Mold Inspection in St. Maries, Idaho

We test for mold in St. Maries and across Benewah County, including Plummer, and in Harrison just over the line in Kootenai County. We do not remediate and we take no referral fees from companies that do. There is no trip fee.

A standard inspection is $425. That covers the site visit, moisture mapping, thermal imaging, one indoor air sample plus an outdoor control taken the same day, all lab fees and a written report. Additional samples are $100 each. The full list is on our pricing page.

Two rivers and a levee system

St. Maries is the Benewah County seat and sits just southwest of the confluence of the St. Maries River and the St. Joe River, at about 2,225 feet. The St. Maries River runs along the east side of town and the St. Joe along the north. Below town the St. Joe continues on to Coeur d'Alene Lake, entering it north of Heyburn State Park.

In February 1996, rain fell on a deep snowpack across North Idaho, and the St. Joe reached its second highest crest on record. In St. Maries, melting ice jams added to the flooding, and the St. Joe broke through the levees protecting the town. Some homes had only their roofs above water. According to the Idaho Office of Emergency Management, more than 100 homes in town were damaged.

The rebuilding that followed changed the town. Levees were reconstructed with federal and state money and approved by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Cherry Creek levee, which broke in both 1996 and 1997, was repaired. Thirty homes were raised above the 100-year flood level and twenty homes in the floodplain were demolished.

What that history means for a house today

A house that went through 1996 may have been dried out and rebuilt carefully. It may also have had wet framing closed back in behind new drywall. Thirty years on, what matters is whether anything is wet now. Moisture mapping and thermal imaging answer that directly, and they tell you more than an old stain does.

Houses behind the levees face a quieter version of the same problem. When the rivers run high for days or weeks in spring, water pressure against a levee can raise groundwater on the town side too. That shows up as seepage into basements and crawl spaces that stay dry the rest of the year. If you have seen standing water under the house during high water, that is worth mentioning when you call.

A house that was raised after the flood sits on a different foundation than it was built with. The connection between original framing and the newer foundation, and the crawl space created underneath, are worth a close look with a moisture meter.

If water has come in recently, the first job is drying. Testing is useful once you know whether materials stayed wet long enough to grow something. See mold after water damage.

Snow and spring thaw

St. Maries averages about 56 inches of snow a year, based on 1991 to 2020 records. That is enough for regular ice dams and for large volumes of thaw water at foundations.

Ice dams. Heat leaking into an attic melts snow on the upper roof. The water runs down to the cold eave, refreezes, and backs up under the shingles into sheathing, wall top plates and ceiling cavities. The ceiling stain often appears weeks after the leak began. See ice dams and attic moisture.

Thaw water at the foundation. Snow piled against a house melts in a short window, often while the ground is frozen and cannot take it in. In a river town the timing can overlap with high water, so basements get it from two directions. See snowmelt basement seepage.

An old mill town

Joseph Fisher chose the townsite for a sawmill, first built in 1889. The Milwaukee Road railroad arrived in 1908, the city was established in 1913 and it became the county seat in 1915. A town that old carries a mix of housing from many decades. In older houses the moisture problems tend to repeat: foundations built without exterior waterproofing, crawl spaces with bare soil and no vapor retarder, additions tied into the original structure at different times, and plumbing replaced in sections. Each of those junctions gets checked.

Plummer and Harrison

Plummer is in Benewah County and is the largest city within the Coeur d'Alene Reservation. Harrison is in Kootenai County, on the east shore of Coeur d'Alene Lake where the Coeur d'Alene River flows in. For lakefront houses and cabins that sit closed part of the year, see lake home mold inspection.

What the visit covers

1. History and walkthrough, including past flooding and anything you have noticed during high water
2. Moisture mapping at ceilings below the roof, exterior wall top plates, rim joists, basement walls, crawl space and plumbing runs
3. Thermal imaging to find cold, wet areas behind finished surfaces
4. Visual inspection of accessible areas, including attic and crawl space
5. One indoor air sample on a spore trap, plus an outdoor control taken the same day
6. Additional air, tape lift or swab samples at $100 each where something needs identifying
7. Analysis by an accredited lab, with results in 1 to 3 business days
8. A written report with the lab data attached. Here is a sample report.

No state license exists for this work

Idaho does not license mold inspectors or assessors, and neither does Washington, so any claim of a state license for this work is inaccurate. The useful question is which organization issued a credential and whether you can check it with that organization. Jesse Futia, who owns the company and does the inspections, is a NORMI Certified IAQ/Mold Assessor. For more, see Idaho mold testing rules.

Why we only test

A company that tests and also bids the removal has a reason to find something. We keep those jobs separate. We never remediate and we take no referral fees, so the result has no effect on what we earn. See why we do not remediate. If you have already had work done, post-remediation clearance testing is $375 flat for up to three samples.

Benewah County coverage

St. Maries, Plummer and the rest of Benewah County, Harrison on the lake, plus the Silver Valley to the northeast and Coeur d'Alene to the north. Call (509) 355-0038 to schedule. If a neighbor has the same question, say so and we can plan both visits for the same day.

Frequently asked questions

Do you travel to St. Maries? Yes. We cover St. Maries, Plummer and the rest of Benewah County, plus Harrison, and there is no trip fee. Call (509) 355-0038 or request a time online, and mention it if more than one property is involved so we can schedule them together.

How much does a mold inspection cost in St. Maries? $425 for a standard inspection. That includes the site visit, moisture mapping, thermal imaging, one indoor air sample plus an outdoor control, all lab fees and a written report. Additional samples are $100 each. Homes over 3,000 square feet run $550 to $650.

My house flooded in 1996. Should I have it tested now? Only if something is prompting the question, such as a persistent musty smell, a stain that keeps coming back, symptoms that ease when you leave the house, or a sale. An old flood by itself is history. A test tells you what is in the air today and whether any materials are wet now.

Water came into my basement during spring high water. What should I do first? Get the water out and dry the space as fast as you can. Wet drywall, carpet and wood that dry within a day or two usually do not grow mold. If materials stayed wet longer, or a musty smell lingers after everything looks dry, that is when testing tells you something useful.

Will you recommend a remediation company? No. We test only, we never perform remediation and we take no referral fees from remediation companies. If the results call for remediation, you choose the contractor, and we can come back afterward for clearance testing at $375 flat for up to three samples.

How long does it take to get results? The lab returns results in 1 to 3 business days. A rush 24-hour lab turnaround adds $100. You get a written report with the lab data attached.