Country House Scientist
Get the Playbook — $49

"I didn't guess. I measured it."

Renovate your older home without the mold coming back.

A measured, step-by-step playbook for finding moisture, understanding mold, and renovating in the right order — written from a real remediation, with real data, not guesses.

$49

Get the Playbook

Instant PDF download · 30-day money-back guarantee · Educational guide, not a substitute for a licensed professional.

  • 31 chapters
  • 26 worksheets & checklists
  • The pro remediation standard (S520) in plain English
  • Based on logged moisture & humidity data

Most mold problems are moisture problems — and most renovations fix them in the wrong order.

01

Water gets in, and nobody measures it.

A slow leak, a damp crawlspace, a humid summer. Most older houses never get a single moisture reading before work begins.

02

Cosmetic fixes trap moisture in the wall.

New drywall and fresh paint over a wet cavity look finished. The water is still there, now with nowhere to go.

03

A remediation quote lands with no way to judge it.

$5,000–$15,000+ and a list of terms you've never seen. Without the standard, it's hard to tell what's necessary.

From the playbook · Chapter 1 · The Mold Equation

Diagram: water, food and temperature at the corners of a triangle with growth in the middle. Water is the only leg you control.

Swipe to see the whole figure.

The three things mold needs. Remove any one and growth stops; in a home, moisture is the only one you can realistically remove.

Measured, not guessed.

Logged data, plain math.

Humidity and moisture readings explained plainly, with dew point made simple so you can read your own numbers. (The charts in this draft use sample readings, until the author's own logged data is swapped in.)

An honest chapter on health.

What the research actually shows: association vs. causation, and the truth about mycotoxin urine tests. Plus when to talk to your doctor.

A clear DIY line.

What's safe to handle yourself, and the point where the standard says to bring in a professional.

What's inside

Nine parts, in the order you'll need them.

  1. Part 1How water moves through a house
  2. Part 2Finding & measuring moisture
  3. Part 3What mold is and isn't
  4. Part 4Reading the health evidence honestly
  5. Part 5The remediation standard in plain English
  6. Part 6Renovation sequencing
  7. Part 7Humidity & ventilation control
  8. Part 8Hiring and checking a pro's work
  9. Part 9The Toolkit

The Toolkit: 26 worksheetsMoisture logs, room-by-room inspection sheets, quote-comparison worksheet, dew point reference table.

How it works

  1. 1

    Download instantly

    The PDF arrives right after checkout. Print the worksheets you need.

  2. 2

    Walk your house with the inspection sheets

    Room by room, reading by reading. Find the water before you touch a wall.

  3. 3

    Renovate in the right order

    Fix the source first, then rebuild — and check any pro's work against the standard.

From the playbook · Chapter 13 · The 13-Step Sequence

Diagram: 13 remediation steps grouped into five phases — find, contain, remove and clean, dry and verify, rebuild.

Swipe to see the whole figure.

The 13-step remediation sequence. Most failures come from doing the right steps in the wrong order.

A peek inside

A few of the diagrams, exactly as they appear in the playbook.

From the playbook · Chapter 2 · How Water Moves Through a House

Chart: dew point against indoor relative humidity for rooms at 68, 72 and 76°F. 72°F at 60% RH has a dew point of about 57°F.

Swipe to see the whole figure.

Dew point of indoor air at three room temperatures (computed with the Magnus formula). The higher the humidity, the warmer a surface can be and still sweat.

Appendix B · Dew Point Table

Dew point reference table

Find the air temperature, read across to the humidity. Any surface colder than the number in the cell can collect condensation.

Dew point in °F by air temperature and relative humidity
Air °F40% RH50% RH60% RH70% RH80% RH
65°40°46°51°55°59°
70°45°50°55°60°64°
72°46°52°57°62°65°
75°49°55°60°65°68°
78°52°58°63°67°71°
80°54°60°65°69°73°
85°58°64°70°74°78°

Dew point in °F, Magnus approximation. Accurate to about ±1°F in this range.

Chapter 9 · Hygrometers and data loggers

When a cool wall meets humid air

chart: crawlspace vs. outdoor RH — sample readings

Sample readings, shown to teach the method. What readings can show, and what they can't prove.

About the author

I own older country homes and I'm a scientist by training — research methods and evidence, not building or inspection.

Mid-renovation, we found mold. I hired the pros, read the remediation standard cover to cover, and logged a year of moisture and humidity data to understand what was actually happening inside the walls.

This playbook is what I wish I'd had on day one.

Country House Scientist sells no remediation services and no products. Where tools are recommended, any affiliate commission is disclosed.
A hand pressing a pin moisture meter into weathered wood siding; the screen reads 12.6%.

30-day money-back guarantee.

If the playbook doesn't change how you see your house, email us for a full refund.

Questions

Not renovating yet? Start with the free walkthrough.

The Desk Research & Walk-Through Checklist — the exact first pass we use on any older house: what to look up before you buy or renovate, and what to check room by room.

One email with your checklist, then occasional measured advice. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

The Mold-Safe Renovation Playbook

$49

Get the Playbook

Instant PDF download · 30-day money-back guarantee · Educational guide, not a substitute for a licensed professional.