Mildew spots in all rooms upstairs.

[mikehart]

Hi there. The house we purchased is now at 2nd fix stage and is just after been hardwalled. I have noticed that all the upstairs rooms have mildew spots on the ceilings. Forman on site said its nothing to worry about as when the house is heated it will dry out and disapear. I beg to differ though!! Obviously this is a big problem or is it???

[heinbloed]

It is indeed a problem: the house is not habitable. Talk to some one in the health department for advice. And/or check the web. You have the right to step back from the contract. The foreman should be sued, his advice is dangerous and misleading. Get an expert witness to come with you when seeing the house again. Contact the consumers organisation and the Ombudsman for further advice.
Mildew is a particular mould, there is no way to decide just by looking at a mould to what species it belongs. You need a microbiological test to be done to identify the mould, the spores in the air should be measured (spores/liter) to decide if the building can be entered by workers without safety gear.The HSA would be interested in such rogue building companys as well.

[VikingHouse]

Mildew/fungus needs three things to grow; darkness, moisture and heat.
So if you eliminate one of these items it should dissappear.
Also try a spray or leave the windows open for a few days to dry out the building.
Buildings release a lot of moisture when they are drying out especially from plaster so let it breathe.
Check that there is a breather membrane under the insulation in the attic, if there is moisture in the plasterboard it could also be in the insulation and wet insulation doesn't work.