Last Saturaday, Tom & I went out to Coquitlam to visit this home with the most beautiful backyard I've ever seen. Although many people might think Coquitlam might be a bit far, but actually, it's really not that bad; as the matter of fact, it's quite a nice drive from Vancouver to Coquitlam.  As we are driving, there are beautiful mature trees, big mountains, and blue sky along the way. 

 

When we got to the house, the first thing that attracted me is the backyard.  The back yard has a large Gazebo surrounded by a fully matured garden.  It's just perfect to relax in the Gazebo with a cup of tea, your favourite book

Health & Structural Risks from Molds in Your Home What is it?

Molds are fungi that reproduce by releasing tiny spores into the air.  Spores that land on moist objects may begin to grow.  There are thousands of different types of mold, ranging from the non-toxic to toxic mold, and we encounter many of them every day in our homes and outside.

Toxic mold is a type of mold that produces hazardous by-products, called mycotoxins.  The most common toxic mold is a slimy, greenish-black mold that grows on moisture-laden materials that contain cellulose, such as wood, paper, drywall, clothes and other similar products.

 

What

An oil tank is a tank with sizes ranging from 300 gallons to 1000 gallons located underground in the back yards of residence.  Furnace oil was stored in these tanks to heat many homes in Vancouver prior to natural gas becoming available. 

As natural gas heating becoming more and more popular, many oil tanks were left in the ground.  Eventually all tanks will corrode or rust out due to a wet and humid climate in the Lower Mainland; hence, any oil which got left behind will leach into the ground and could quickly cause devastating environmental hazard, including contamination in surrounding soil, surface water, and drinking water.

The

 

What is it?

Asbestos is a group of minerals that are formed naturally as bundles of fibres, which can be separated into thin threads.  These fibres are not affected by heat or chemicals and they do not conduct electricity.  Hence, asbestos was once widely used in homes as insulation, sound absorption and for fire protection.  For structural enhancement, it was also added to cement and plaster for more structural strength.

 

How was it used?

Until the early 1980s, more than 5,000 products contain asbestos and of the 5,000, over 3,000 products were used in house construction prior to late 1980s.