Latest / Bozeman Builders Science / Ep. 4: Jeff Squire - Bozeman Radon & Mold
Transcript
- Jeff Squire: My name is Jeff Squire. I founded Bozeman, Radon and Mold in 2023. I've been running for Ian White: And have it for Jeff Squire: the last few years. We've built a team. We helped the Bozeman and Big Sky community with radon and mold testing, mitigation, and remediation. Ian White: That is why I've been wanting to have this conversation because we've talked about a lot of the science and the physics behind radon, but we haven't actually talked about what that process looks like from the homeowner side of things. If I call a radon mitigation contractor, what does that process look like? Jeff Squire: Yeah. You know, oftentimes we're getting calls in a few different scenarios. Most people learn about radon when they're buying or selling a home. It's generally not Ian White: And Jeff Squire: on their radar. It's usually a last checkbox they're they're they're checking when they're getting to the finishing process of of this home. And so radon comes into play with a lot of real estate transactions when those inspectors are testing. People in Bozeman Big Sky, Galton Valley, Madison Vall area are just surrounded by higher levels of radon naturally. we're right on a Rocky Mountain Vane. We are neighbors to Yellowstone National Park. There is a ton of granite makeup like Ian White: And Jeff Squire: geology that our the substrate, the dirt we walk on is made up of. And granite is a is a great host for uranium and uranium is what off gases into radon. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: long term exposure to radon, it's radiation poisoning, right? So we're we're not worried about what happens next year unless we're sitting on a a hot pot. But I am concerned about your life in ten, fifteen, twenty years. And so most times in this area of Montana, folks are learning about radon in the real estate world. It's it's got some real it can be a real problem for some people, when it comes to their health and wellness. And then of course, you know, we have a lot of our clients are new parents. When we're Ian White: And then Jeff Squire: coming out of the era of COVID, a lot of people paid attention to air quality. And so as new parents, as millennials are starting to fill the homes that folks like us are building, they start to pay attention to things smart and, you Ian White: And Jeff Squire: know, using the tools they have to inquire about the things that could potentially hurt them and their family. And so radon comes into the mix quite a lot. we have a team that Ian White: Is Jeff Squire: guided and certified by a national body called the NRPP. And Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: we're one of a few in Montana. We help the DEQ often and people can learn a lot about radon either through our website, the DEQ's website, the NRPP website, the national EPA's website. There's so many good resources for it. And that's what our real drive is right now in this season of our business is to really educate the community. now you know Ian White: Mold you know, if if Jeff Squire: if if I'm okay to kind of jump right into that because they're such great dance partners. In the same thread as real estate, mold was initially introduced into our scope of work as a convenience for the clients that we tend to serve most times, which were realtors and home inspectors. And mold in Ian White: And multiple. Jeff Squire: the same vein of radon is a health and wellness metric. And so when we're going through the checklist of what a home needs to look like and pass prior to being purchased. Health and wellness is a big line item for these inspectors to look for. And so Ian White: So Jeff Squire: as a part of helping our clients, we decided to learn what it takes to become mold remediators. And in the process, much like most of what Ian White: much. Jeff Squire: me and my team get into, we have a hard time not wanting to become experts. And so we have really dove into the the the web of what mold is, how it shows up in Montana, why it shows up in Montana. How we can prevent it in our homes, what we can look for in our homes, you know, really Ian White: And Jeff Squire: just the resources we can deploy people with when it comes to remediating small moments. most of mold is small moments. They're the the green leopard patch you have at the base of your shower, right at the seam where the flooring in the shower stall hits, right? It's weird fuzz on the rim of your shower. Ian White: It's that it's that Jeff Squire: little black spot behind your firewood in your garage because you haven't pulled back and the humidity's elevated, right? It's it's weird moments. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: Those weird moments for us and my team typically show up in crawl spaces and attics. for real estate transactions. We do a ton of new construction and and this is probably just a a good area to highlight in in the Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: new construction. There's the the big now is Ian White: friend right now Jeff Squire: passive homes. Ian White: and Jeff Squire: I'm too often on projects where I love the intentions. The builder pursuing the general contract around this is known for quality work, right? But even I, as much mold as I've seen, as as much radon as I've sniffed, I cannot predict Mother Nature. And so we're Ian White: When we're Jeff Squire: coming to some of these new built projects. These builders, you know, twenty years in the game are coming across extreme growth and a crawl space that can't breathe. Or we didn't take into account winter and moisture in our build schedule and so we didn't get roof sheathing on before last snowfall and it got into our subfloor. Ian White: when we Jeff Squire: We decided to lay out the footprint of our home, we didn't take into account drainage, right? So now we're seeing water fall back into the home, in and under the foundation. Maybe we didn't have drainage in the first place. Whatever case it may be. Mold in Montana is eminent and it's everywhere. You're walking in it, breathing it every day. Now to the degree and level of how it grows in our homes is all a base case. It's it's all unique to itself. and so what we go in and look for really Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: is, you know, what's the the cause of it? How can we measure the humidity levels where we think some of this moisture may be coming in from or being caused to? Ian White: And then equipping our c and Jeff Squire: Clients in Ian White: friends in the community with knowledge to test it. You know, we don't move forward without data. Jeff Squire: you know, test data. Once that's verified, we align resources to either remediate, test further, or work on a solution outside of that. Work with the homeowner on post Ian White: And then owner treatment. Jeff Squire: practices, air washing, and then Ian White: And Jeff Squire: how to just be mindful of the space they're living in now that it's remediated. Mold is super unique to for anyone to really claim themselves to be a true expert. I mean, I know Ian can can probably in the valley, who I would say is a real expert, but a lot of mold remediation from the folks we work around is a lot of trial. There's Ian White: trial and error and Jeff Squire: forty different ways to remediate it. But I think most of the folks listening probably are mo more interested in how to prevent it. Preventative measures for those maybe living in a home, renting an apartment, wherever space you may habitate, it's mindful A measurement of your humidity, you know, do some self-analysis to understand how you feel day to day, and then Ian White: Nenhum. Jeff Squire: start taking steps towards understanding your air quality. Ian White: And so our team we operate in the valley. we do Jeff Squire: offer air sampling here. do a base sample outside, then we go into a main living space. We'll grab an air quality sample in there. It's going to help us understand spore counts, any other particulates that could be existing in your air, as well as any other gases. So we're CO2, we're on Ian White: Radar. Jeff Squire: all those fun ones. And the first step for anybody should be test. I f fear is the easiest emotion to attach ourselves to. when it comes to things we're honestly ignorant of. And so if I'm a new father and I just bought a house and I just hear of radon and the radon is twice of what the EPA claims it should be, it is no one's fault but my own for me being as upset as I am. And everything what's fun about construction is most things, ninety, ninety eight percent are are have solutions to them. You know, it's not the first time this has existed in in humanity. And so Our job is to equip homeowners with all the education, all the resources for both radon and mold, get Ian White: get Jeff Squire: them options for both testing, mitigation, remediation. Ian White: And then Jeff Squire: just help guide the community towards awareness when it comes to the new construction side of things because Bozeman and Big Sky are growing quicker than I've seen. having been a community member for thirty years, it was kind of a slow, steady growth there through the two thousands. And then gosh, I think Ian White: You know, like the mid Jeff Squire: two thousand teens, we just started seeing upcrease and increase and you started seeing spec homes getting built quick, these multifamily apartments getting built quick and I think what building owners are becoming more aware to is how much access their tenants or potential buyers have to the knowledge that these homes require. So Ian White: they're Jeff Squire: Not afraid to go to AI and ask it. Y here's my mold report I just got from Mike Sean. What do what do these numbers mean? Cat, Ian White: And then change Jeff Squire: Claude, whatever gives them this interpretation. And depending on the personality th those two have developed, it is gonna pump out an answer that's either read fear or or solution, right? Or some sense of resolve. And so we're just we're in a we're in a very confusing world where in one where Ian White: Where's Jeff Squire: expar experts can be overlooked, but they sh but but certain ones should be considered with with immense open mindness because some of the folks we have the pleasure of getting to work with are two or three decades in our industries. Those are the floppy disks of the traits. Those are the ones that you can still plug in and what they say is truth. It's salt. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: AI can't even interpret the design our friend in Philadelphia came up with because this multifamily needed to be positively pressurized, right? Like there are so many case studies where I can go A human with experience who has sniffed enough mold and licked enough radon can understand that whatever computer computation you want to throw at this problem is not going to be solved unless we get into the weeds. And you being in the trades, you know the weeds look like. They look out four foot of topsoil with three foot of bedrock to get to a footing that you can access with a French drain that's supposed to be there but isn't. AI can't see that. Thermal Doppler can't see that. So our job solve the problem, of course, but you know, the heavy lifting's up front, you know, the education, what you're doing here, you know, getting folks's minds woke environments they they house in and Ian White: into the environment. Jeff Squire: giving people confidence that the idea of Ian White: the idea of Jeff Squire: an honest contractor will not die with our company. I Ian White: I am a Jeff Squire: what what do I like to say? My my hospitality team has a radon problem. Ian White: Because Jeff Squire: Everything we teach and incubate team members Ian White: And Jeff Squire: in our systems is meant to give Ian White: Is you Jeff Squire: the client an experience they would only maybe feel at the four seasons. And as ironic as that may sound, we care so much about our clients that Ian White: But Jeff Squire: early years I would lose money to make sure that the rapport I had worked so hard to create would be kept. Ian White: and then what Jeff Squire: And just learn why ebbs and flows are needed in order for us to run a sustainable business that is based off of standards and regulation, but can also cater to the degree our clients typically would receive at high-end establishments. And so I really try to bring health and wellness from a construction perspective into the lane of hospitality. That Ian White: And then Jeff Squire: hospitality can only be available as sm only be available given as smart as we are. So if we put in the reps, get the experience and understand the trade we are as well as we can. It eliminates the fear that comes up when performance is called. And so if I need to install a radon system and I want to be hospitable, I can't be wondering how far my exhaust needs to run up the side of the house while Susie Smith is asking me about my dog and his name while I'm in the middle. You eliminate the art of hospitality by not becoming an expert in your trade. And so we invest heavy in our guys. We recruit from outside the state to bring folks in. Education will be a pillar of our business for as big as we get. And Ian White: And Jeff Squire: when it comes to educating the community, we try to do a a a bit of a variety to what we do in-house for our Texan team and establish that in a way that is super palpable because a lot of what we do can be very heady. It can sound very technical. but just like anything, you don't know what you don't know. And so our job really is to take the big words, distill them down. Back them with solutions that have been tried and true. Repeat that Ian White: And then Pete. Jeff Squire: as often as needed. And right now, as often as needed, I mean, as I've told you, it's it's such a blessing to be as busy as we are. And for Ian White: And Jeff Squire: our champagne problem to be a hiring issue and then not a money issue. so now it's just become an expert and understand you're always the student. with radon Ian White: And then we're Jeff Squire: and mold, yeah, for folks in Montana. I know that was a a long answer, but I think what we do definitely deserves some context. Ian White: hundred percent. you touched just about everything that I wanted to talk on. you threw out NRPP. I see NRSB, II C R C A R S T. all of those acronyms can get confusing. How important is that from the homeowner side of things and then also from the mitigation side of things? Jeff Squire: Specific to Montana, importance is relative to the purchaser. Montana is a hand is one of a handful of states that does not require nor request the gator or testers to be certified for either radon or mold. Acronyms have them in every agency. Anybody who has a regulation they're trying to support with a governing body's gonna have some three letter, four letter thing and it's Hmm. Gosh, Ian, I don't know if I'm the right guy to ask this to because of the the understanding Ian White: the Jeff Squire: of marketing. But I think what personal opinion aside, if I'm a homeowner and I'm looking to get radon mitigated in my home, I'd like to know if whether or not I'm it or maybe the fellows installing it or maybe the gal testing it after the fact. Is anyone involved in that Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: have they invested the time and effort to formally educate themselves on what's required here. Because again, I like going point. We are not the first ones to be solving this problem. And so a lot of the headaches that I originally had created for myself year one may not have been avoided, but certainly would have been curbed a little easier had I spent the entire Ian White: The money time in learning Jeff Squire: the knowledge that these agencies offer. The Ian White: you know the Jeff Squire: different agencies, they all vary I guess a different rapport a a as well as what do I want to say? popularity, I guess, just to go back to those folks kind of the it's like seeing a Nike symbol on a tennis shoe. It's like if I see that getting the regulations understood. So those kind of regulatory bodies that exist that we follow for radon we follow the NRPP. I I Ian White: High level regulatory low. Jeff Squire: always get the acronym wrong. It's national radar Ian White: it is Jeff Squire: efficiency program. I mean it's pretty straightforward. You know, you're looking at some pre-rec education, guided by Ian White: I Jeff Squire: a fellow who's been in the industry for a couple of decades and gets you access to NRPP. NRPP being the certifying Ian White: Body. Jeff Squire: that helps support the regulation. all of the supporting bodies create for radon mitigation and testing in the States is Ian White: is Jeff Squire: Yeah, it's it's a pretty widen. Radon Ian White: I mean mo ra Jeff Squire: has been popular since maybe the seventies or eighties, when it started becoming a trend out of Colorado. And then the testing and mitigation really took hand because America loves business, and now we're here. PP Ian White: And you know, NRP. Jeff Squire: really helps equip mitigators and testers like me with Ian White: With Jeff Squire: everything you need to know to be as accurate as you can be when it comes to testing or installing a radon system. A lot Ian White: L Jeff Squire: of radon systems that a lot of folks are investing in Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: in our area, are being installed by chucks Ian White: I Jeff Squire: and trucks, one off contractors. Most folks can grab three inch schedule forty PVC pipe, glue and inline fan Ian White: And an inner. Jeff Squire: and call that a radon system. For it to last twenty years, for it to not disrupt your sleep, for it to actually be effective when it comes to excavating the gas that's underneath your home. Ian White: I Jeff Squire: I'm gonna want someone certified. It's like showing up to urgent care or the doctor under the shade tree. Anyone can get a band-aid on. I'd rather the guy with eight years education do it because at least I know he's invested. He's got stake in this. Right. And so when we're on sites, we are the experts. Your home is a human body that needs to breathe. It has to be balanced. It needs the right things and I would be Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: I would be very discerning in who I decided to align with when it comes to radon. There's not too many regulatory bodies. There's a bunch of like marketing groups, but we want to be specific to NRPP. If I'm a consumer, that's what I'm looking for. If an older Ian White: If I'm hiring a a multi Jeff Squire: mediation or testing specialist, most folks in our industry really only recognize one, IICRC. It's again, a lot like NRPP for radon. Ian White: a Jeff Squire: regulatory body that helps educate, teach I mean, there's so many things they do, right? But the day for me as I was beginning this, it was really just a a great resource for me to learn Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: as much as I could to go back to things because real life allows you to go back to your textbook. And so when we're on a job site and in Ian White: And we're Jeff Squire: a a huge area that's massively affected with mold growth and the humidity levels, there's must in the air. It's Ian White: You know, it Jeff Squire: sunny out, but it feels like it's raining inside. I only know as much as I know. And so to have a agency like IICRC to go to with a hub of humans, right? So I can go in and maybe the FAQs help me to some degree, but I can tap into thousands of people who have been doing this work. for decades and ask very general relative questions, but something this guy knows on like the back of his hand. Whereas I'm sweating there standing going, How am I gonna do this? So if I'm if I'm a consumer, a business owner, a builder, a home inspector, whomever who's either interested in referring or hiring a radon or mold mitigator, remediator, tester, I'm going to the NRPP website. I'm gonna go to my local area. I'll type in my zip, see who's around me. If not that, I'm going to the DEQ, the Department of Environmental Quality, in your local state, so ours, Montana, make shout out to Ian White: Might you Jeff Squire: just get a list of who's been verified or resourced and and and do some due diligence, guys, because there are a lot of people who and Ian White: People that claim to Jeff Squire: don't. Same with II C R C thing, right? Because Ian White: And really anything. I know Jeff Squire: with radon systems, there's a few components that we Ian White: That you have to be Jeff Squire: technically certified to be able to perform, but we also not being in a non regulated state, we could Ian White: We Jeff Squire: technically call this whatever we wanted and I could wire the fan myself and I could do all these things myself, but I'm not an electrician. If Ian White: If I need to Jeff Squire: have some things serviced, we align with folks who are licensed. And so just do your due diligence. I like testimonies. Ian White: you know. Jeff Squire: Testimonies really help me when I'm deciding on what businesses to go forward with. But more so recent testimonies. Like how has this company performed in the last month? Ian White: because it's a Jeff Squire: And Bozeman and Big Sky. I mean, we're growing so rapidly. Everyone Ian White: We want Jeff Squire: outside of our business complains about hiring. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: that is more a personal problem for that company. It's not it's a you problem. If I'm the consumer who's working on my stuff? If they're Ian White: And so I'm making sure that you know stuff if they've been around a minute. Jeff Squire: not certified, are they working towards it? If they are certified, how long have they been certified? If I Ian White: And Jeff Squire: can't see a past project, why or why not? But yeah, those two bodies Ian White: I mean God. Jeff Squire: they've given us all kinds of education, Ian. Ian White: So everything we've talked about so far is fixing an existing problem. we consistently see mold problems that are from the building, The home is two years old and that mold has existed since the home was built. Or we're testing an existing home for radon and the radon is high. And so it's always like this retrofit solution. It seems to me Like we could take care of a lot of this before the home is even built. What does that look like in your line of work? Jeff Squire: Preventive measures are I mean, it's helpful when you're Ian White: You know, Jeff Squire: aligning with a builder who thinks like that. 'cause the right builders do. I mean, we get called often on projects where Ian White: Maybe they're framed up, they're sheeted in, every for the most part, but maybe they for Jeff Squire: Everything's hung for the most suction point collection pipe in the crawl space or Ian White: Maybe they roughed in the system, you just fan. Jeff Squire: We get those every now and again. For mold, it's really I don't know Ian White: Okay. Jeff Squire: because you got some spec home builders who They're building a dozen really high end homes, and you'll still see the owner sweeping the site every morning. You know, just to confirm humidity levels in the crawl space, just to make sure the when they tiecked the roof before it rained, before they clocked out, everything was fine, right? Like got Ian White: You c Jeff Squire: those really attentive GCs out there. I love those guys. You know, they're they're sniffing mildew before it grows. And so Th I think the immediate answer is no one's perfect. You know, we all do our best. Some companies are busier than others. Busy being an excuse, not a reason. because we're all busy. And so what Ian White: So Jeff Squire: I'm seeing in these brand new builds, we're seeing a lot of people Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: not people, we're seeing a lot of builders neglect simple Ian White: Very Jeff Squire: things when it comes to either helping the job site breathe or suppressing the opportunity for vapor or gas. Because those are You know, where we're gonna see elevated humidity levels, those are where we're gonna see ground moisture freely allow condensate to enter into the air. we're seeing a lot of passive homes being built. Passive in the sense that thermally they are super efficient in how they heat and cool. but building something that tight doesn't necessarily afford it the opportunity to breathe very easily. And so sometimes we'll see builders put in Ian White: and Jeff Squire: temporary six inch core vents right into the foundation rim, prior to waterproofing, prior to everything, just to allow that crawl space to breathe a bit. They'll go in with a super temporary six mil, maybe even four mil vapor barrier. You don't even have to adhere. Just put it on the ground, suppress ninety five percent of get get ninety five percent of that footprint covered in something. Ian White: and Jeff Squire: And if we're not looking at it in that sense, if I'm a homeowner and Ian White: owner Jeff Squire: I wanna kinda be hands on, 'cause this is my forever home, that G C is open to relationship working relationship in that sense. Look at dehumidification, right? So what can we add, take away from the home that maybe will help it breathe? If there are nothing that we can do 'cause those plans are set in stone, let's get a temporary dehumidifier in place before the home is has air or whatever way we're gonna heat and cool the property. Hire do some pre inspection work. I mean a lot of these homes getting built. You know, we've got our friend Josh, he'll build twelve homes in six months. At Ian White: And at that Jeff Squire: speed corners are cut. It's too qu it's too easy. You know, the city offices here in Bozeman are so backed up with new construction, we could see weeks out for a a pre drywall inspection, right? Or something like that. so maybe just take it upon yourself if you're invested in the home already, do some pre inspection work. ask your builder about the potential of things. Attics. Ian White: You know, in Jeff Squire: I I d you know the one thing Ian I did see recently was some folks bought a set of plans online for a home and it's like this cute southern Georgia like plantation style home. But the attic isn't but a foot deep. And you've got your plumbing stack buried in there, you've got whatever air exhaust buried in there. How are you gonna ever service that and you've got it insulated? You can't put vents here because there's literally no room. Like the roof to your ceiling is twelve inches, and so that's twelve inches that water gets to travel before it finds you in your bed at night. And so I I think just be mindful of the climate you're in. Montana is super dry, so when it does decide to get a little moist in a secluded area, it just turns into a microwave. And so that area of your home's gonna sweat. And if it can't ventilate and breathe properly, with or without your involvement, mold is just gonna grow. You cannot stop it. It the spores likely already exist in your home. so to just give it a a container to which to activate and grow. It's just to be mindful of, I think ask the right questions. you have some of these buzzwords Ian White: You if we're Jeff Squire: being thrown around on your home's plans, like passive home or gosh, what are some other ones, Ian? Ian White: and passive is definitely what I was gonna say. I hear that all the time. Jeff Squire: Yeah, it's it's everywhere, right? To to build it, yeah, I guess maybe another would be a remodel. That's where I would maybe step asked to find a G C who'd be w open to working with me as as the owner because when we build a tighter home too. to create higher levels of anything in it, but it just happens to, right? So on accident, successfully Ian White: Then you know created a more Jeff Squire: a efficient heat heated home. By proxy, we accidentally though closed it so tight that humidity levels raised to sixty. So now do we look at whole home dehumidification? Do we look at maybe just Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: a crawl space dehumidifier that works after it's encapsulated or a lot of options to go there. But so yeah, passive being the big buzzword right now, a lot of the architects we work with are using it. Our job with our business, my position at least is educate. So get to those builders, get to those designers. Because the homeowner honestly isn't if they're listening, please ask these questions. the builders and architects who are listening though, just inv involve these questions during design. Hey, Steve while you're building the foundation that has three different elevation splits with a crawl space splitting both of them, mind Ian White: would you Jeff Squire: putting in a rim vent on the crawl if we're doing Ian White: And then Jeff Squire: standing basement portions. just yeah, just make sure we're we're we're being mindful of the moisture that's entering that job site throughout it. especially when we go to hang joist and close it in. You know, I don't want to hang joists in a wet job site. Ian White: you know prepared Jeff Squire: Vapor is super important. Radon systems assist with not only earth gas, but we're also helping pull vapor and moisture, which can assist with the prevention of mold. So I don't actually think I answered your question to any poetic I think the questions I would ask on a new construction home, given the kind of marketing that the idea of passive homes is created, how do I help my home breathe? That would be the real question I ask my builder. Hey, I we're Ian White: I love that we're Jeff Squire: super efficient on the heating dynamics of my home. I love that we can cool it because of the standing basement or the geothermal. This is all cool and gravy guy, but guess what? How do we help it breathe? And that's pre construction, that's close to closing, right? So Ian White: I mean, Jeff Squire: recent project, eight hundred square foot crawl, they're done, and molds come back. And everybody Ian White: And Jeff Squire: was warned post remediation report included addition of vapor barrier, dehumidification, if staining are i is is consistently left behind, it does not mean that mold is still active. but yet look, eight months later, we're now in the end of summer. These people are ready to move into their home and the builder gets to let them know to expect a four thousand dollar invoice for malt that he w is responsible for preventing. Yeah, be mindful. I think you be kind. A lot of builders get a lot of grief. So if you're trying to be a part of a project in a new construction or even maybe a a remodel. God, kill with kindness, man. You know. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: I some of my favorite clients do that. They're like, Hey, my daughter's got a real itchy throat. Ian White: You know the throat Jeff Squire: I know mold is a scary thing. Help me out. And what we do isn't cheap either, right? So you're building a home, gosh, you're building a home in Bozeman. I I know some custom builders, four hundred bucks a square. I think four hundred bucks a square affords you every damn question you have. And and if you can't, Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: it's a personal problem. But your forever home requires your attention. Your GC is getting paid to pay attention to that. Yeah. And air quality matters. I mean covet taught us everything we need to know, so Ian White: Yeah, in that in that line, is there something you consistently see homeowners worrying about that you actually aren't all that concerned with? Jeff Squire: Yeah, there's a lot of stuff, right? Me getting to come at this from ten thousand foot elevation, right? 'Cause I've seen a lot of it. Radon the EPA doesn't help anybody. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: With radon and mold, it's I I think for me, worry starts to creep in when I understand exposure length. How long you've been around this stuff, right? 'Cause the transient nature of life, if I'm at an Airbnb, I see a spot of mold, maybe you mentioned something, but it's not gonna kill ya. now if that's your house and you see a spot of mold and that gets bigger and it's right next to your toilet and you can't quit staring at it, you know? Maybe start to consider getting this solved, but word Ian White: Three Jeff Squire: it's it's it's warranted, right? Because Ian White: Because Jeff Squire: who am I to say fear less for the health of your children or your grandparents or yourself? Yet I'll play a little devil's advocate, you know. if I'm homeowner, new dad, sensitive wife, Lyme disease recoverer. Recent mold toxicity poisoning, you name it, right? Ian White: I'm worried for the Jeff Squire: their life because they're the only thing I care about. And we just invested into a home and the crawl space feels musty and my daughter's starting to cough. I wouldn't worry. I would definitely start doing something about it. And I think that's where you don't eliminate worry being proactive to a degree I think helps lower its intensity. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: When we come across worried homeowners for both radon and mold, typically the journey starts. Okay, so if I just bought a home, I just bought a home, I got the inspection report, and there Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: was this weird radon test, so I Googled radon. Immediately led Ian White: And it immediately Jeff Squire: me to either our website, because it rocks, or the EPA's website. And the EPA, whoever's Ian White: Okay. Jeff Squire: running that marketing firm, I hope you're listening. you're terrible at your job because radon is worry when it comes to exposure length, when it comes to degrees and variables. And so to lay a blanket st Ian White: Statement. Jeff Squire: call it four parts per carry on and say anything above that's killing you is unfair. That's how people are reading it. It's not what it says. People are reading it and going, my home tested at six point two in spring, late spring, so it's kind of dry. I just bought this home four months ago, Jeff. Why is this happening? Because S seven months ago we were doing like Ian White: When we were doing Jeff Squire: the starting phase and inspection, it tested it too. What's going on? Did they lie to me? Am I dying now? Did I just buy my my coffin? No. The EPA doesn't help ya. What we've had to adopt and adapt to is that high sensitive emotion. Tonality is really important for us. And so worry some, but rely on the experts that you and if you can't afford solutions to your worry, you're in luck because Earth gas and its ability to harm us again goes back to exposure and exposure length. And what does radon hate? Radon hates fresh air. Our homes become under peak conditions of gas levels after twelve hours of sealed conditions. So if at hour eight, hour nine, hour two, doing laundry, changing the diapers, letting the dogs out, whatever time that is, crack a window. In Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: parts of Europe they call it burping your home. Fresh air allows those gases to escape with ease and immediacy. Ian White: And Jeff Squire: allow fresh fresh air to come into our house, our lungs, our bodies, and not necessarily to to terminate anything or particulates that we've brought into, but just to allow fresh air to circulate and and allow healing to constantly be activated. radon attacks our lung tissues and so it's not an immediate attack. It's a slow drip. It's a decade. If your home's testing at six, it's twenty years. No, if your home's testing at ninety could be eight years. We've had cases where women are forty, forty five, they've lost both breasts to cancer. They've lost a new pet every two years. They have a hard time walking up steps they've been walking for thirty years. And their home's super high for radon. Well, I mean, it's hard to say, but it's highly likely that it could be radon. So maybe be worried there, but do your homework. Look at the free resources, look at the free solutions, because to solve a problem of radon in someone's home can range from let's say Ian White: Two grand. Jeff Squire: for a subslab system with no bells and whistles. And Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: we've had some properties where it's ten, fifteen grand. So you've got two things to worry about, both your health and your bank. So use the resources you have. We have a lot of free things we offer here for our company. Biannually we do free radon testing. we have free estimates always. So even if you're just curious, I'm not gonna walk in and say, Man, it smells like radon. But what I will do is go into your crawl space and say, it looks like there's a wrestling match on your vapor barrier. You have standing water Ian White: You know, you're Jeff Squire: under your HVAC unit. You know, did you know y that your two bathroom exhausts in your attic are just being pumped right in your daughter's closet? All those things. And then I grace, I l I love the word grace, you know, be really kind to the situation because everyone involved in either buying the home, living in it, fixing it, maintaining it. I think the blatant truth of of humanity is most of them are doing their best. We're all grown ups doing our best. And so the inspector who saw six homes before he looked at yours that afternoon, maybe he missed something. Builder Ian White: You know that Jeff Squire: on your new home an exhaust stack for your bathroom exhaust. Might have been the end of day. Super tired and ready to turn the home over, tired of this job, whatever excuse, right? Easy to blame, easy to point fingers. I think worry when met with immediate effort, at least for me, helps calm the storms a bit. And effective Ian White: And Jeff Squire: action, it doesn't have to be expensive, you know. I think some experts are worth their time, so maybe invest in a a proper mold assessment. Maybe invest in Ian White: Yeah. Jeff Squire: a home inspector who's gonna do a full forty eight hour radon test. and then of course call our office. I mean, you know, we work fifty to seventy five mile radius outside of Bozeman and Big Sky. We do charge sometimes for travel, sometimes for an assessment. But don't do anything without data because worrying for nothing is just a waste of everyone's time, including your own. And I think the mental and physical energy that's being exerted into the stress that our minds like to create. Ian White: you know. Jeff Squire: I think I can talk to Grok a lot quicker than I can sit there biting my fingernails off because I think I'm killing my kid. But again, I will never discount someone's worry. I think to the degree they wish to identify it with themselves in that moment. yeah, just sit with it. I mean, there's plenty of Buddhist practitioners that can tell you to chill out. Molden radon's scary man. I can only imagine I know my cousin is a new father out in Washington and he had to get radon mitigated and he called me super angry because he said this wasn't on my inspection report. The inspector said the vapor barrier was fine. there was a passive system. Why isn't it working? And he sends me photos and the radon pipe is hovering eight inches underneath his joist. And so we call that Bluetooth radon. It's kinda working, right? It's like you're blowing on the end of a pipe and some air is going out. But it's not specifically polling against negative pressure. allows that to exist. And so he was angry. But as a new homeowner, a new father, the last thing you're ever thinking about is radon. Maybe you think about mold ahead of that, but radon you're never thinking about. So Ian White: be worried, but Jeff Squire: call the experts. I mean one reason we started this business was because I mean spiritually there's some reasons that motivated me, but the ability to be honest Ian White: ability in an industry and an environment where the crew Jeff Squire: the dungeon sugar effect is live and well. Ian White: you know, anyone can jump on AI and go, hey Jeff Squire: Look at a wall, take a photo, and I have to tell this guy what's going on here. What do I tell him? And then if you're wise and you a Ian White: And you've maybe been around Jeff Squire: negotiation or two, you can pick up on someone stumbling into new territory. You know, you misspeak on a material type. You're Ian White: you're Jeff Squire: talking about things that kind of align with the s the problem I have, but you're really just trying to be noisy to Ian White: Like kind of Jeff Squire: deflect whatever the obvious is here. so be careful of the grifters. Yeah. And Ian White: and Jeff Squire: allow that worry to just be backed with education. call me, call our office. We'll help you out. Ian White: All right, like I said, that is unfortunately where we lost the recording, but be on the lookout for part two. That is coming up here in the future. That being said, thanks for tuning in as always, and I will catch you on the next one.