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Mould-Busting Biz Grows Fast
Pubdate: Sun, 23 Oct 2005
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2005 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: David Schmeichel
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
MOULD-BUSTING BIZ GROWS FAST
Grow-Op Busts Fuel Expansion
If the police crackdown on marijuana grow operations continues at the
current clip, demolition man Victoire Wozny is going to have a hard time
keeping up.
Wozny, owner of a demolition and construction firm called "Slic Vic,"
specializes in gutting and rebuilding homes that have been all but
destroyed by the grow operations they've housed.
Only a matter of time
Many don't realize it, but once a grow operation is set up in a home, it's
only a matter of time before excess moisture, mould and other
not-so-niceties make the property completely uninhabitable.
"The worst case I've seen was where the floors were falling out from
underneath us," said Wozny. "It was so water-damaged that the whole thing
was falling apart ... it sounded like eggshells, and you could hear it
cracking as you walked across."
It's Wozny's job to clear out any equipment left behind, remove all signs
of decay, and restore homes to their former glory.
"I go in and take everything out, the lighting, the electrical, whatever,"
said Wozny. "Any damage done to the building itself, we take out those
damaged areas and reconstruct it all ... What we usually have to do is gut
the houses, then rebuild the entire inside of the house."
Wozny started off four years ago as a regular handyman, but soon found many
of the projects he was being hired for involved cleaning up sites where
grow operations had taken place.
Seeing a niche, he decided to specialize, and began marketing himself as
the go-to guy for grow ops. Ironically, he found business dropped off a bit
once he narrowed the focus of his advertising.
"People automatically associate us with something bad," Wozny said. "But
we're not. We're re-doing all these houses that would normally be torn down
or left vacant. We go in there and make it so you can live there again."
It's becoming increasingly common for first-time homebuyers to find
themselves burned after purchasing properties where extensive mould damage
has been covered up with quick-fixes like paint jobs, Wozny said.
That group makes up about 25% of Wozny's workload, while the rest is
accounted for by real estate companies whose rental properties have fallen
victim to the same fate.
Demolition and reconstruction can be costly, Wozny admits, but it also
saves property owners the hassle of moving, and affords them the
opportunity to tinker with layouts or make structural changes.
And while Wozny contracts out most of the work, he makes an effort to hire
people who come "recommended, but currently find themselves unemployed,"
for the more menial tasks.
Demolition and cleanup on an average-sized home usually runs in the $5,000
range, while rebuilding costs vary depending on the size and scope of the
project.
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