We have all heard the horror stories about homes that are turned into grow ops. Thousands of Houses are destroyed by mold, and chemicals used to make illegal drugs each year, and those are the ones that we know about.
The misconception with grow ops is, once they have been renovated and the home has been cleaned up it is safe to live in.
Is it really safe to live in? I don’t know, but consider these few insights before you buy a house that was a grow op. The high concentrations of solvents and chemicals used in drug grow operations seep into every conceivable part of a home, from drywall, carpet, and sub floors to foundations. Unless you plan to tear that house down to the ground and rip out the basement foundation, you probably won’t get rid of all the contaminants in the home.
Even if the grow op was contained to a single room, you can’t stop airflow. The chemicals will travel through the air and deposit themselves throughout the home. It would be impossible to clean the concentrated area and believe the entire rest of the house is safe to live in.
Where do you think the toxic chemicals are dumped after they are used? Well I guarantee that stuff isn’t packed up and transferred to the local toxic chemical depository, it most likely is dumped all over the back yard. How can you tell that the soil surrounding your home is safe, you can’t unless you get it tested?
The reason I thought about writing this post today was I heard a colleague of mine talking about buying a house that was a former grow op. After talking to him for a few minutes I asked him why? Because he said it’s a good deal. Wow people will buy anything if they think it’s a good deal. I on the other hand consider my health and my family’s health to be the best deal.