Copyright 2003 The Morning Call, Inc.
Morning Call (Allentown, PA)

January 10, 2004
Saturday SECOND EDITION

Volunteer still helping with basement

By BILL WHITE Of The Morning Call

Follow-ups:

Things are looking up for Darlene Lee, the Bethlehem widow and mother of two young children who was in dire straits until a host of professionals came forward to help her.

Lee's house had a mold problem that was exacerbating her son's asthma, a $4,000 waterproofing system that didn't work, and no money to repair the damage or get the moisture from her basement. She was desperate when she first called me.

Among the volunteers who emerged after reading about her dilemma was John Halbing, an experienced professional engineer from Nazareth. At no charge, he inspected her basement, prepared reports and offered suggestions for keeping her basement dry.

He concluded that the expensive "water management system" installed by Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing early in 2002 didn't alleviate her problem. Halbing examined the area outside the home and concluded the real problems were heavy plant growth at the rear of the house, downspout trouble and insufficient ground slope away from the house. By following a few of his inexpensive suggestions, Lee went a long way toward solving her water problem.

She took Mid-Atlantic to small claims court, where she was represented for free by lawyer Harry DeWalt. Lee won an award of $2,035.

Since she still owed almost $3,500 on the loan she took out to install the system, in addition to the expense of remediating the mold and replacing the contents of her basement, Lee was disappointed it wasn't larger.

But there was more help coming. Atlantis Waterproofing and Mold Control, which had contacted me offering to assist her after my first article appeared, removed all the mold and installed a machine to enhance the ventilation and dryness of her basement -- all free. Halbing is directing additional work to correct some of the remaining problems and replace walls and ceilings removed because of mold.

Lee is grateful to everyone who helped her, and asked me to specifically mention Atlantis owner Chase Sanders. "Without his compassion and excellent work," she said, "I still would have a basement full of mold."