Thank goodness we learned something from buying our first house and decided to pay a few hundred dollars for radon testing this time around. As part of our new home’s inspection, we paid a local radon company to conduct a multi-day test to ensure that dangerous levels of radon aren’t present (for any locals who are wondering who we used, we went with Radon Ease, because they don’t remediate, they only test- so there’s nothing in it for them to find radon).
Sure enough the readings came back above a 4… which means there were dangerous levels of radon present in the home – enough to call for professional remediation as the solution. But instead of that 2K investment falling on our shoulders, since we tested during inspection the sellers kindly agreed to fully remediate for us – and even did a follow up test to determine that the radon issue had been completely resolved. Talk about a money saver!
But let’s rewind to the good ol’ days when we learned our radon lesson the hard way. We opted not to pay the few hundred beans to have our first house tested during inspection, and just used a $15 test from Home Depot once we moved in. Horror of all horrors, our house was teeming with highly unsafe amounts of lung-cancer-causing radon (akin to smoking around five packs of cigarettes a day!) – which left us scrambling to pay thousands of dollars to remediate things without the help of the sellers (since we skipped that test option at inspection). It involved installing a semi-elaborate system in our crawl space that vents up through the house and out the roof to suck in and direct all of the naturally occurring radon from under our house through the pipe instead of letting it hang out in the inside air that we breathe. Tres annoying. But effective. Here’s more info on that debacle (and on radon testing and remediation in general).
Long story short, we considered it to be a (somewhat expensive) learning experience and we’re so glad we officially tested things this time around during our inspection period! The great new is that results came back suuuper low after mitigation (around .5, which is amazing – even lower than outside air). So to anyone living in Virginia (which is especially known for dangerous radon levels) or anywhere else with radon issues, we definitely recommend testing your house. Click here to see if your county lies in one of the red “danger zones” from the EPA’s map, pictured above. Even if it’s well past inspection or moving day, you can buy charcoal test kits at places like Lowe’s or Home Depot and it can save you (and your babies, pets, and family members) from inhaling the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes a day. Le gross.
Have any of you dealt with the house bummer that is radon? Let’s commiserate.
Map image courtesy of the EPA.
Psst- We went nursery crashing again over on BabyCenter. Click here to see that charming baby bedroom.
Emily says
Like Robin, I’m wondering about rental properties. While I assume they must be up to code, I know many states do not enforce rental codes and it is up the landlord to be responsible and up to tenants to keep them in line. My landlord really doesn’t care and radon is super scary to me. Any ideas of where to look for more information on rental properties? Our county in CO is in the “red zone.”
YoungHouseLove says
Any ideas for Emily? We’re not sure what to suggest other than calling the county or googling around.
xo,
s
Kate says
Do you all know if radon can be an issue if you live on the second floor of a condo. We’re in an area with high levels of radon, but I would assume since we have people living below us (they are slab on grade), they would be the main ones affected by it. Is this correct or could the radon be somehow making it’s way up to us?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
We wouldn’t assume that since sometimes radon can make it’s way to the top floor and be trapped up there, collecting since it can’t rise up anymore and escape out of the ceiling. Sort of like how hot air rises. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Heather says
Ah man, this is so freaky. I hadn’t even heard of radon really til this post! So thanks! I’m in western washington (state) and it shows we’re in a yellow area, but I still wanna get an at home test. We bought our house in 06 and there was no mention whatsoever of randon testing. hmmph.
Irma Baker says
Hi I wondered since you have remodeled in the past, bathrooms and kitchens if you have found any traces of mold in the older homes you have purchased? If you have, do you get the house tested for mold spore counts,as uncovering mold releases toxins that could be VERY toxic in nature to your health? It happened to us and we did remediate but my toddler got asthma and the mold was not a big spot at all BUT the toxins releases were. We learned the hard way BUT now if I plan on remodeling a bathroom or kitchen I make sure to remediate and remove all our belongings before hand. Professionals are the way to go. Hope this too helps you for a safe and healthy home:)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Irma,
We were lucky not to have found any traces of mold in our past house and so far there are no signs of it here either. Fingers crossed that it stays that way!
xo,
s
Leigh Ann says
I am so glad you’re writing about this issue! I bought my first home last spring and thank goodness, I had a great realtor who recommended a radon test. Even though, I’m in a Zone 2 county, it turned out the levels in the home were dangerously high. The sellers paid for the mitigation and all was well. Especially because the company who mitigates guarantees their work for the life of the system! :-) I’m just glad you’re writing about this issue, because friends in my neighborhood had never heard of radon or the test until mine came back so high!
Dusa says
I clicked over to the EPA site and found out that January is National Radon Action Month!
http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/index.html
And I count it one of our blessings to live in a drafty old farmhouse on a windy lake.
Michelle says
We happened to have a really good inspector when we were purchasing our first house who explained all about radon to us and said that, since it’s a significantly older home, that it would be a wise idea to test. We did and needed a mitigation system which seemed to be one of the only things the sellers didn’t fight us on.
Elizabeth says
When we bought our house, we had the radon test done during inspection. When the levels came back way too high (around a 4, can’t remember the exacts), our realtor (who represented both buyer and seller) tried to talk us out of our concern of remidiation because it was “normal” for our area. We ended up negoitating on some other stuff, but our radon guy correctly pegged the source as a hole in our basement floor. After $100 fix, it was below 1 a few weeks later. I didn’t think about retesting each year – will add to our calendar. I am glad to hear that we weren’t overreacting about radon and someone else is concerned about it too. It is scary stuff!
SistaTV says
OMG! I’m so glad I read this! We are in the process of buying our first home and NOT one person has mentioned Radon testing or anything to us! Thank goodness you mentioned it as we are going to be scheduling our house inspection very soon! I don’t know what rock I’ve been under to have missed this!
Finally, I will be able to tell my husband that my hours of aimless bloghopping has paid off!! Idle time: for the WIN!
erica says
I’ve been following your blog since you started and it gets even better with experience! I can’t wait to see how you handle what you come across in this house. . . you are off to a running start though.
We too cheaped out on an inspection for termites! Guess what. . . we had em! And a leaky chimney and roof! We were not cheaping out. . . just trying to get in the house as soon as possible because I was starting a job. Waiting another week would have saved us thousands of dollars!
Live and learn!
Emily @ Merrypad says
Have you (or anyone reading this) gotten push-back from the seller when asking for those projects to be completed on their dime before closing? Did they push back on you, trying to negotiate a higher selling price to cover themselves? I experienced a bit of the “we won’t do that extra stuff for you and if you even ask we’re going to withdraw our offer and take the next offer on the table” kind of attitude. (The sellers were entering bankruptcy and there was another interested party trying to get the house, so maybe that made it a unique situation?)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
Thankfully our sellers fully agreed to pay for the full remediation without any push back but if you read some of the comments here it seems as if some others were met with a bit of opposition as you experienced – so you’re definitely not the only one!
xo,
s
Erica says
Guess we were trying to save money too! Anybody out there listening don’t “cheap out” on inspections! Learn the easy way from me and Sherry.
Stephanie says
I really like the new bedroom mood board, although as a local, I was really hoping that you were going to post your duvet on CL when you get a new one. I really like what you have now. I have a differen West Elm one picked out too…just waiting on a sale! Enjoy all the new changes!
Beth says
After reading this I realized that our county is in the high zone for radon. My husband and I opted not to have the test done when we bought our house last year. I just came back from Home Depot with a at home test kit to use. Hopefully all is okay. Thanks for reminding us of this possibility!
Jackie says
I think it’s great that you wrote about radon because it’s an important issue for homeowners to be aware of. I was aware of radon because I watched an extreme makeover home edition episode where the family’s home had ridiculous levels of radon that was causing horrible health issues.
In any case, the county I live in Ohio is an orange county, but we had the 3 day test done during home inspection just to be safe. We came back with a low reading, but we haven’t tested again so I guess we should get on that!
Kate says
What do you do if you live in an apartment building and you’re concerned about Radon? I’m almost afraid to get a test because I fear there’s nothing we can do if we find out our levels are super high. Nothing short of breaking our lease (super costly) that is. Do you guys or any of your readers have any ideas for apartment dwellers concerned with clean air/ radon?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Kate,
We actually chatted a bit about that in the comment section here, so maybe try scrolling back for some ideas on the subject? Good luck!
xo,
s
shan says
I too had never heard of radon being an issue except on houses built on the Canadian shield (all granite rock).
For those in Canada, you may wish to visit http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/radiation/radon/survey-sondage-eng.php (Health Canada). We don’t yet seem to have a radon concentration map, but note from this link it says that 95.1% of homes in Ontario (and Ontario has a tonne of granite) are below the acceptable limit. I read on another site that there is speculation that there are lower radon levels around the great lakes since the earth tends to be full of clay. Luckily, the majority of the population in Ontario lives near one of the lakes!
That said, everyone says the same thing: radon levels vary by house, so even if you live in a low-radon province, you should test, test, test!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for sharing that info for the Canadians, Shan!
xo,
s
Susie says
I bought a 1957 bungalow last year and didn’t know to test until my inspection was over (but I was still under contract). When I brought it up to my realtor, she actually tried to talk me OUT of getting it done (and even went as far as to call the company I hired to tell them why Radon doesn’t matter – what?). Anyway, sure enough my levels were over 20 (!) and I had to pay out of my own pocket to install the system. I tried to get my realtor to pay for some of it, alas, she did not and actually even bailed on my closing and never spoke to me again. Nice.
priscillatharpe.com says
So glad you guys tested and did it right with the closed windows/doors. As a real estate agent, I always give both written and verbal instructions to have tests for radon, and my state is NOT a high radon state. You can have 2 houses side by side, do the exact same test condtions, and one can high super high, one super low.
The issue with sellers, is that once they have been notified of high radon counts, they MUST disclose this or be legally liable. So, most sellers then understand that they cannot sell their homes unless it is mitigated. For anyone with a stubborn seller, you might use that info. As to city/counties, they consider it not their issue and absolutely will not deal with it – up to buyer/seller in their opinion.
Can’t wait to see all your great redos!!
meg says
We bought a house in Sept and had a multi day radon test as well. My 4 year old already has leukemia and I didn’t want anything else lurking around that could harm us. Our test came back at 10.8! I was shocked that it could be so high. I nearly fell off my chair when my realtor called with the results. Our sellers also paid for mitigation and post testing came back at .8. Our mitigation was around $1k for our structure type. I’ve noticed that a couple of houses on my block also have the tell tale white pvc pipe going up past the roof line.
I wish my neighbors would test their house. We’re pretty friendly and our children play together, but she said she’d rather not think about it. I don’t understand that mentality. It seems as though most houses on our block that have been tested have it.
Nicole says
Thanks guys! Just in time for my search for a new home. I would have never known this if it weren’t for this post!!
Sarah says
Ugh… good for catching it this time. I kind of wish I had tested. Ohio has a program where you can buy discounted tests – after reading this I just bought one for 6.95… I bought my house 6 months ago. My fingers are crossed. (if anyone else is from ohio – the site to order the discounted tests is here: http://www.radon.com/sub/oh/)
Robin says
Heads up to the renters – inspired by this post I sent an e-mail to my state board of health (a quick google search found that they have a Radon Department) with the following questions:
1. Are landlords in — County required to test for radon in their rental properties?
2. Are landlords in — County required to disclose radon to their tenants?
3. Are landlords in — County required to install a radon mitigation system if high levels of radon are found in their rental properties?
And this was the reply:
“I am sorry to report that there are no State requirements that landlords must test for, disclose the presence of radon or mitigate radon if it is found.
Testing for radon is completely voluntary in the State of Ohio. Thanks for the inquiry.”
So that is kind of crap news for renters in the state of Ohio. I am buying a test this week but it seems like options are pretty limited for renters who get high readings. :-(
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for that info Robin! Bummer about the response though!
xo,
s
Miriam says
Thank you for your post on the dangers of radon and importance of testing your home. I live in the Upstate of SC and we have high radon scores here, as well. In fact, I have a good friend who died of lung cancer as a result of living in a house for 8 years that had high levels of radon. So sad and so preventable! Thank goodness you had it tested as part of your inspection!
Christina says
Thanks for this post! It’s so timely, given that it’s National Radon Action Month in January and there are promotions for free kits to take advantage of, such as http://www.radonleaders.org/node/3789. The free kits on that site were offered during Jan. 2010, but I just emailed the Beverly Fund Lung Cancer Foundation and found out that they are offering free kits nationwide again for Jan. 2011 – just email them your name and address. Whoohoo!
YoungHouseLove says
Sweet! Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Kelly says
Just as a follow up to my earlier comment, we bought the house in the depths of winter, when the levels should have been higher (with the house all sealed up and several inches of snow on the ground) and sold it in the late spring (not during a rainy period), when levels theoretically should have been lower. Since it was such a large fluctuation in radon levels (it shouldn’t fluctuate that much), we believe that one of the tests may have been inaccurate…and unfortunately it’s also possible that the sellers tampered with the process by opening windows and doors during testing. My advice to buyers concerned about radon is that they should do their own follow up testing themselves throughout the year to be on the safe side.
YoungHouseLove says
Ack! The thought of your sellers tampering with it is terrible, but we have to agree that it’s a definite possibility if your house tested a lot higher in the spring after a winter test that was conducted while the sellers lived there. We were lucky enough to get our test to line up with a short trip to the mountains that our sellers were taking, so the house was empty for the test (so no doors and windows were opened). Thank goodness! We also learned from the radon company that they just started conducting “15 minute interval tests” so they can detect things like open windows or doors and other tampering (they record the radon level every 15 minutes, and if the radon levels decrease dramatically at any point they know the owners are messing with things and opening the windows and doors to air things out). Hopefully that’ll cut down on tampering!
xo,
s
Lauren says
Ahhh, radon. When we bought our house a couple of years ago it tested in the 30s! A far cry from the recommended 4. The radon mitigation company installed a system which reduced it to 6…then had to come back and tweak it until we got a low enough reading. It was crazy, but we’re so glad we had it tested. Glad your house is safe now too!!
Becca says
Wow, thank you so much for writing about this! I also had no idea. We’ll be testing, um, tomorrow!! At the earliest! :)
Ben says
Yeah, we had a radon issue in my new home in Virginia. The mitigation system we had installed (just like yours) worked amazingly well! Went from a reading of something like 8, to below .5
Claire says
Unfortunately, we ended up on the unhappy end of a radon test that was above a 4 (though really, who wins in that situation?). When we recently sold our home the test came back at a 10(!!). We agreed to fix the issue while the buyer took care of other issues that came up during the inspection. Thankfully we were able to find someone to install a remediation system for a mere $650 (we originally thought we would be in for $1500+). The new results came back about as low as your re-test.
Glad your re-test was great and you managed to discover the issue during your inspection period!
AliceB says
When we sold our beautiful antique home, 1850’s Greek Revival with a Michigan basement in 1990 the purchasers insisted on a Radon testing. I’d never heard of it at that time… came back 40 and this was in the summer. Original estimate was 20K eventually found a contractor to do it for 2K. Full underfloor ventilation system, one way valves on in floor drain, plus exhaust fan got us below 2. I’d brought my new born baby to that house and was horrified.
It’s a great idea to retest, will need to get on that. Great post!
Sarah says
Just got my test back and we were at 1.8 so it seems like we are good to go! Thanks for this post though – I probably never would have even tested if I hadn’t read it!
Kate says
Ugh, we are getting ready to close on a house and we got our home tested for radon as part of the inspection, and it came up as 3.9 – unfortunately that means that we can’t ask our sellers for any help with remediation, but it still concerns me. Yikes…
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, if I were you (because I’m a safety freak) I’d ask a remediation specialist to come and see what they could do to get it down. They might be able to do something quick and inexpensive (like install a few fans in your crawl space) instead of a major job. Good luck!
xo,
s