Mold Remediation in Glorieta, New Mexico

Glorieta sits about twenty minutes east of Santa Fe on I-25, in the southern Sangre de Cristos at the west side of Glorieta Pass, around 7,500 feet. The pass carried the westernmost leg of the Santa Fe Trail and was the site of the Battle of Glorieta Pass in March 1862, the decisive engagement of the Civil War's New Mexico campaign, now protected as part of Pecos National Historical Park. Pecos and the Pecos Wilderness are just beyond, and a great deal of property here backs directly onto National Forest.

This is not high desert the way Santa Fe is. It is ponderosa pine country, higher, colder, snowier and shaded, and the mold picture changes accordingly.

Why Glorieta buildings get mold

Snow, and a lot of it

Glorieta gets significantly more snow than the city, and it stays longer. On pitched roofs, meltwater runs down a warm roof plane to a cold eave, refreezes and dams, and water backs up under the roofing into the sheathing and the top of the wall. Ice damming is a genuine winter cause here in a way it simply is not twenty miles west.

Shade that never lets anything dry

Dense ponderosa cover plus a valley setting means north roof slopes and north walls can go entire winters without direct sun. Snow sits on them for weeks. Siding, decks and roof edges stay wet. This is the single biggest difference between Glorieta and the rest of Santa Fe County, where nearly everything is exposed and dries within hours.

Seasonal cabins and camps

A lot of property up here is used part of the year. Cabins closed in October and reopened in May go through an entire snow season unheated and unwatched. A roof leak in December is discovered in spring after five months of running.

Crawl spaces and pier foundations

Common on cabins and older mountain construction, usually over bare soil, usually with wood framing directly above it and often with plumbing that was drained badly or not at all.

Wood heat and closed-up interiors

Wood stoves plus tightly closed winter interiors means very low ventilation, and any moisture generated inside stays inside and condenses on the coldest wall it can find.

Forest debris on the roof

Pine needles and cones fill gutters, valleys and any flat roof drainage on the property, and a blocked valley in a snow year is a leak waiting for the first big melt.

What to check on a Glorieta property

• Eaves and roof edges in late winter for ice dam evidence: icicles, staining, blistered paint on the soffit.
• Attic decking, particularly on the north side and above bathrooms.
• North walls, decks and any surface that never sees sun.
• Crawl spaces at spring opening.
• Valleys, gutters and roof drainage for needle and cone buildup, twice a year minimum.
• Any structure that was closed for the season, before you assume it is fine.

Opening a cabin in spring

Before you turn the water on, walk it. Look at every ceiling, look under every sink, look at the water heater, and smell the closed rooms while they still smell like they have been closed. Then turn the water on and watch for ten minutes with the house quiet, listening. Freeze damage to a supply line that was not drained properly is the classic spring discovery, and finding it while you are standing there is much better than finding it after you leave for a week.

Getting somebody out there

Glorieta is about twenty minutes east on I-25 with no travel charge, and coverage extends to Pecos, Rowe and the surrounding communities. Same day or next day for an active leak, free written estimate. For the attic and roof side see attic remediation, and for the repair itself see moisture source repair.

Frequently asked questions