Builders, GCs, Owner-Builders
Document the wall before you can't see the wall.
Pre-drywall mold inspection is the only point in the build where every stud, plate, and the underside of the sheathing is still visible. A microbiologist walks the structure before insulation and rock go up, maps moisture across questionable members, swabs any visible bloom for lab identification, and delivers a photo-keyed report. The report stays in the construction file for the life of the building and forecloses the "was the framing wet?" question if mold ever surfaces post-occupancy.
What is a pre-drywall mold inspection?
A pre-drywall mold inspection documents the condition of a wall assembly, framing, sheathing, and cavity, before insulation and drywall close it in. On new construction or a post-water-loss rebuild, it captures moisture readings and any microbial growth on the structure while everything is still visible and accessible, creating a baseline record before the wall can no longer be inspected without demolition.
When this matters
Three scenarios that put a pre-drywall scope on the calendar.
- Rain-day framing. The stick-up caught a week of Florida afternoon storms. Lumber sat wet long enough that surface fungi colonized before the structure was dried in. Insulation and drywall are scheduled, and nobody wants to seal it in unread.
- Paused job. The build sat open between phases. Permitting delay, materials backorder, custom-home owner change order. Weeks or months of exposed framing in a humid climate is its own moisture event, separate from any rain.
- Builder-independent verification. A custom-home buyer wants a third-party microbiologist to walk the framing before the GC closes the walls. The GC's own QA process is fine; the buyer wants a parallel record they commissioned, with a license tied to a different name.
What I document
What gets recorded, and what gets sampled.
- Full framing survey. Every accessible member: top plates, studs, sole plates, sheathing (interior and underside), sill plates, headers, roof trusses, and blocking.
- Moisture readings. On any member that reads visually questionable, water staining, discoloration, swelling, or a location of concern (penetrations, transitions, weather-side exposure).
- Lab ID of any bloom. A targeted swab or tape-lift on any visible surface growth, dispatched to an AIHA-LAP accredited lab for species ID. Stachybotrys chartarum gets called out specifically; non-toxigenic surface mold gets named for what it is.
- Photo-keyed report. Every finding is a numbered photo with a moisture reading, a location reference (room, wall, elevation), and a clearance recommendation, readable by the GC, the buyer, an insurance carrier, and counsel if it ever comes to that.
How it works on a job site
Timing, turnaround, and what you hand off.
Scheduled between dry-in and insulation start. Half a day for a typical single-family; full day for a multi-family build, a custom estate, or a structure with significant exposure. Lab turnaround on any swab is 24 to 72 hours. Written report follows within 48 hours of lab receipt, and the report is yours to keep in the construction file, share with the buyer, or hand to a remediation contractor as a written scope if findings warrant it.
Pre-drywall FAQ
What builders and owners ask before they schedule.
When in the construction sequence should this happen?
After framing is complete, the mechanicals are roughed in, and the structure is dried-in, but before insulation and drywall start. That is the only window where every framing member, the underside of the sheathing, and the top and bottom plates are still fully visible. Once insulation goes in, the substrate is hidden until demolition.
What does it cost?
Pricing varies by square footage, story count, and the sampling the visible conditions require. Most single-family pre-drywall scopes fall into a defined range that Daniel quotes after a brief sizing call. Quote-only on this service; the online inspection booking is reserved for residential and tenant scopes where the building is already closed.
Who typically pays, the builder or the buyer?
Either. When the builder commissions the inspection, the report reads as construction-quality documentation kept on file. When the buyer commissions it, the report reads as third-party verification independent of the GC. The scope of work is the same; the audience changes.
What happens if you find mold on the framing?
Visible surface growth on lumber gets swabbed or tape-lifted and sent to an AIHA-LAP-accredited lab for species identification. The lab data tells you whether you are looking at a Stachybotrys chartarum scenario that requires real remediation, or a non-toxigenic surface mold that a HEPA wipe-down and dry-out resolves. The report names the species, locates the affected members in photos, and lets your remediation contractor write a scope against documented findings.
Do you remediate?
No. Florida Statute 468.8419 prohibits the same firm from inspecting and remediating, and PureSpec is built around that line. When findings require remediation, Daniel writes the IICRC S520-aligned protocol that an independent remediation contractor works to, then returns for post-remediation verification before drywall closes. Inspector, protocol writer, clearance verifier. Never the crew.
Service areas
Where we perform pre-drywall mold inspections.
Statewide Florida coverage with Central Florida priority. Counties listed below are the proximity cluster; statewide pre-drywall callouts for production builders and custom-home work are quoted with travel built into the scope.
Central Florida coverage