Desperate Measures
When we bought this trailer mobile home in 2009, we knew it would be temporary.
How temporary was a matter up for debate, subject to several variables, not least of which was how soon we would be able to save up and build a house--but that was before changing houses became about more than "cramped quarters" and "ugly siding."
That was before we knew our house was killing us.
We moved into this mobile in mid-August of '09, blithely thinking that the musty smell was simply part of living in an older home--this house had been built in 1979, after all, and had endured multiple relocations. So, we set about making the best of what we had, just happy to be out in the country on our own land, at last.
The next spring, we were getting quite concerned. Not only had Jason had a severe bout with pneumonia that left him hospitalized, Noah had had a lingering, dry cough since December that we could not seem to get rid of. We started to suspect mould, and the suspicion was confirmed when, in August, both Jason and Noah had their blood tested. Sure enough, mould was present, where it had never been before. (Jason had had his blood tested three years before, Noah only the summer before.)
We weren't quite sure what to do. We made some immediate changes--re-venting our dryer outside, instead of under the trailer (where we had thought it would help prevent heat loss); starting to rub anti-fungal oils on the kids' feet every night, and ingesting them ourselves; diffusing the same oils into the air in our home; sealing up any possible leaks in the roof as best we could. And, as summer's warmth diminished, the results seemed to be positive--Noah's persistent cough became almost non-existent, and for most of last winter things were "better." Never mind that we all seemed to catch every little cold that passed by...
Then, the snow melted. Noah’s cough returned with a vengeance. Jason caught another cold that kept him home for a week. And we knew it was time to do something about it.
We bought two $10 home mould-testing kits from Canadian Tire, placed one inside (by Noah’s bed) and one outside, as per the instructions, and after an hour of exposure sealed them up to watch, and wait. Four days later, the results were horrifying. Despite the “spring mould” in the air, the outside sample had only a little bit of rather unthreatening-looking white, fluffy mould growing in it. The one from Noah’s room, though, was plastered with multi-coloured, ominous green and yellow and orange mould patches. We didn’t have to send it away to get it analyzed—Noah’s persistent cough (and the sniffles making the rounds through the rest of the family again) were confirmation enough. The mould was toxic.
That was Wednesday. Jason and I spent the night praying and discussing our options. Build now and go into debt? Both of us cringed at the thought. We discussed stripping our current trailer down and expunging the mould—but when all is said and done, we would have spent an entire summer and more money than our trailer is worth in renovating it. So, we turned to Kijiji to see what was available for mobile homes in our price range.
Pleasant surprise—we had options. This past weekend we looked at three houses, and have found one that is not only really nice, but will give us a lot more room. We don’t know how things will work out exactly, yet... we just know we need to get out of this house sooner, rather than later.
It looks like we will be doing a fair amount of camping in the next few months—right in our own yard. This isn’t exactly the adventure that we would have chosen for ourselves this summer... but it will be one more story to tell, the stuff that one looks back on and refers to as “the good ol’ days”, for some odd reason.
But, you know what? They really are.
God has provided for us every step of the way--including the money we need to remove ourselves from this bad situation. He is good, all the time, and we are so thankful for his direction in our lives.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5, 6 (NIV)
How temporary was a matter up for debate, subject to several variables, not least of which was how soon we would be able to save up and build a house--but that was before changing houses became about more than "cramped quarters" and "ugly siding."
That was before we knew our house was killing us.
We moved into this mobile in mid-August of '09, blithely thinking that the musty smell was simply part of living in an older home--this house had been built in 1979, after all, and had endured multiple relocations. So, we set about making the best of what we had, just happy to be out in the country on our own land, at last.
The next spring, we were getting quite concerned. Not only had Jason had a severe bout with pneumonia that left him hospitalized, Noah had had a lingering, dry cough since December that we could not seem to get rid of. We started to suspect mould, and the suspicion was confirmed when, in August, both Jason and Noah had their blood tested. Sure enough, mould was present, where it had never been before. (Jason had had his blood tested three years before, Noah only the summer before.)
We weren't quite sure what to do. We made some immediate changes--re-venting our dryer outside, instead of under the trailer (where we had thought it would help prevent heat loss); starting to rub anti-fungal oils on the kids' feet every night, and ingesting them ourselves; diffusing the same oils into the air in our home; sealing up any possible leaks in the roof as best we could. And, as summer's warmth diminished, the results seemed to be positive--Noah's persistent cough became almost non-existent, and for most of last winter things were "better." Never mind that we all seemed to catch every little cold that passed by...
Then, the snow melted. Noah’s cough returned with a vengeance. Jason caught another cold that kept him home for a week. And we knew it was time to do something about it.
We bought two $10 home mould-testing kits from Canadian Tire, placed one inside (by Noah’s bed) and one outside, as per the instructions, and after an hour of exposure sealed them up to watch, and wait. Four days later, the results were horrifying. Despite the “spring mould” in the air, the outside sample had only a little bit of rather unthreatening-looking white, fluffy mould growing in it. The one from Noah’s room, though, was plastered with multi-coloured, ominous green and yellow and orange mould patches. We didn’t have to send it away to get it analyzed—Noah’s persistent cough (and the sniffles making the rounds through the rest of the family again) were confirmation enough. The mould was toxic.
That was Wednesday. Jason and I spent the night praying and discussing our options. Build now and go into debt? Both of us cringed at the thought. We discussed stripping our current trailer down and expunging the mould—but when all is said and done, we would have spent an entire summer and more money than our trailer is worth in renovating it. So, we turned to Kijiji to see what was available for mobile homes in our price range.
Pleasant surprise—we had options. This past weekend we looked at three houses, and have found one that is not only really nice, but will give us a lot more room. We don’t know how things will work out exactly, yet... we just know we need to get out of this house sooner, rather than later.
It looks like we will be doing a fair amount of camping in the next few months—right in our own yard. This isn’t exactly the adventure that we would have chosen for ourselves this summer... but it will be one more story to tell, the stuff that one looks back on and refers to as “the good ol’ days”, for some odd reason.
But, you know what? They really are.
God has provided for us every step of the way--including the money we need to remove ourselves from this bad situation. He is good, all the time, and we are so thankful for his direction in our lives.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3: 5, 6 (NIV)