride in his work and it shows. Asked him for a recommendation on a dehumidifier and he emailed a link with his pick the same day. If you need a knowledgeable and professional mold inspector who will do a great job, look no further. Karina

The expierence was wonderful. My wife and I are looking to buy a property and found mold to in attic of the house we want to buy. John was very quick, and a wealth of information. He went throw each and every detail of the mold remediation process with me. John was a true professional and would highly recommend him!

Great. John was quick to respond to our inquiry and came to evaluate our home the following day. He was very knowledgeable and offered many good suggestions and tips.

Very professional and a good communicator.

I retained HNST to perform an inspection because of all of the positive comments from his previous customers. I was not disappointed. John was very professional and knowledgeable, answering my questions in language I could understand, and providing me with information on how to effectively remediate the mold issue in as cost-effective a manner as possible. I highly recommend HNST's services.

I highly recommend John for his knowledge and professionalism. I definitely would use him again if the need should arise.

went smoothly and explanations were clear

John was very professional, honest and reliable. We would absolutely recommend his service.

John was great! We had been given a quote for some work from a company that just looked at the mold and recommended an extreme amount of work that seemed excessive ( well, I hoped it was). I got a recommendation to have the mold tested and I found HNST on Angie's list. John told me on the phone that the location that I described meant it was very unlikely that it was the very toxic type of mold and that it was unlikely that the mold would be in some of the other areas that the other company had said needed to all be ripped out. He described why, and after doing some research, it made sense. So, i asked him to come check it out. John came to my home right on time, he did the inspection. He really knows his mold! His explanation and recommendation made sense. Basically I just had mold due to condensation on my roof sheathing. He tested the mold and confirmed the type and wrote a nice report that explained how the mold should be remediated. It is an allergen, so it should be removed, but it isn't the ridiculous "black mold" that people really go batty over (for legitimate reasons I think). He also made some recommendations of how to get to the root cause so the condensation would not re-occur in a significant way. I am an engineer so I nerded out on this stuff and did a bunch of research. John's recommendations all made sense and could be corroborated. On top of all this, he is a super nice guy. His stuff about trying to be fair and objective, ( I can't remember the whole writeup that he has), all that stuff... it is true! I cannot recommend HNST enough! It is such a pleasure to work with scientifically minded, objective, fair people. Thanks to John, and to Angie's list for this!!

John was very profession and punctual. tested 1st and second floor for mold and air quality . Very accurate and detail oriented and answered all questions thoroughly about test results. Would use John's company again for air quality testing.

Recommended purchasing a HEPA vacuum rated for abatement such as Nilfisk to clean up shoddy work done previously by mold remediator. Found mold in window a/c units and recommended replacement. Overall offered advice for how to get the house clean because a member of the household has been extremely sick since moving into the house and finding black mold in the basement.

After a general inspector suspected mold in a house I was planning to buy, I found HNST on Angie?s list and John came right away. John is extremely knowledgeable, honest, and professional. He only inspects and does not sell any products or have any interest in a remediation company. His inspection was very thorough (see above for work done), and he made sure all my questions were answered. After he inspected, I emailed and called John several times with follow-up questions, and he was always very responsive and helpful. John?s follow-up visit was scheduled for the day after remediation was complete. The day before, John became sick, and he asked if it was possible to come one day later, but if not he would still come. I told Johnthat even though I was on a very tight schedule to get in the house, his health is more important and he should wait an extra day to come. But he decided to come anyway as scheduled, because he didn?t want to inconvenience me. He showed up a few minutes early, did a very thorough job, and didn?t leave until he was sure all of my questions were answered. Again, after his work was done, I emailed John with questions and he was very responsive and helpful. During a time of stress of moving into a new house, it is refreshing to work with John, who is truly looking out for my best interest. Considering all the effort and time John spent with me during his visits and after, he is an incredible value! I recommend HNST most highly without any reservations: A++ !