Home inspection, Mold Testing & Remediation, Water & Smoke Damage
About us
Certified-Environmental is a family owned business established in 2005. Our focus is the indoor health of Residential and Commercial buildings. Government figures show that in the 1950s, 75% of the air we breathe was outdoor air. Today, 94% of the air we breathe is indoor air. Inspections include a visual inspection, moisture inspection, and TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) Metering of the entire structure. Home Buyers and Seller: Complete your real estate transaction with the knowledge that a thorough, professional evaluation has been performed on the property you're looking to buy or sell. Rely on Certified-Environmental to get the answers you need before you're left without recourse. CALL 650-515-1682 to schedule and appointment today!
I only spoke with Rich on the phone. He was very nice to talk to and explained thing well.
Description of Work: Mold inspection
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
Gary J.
03/2020
2.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
Not good. Two people to do one persons job. Took less than an hour. Walked around with a hand held meter which was found out later to be on the wrong setting.
Description of Work: inspection for mold
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
1.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
$650
Albert M.
12/2019
5.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
Richard is an amazing mold specialist who took care to thoroughly inspect my apartment ahead of my DoD sponsored move. He took care to ensure that my moving company received more than adequate proof and documentation that my belongings were free and clear of mold in an apartment complex that is highly susceptible to it, here in Monterey. I would highly recommend his services to those who require the highest expertise in mold inspection, testing and mitigation. Thank you so much!
Description of Work: Mold inspection and testing
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Moe A.
10/2019
5.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
I have been doing business with Rich for a while. He is the best. Great service, on time, & reasonable. I highly recommend him & his team.
Description of Work: Pacific Grove Chamcer Of Commerce
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
David H.
10/2019
5.0
We have known rich for over 30 years and he always does what he says he's going to..
Description of Work: developer
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
Anna H.
10/2019
5.0
Jayce was very thorough and gave plenty of pointers on how to keep our house mold free throughout the inspection. The results came fast, and Jayce also did a follow up to see how we were doing. We also had them come out after raw sewage flooded our house to make sure the everything was safe and up to code. Great service!
Description of Work: indoor air quality and mold inspection and tests
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
Debra W.
10/2019
5.0
Rich is my go-to inspector when it comes to any environmental concerns. He is truly an expert in his field & I highly recommend him.
Description of Work: indoor air quality and mold testing
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
Yes, I recommend this pro
Corinne M.
10/2019
5.0
Rich was professional and responsive. Highly recommend.
Description of Work: Mold testing throughout the house
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Olivia G.
10/2018
5.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
Certified-Environmental was highly recommended by a company I've used and trusted in the past (Pacific Reconstruction, INC) when I used them to remediate some water related damage. The post 'clean-up' required hiring a company that was highly knowledgeable and experienced in quality air testing in order to make sure the remediation efforts had effectively addressed all issues. Pacific Reconstruction provided the contact info for Certified-Environmental and let's say it was the BEST CALL I could have made!! Mr Richard Gray provided me with a detailed description of what needed to take place and the reasons for the extensive testing. He was highly informative, but also made it a point to patiently translate the detailed complicated terminology for my layman's understanding. I am so grateful to have found Certified - Environmental Inc as they are EXTREMELY well versed and knowledgeable in what is a highly technical and scientific arena. Richard Gray and his partner/daughter Jayce, are an EXCEPTIONAL TEAM ... I've used their services a few times now and HIGHLY RECOMMEND their company.
Description of Work: Quality Air Testing Post Remediation
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Amanda P.
11/2017
5.0
They were great and helped explain everything thoroughly to us. I'd use them again!
Description of Work: air, mold testing
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Freddie C.
05/2017
5.0
I went on to Angie's List looking for mold remediation. I found this company and they came out and tested for mold. I worked with JC, she used some machines and tested the spore levels for mold. It was very high because there was no ventilation in the bathroom. She recommended some mold remediation. I had another company do some cleaning. They used air scrubbers, but that didn't work. I had them come back out two more times. They do a very thorough job of explaining the work, and they do get back to you. This has been a good experience. I just got the all clean/ all clear and my tenants can move back in.
Description of Work: Mold Remediation
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Emily A.
12/2016
5.0
Rich and his team were very professional, and the inspection took about 30 minutes. They took humidity readings throughout the house, visually inspected areas of concern, and took air samples inside and outside. They came on a Thursday, and I had a full report along with recommendations e-mailed to me the following Tuesday. From beginning to end, the process was very smooth, and I would recommend Rich and his team to anyone needing home inspection services.
Description of Work: I had visible mold in the house that I'm currently renting. The landlord sent a handyman, and he didn't know much about mold, so I called Rich with Certified Environmental to come check it out.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$390
Leila S.
11/2016
5.0
Rich and his team did an excellent job. Tested for mold throughout house and crawlspace to determine issues w mold and provided a lab report. Mold remediation company recommended. But more than that they spent time w me on what i could do to fix air quality issues in my basement. They even called my crawlspace contractor to help me figure out my options.
Description of Work: Environmental testing in basement and crawlspace
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$800
Brenda R.
10/2016
2.0
I think their report was very thorough, but I didn't get a good feeling afterwards. They didn't even find the mold. They mold was found by another company after them. They said there was no odor in the crawl space, but that's exactly where it came from.
Description of Work: Mold inspection.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
1.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
4.0
$1,100
Response from Certified-Environmental
We are Board Certified Indoor Environmentalists, we found mold issues in her Structure. If another company identified mold in the crawl space and convinced her that is where the mold was coming from after we clearly identified by IAQ testing that the crawl space was clear, I am confused how we became the brunt of this project? I apologize if any confusion was due to our communication but clearly we performed exactly in the same manner we handle all our projects. It is our company policy to only recommend licensed and high quality remediation contractors.
Shannon W.
09/2016
5.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
I was very pleased. Rich and his team were very thorough, going through the house with their instruments to measure moisture and air quality. They also looked over any places that concerned me. I decided to pay for a lab test of something that was found (the extra payment was an option clearly laid out from the start), and I received a VERY thorough report on the results. They were friendly and concerned about the health of my family members and it was a pleasant, relatively quick and totally painless process.
Description of Work: I wanted to check for mold or any other airborne concerns
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
Steve R.
07/2016
5.0
Very well. Certified Environmental was professional and experienced and provided a report and suggestions on how to mitigate issues with mold and moisture.
Description of Work: Mold, moisture and biological report.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$450
Christine S.
01/2016
5.0
Rich was prompt and very informative. Basically I learned that I don't have a mold problem (after long-standing water leakage had been discovered in a portion of the roof, but I also learned that the walls wouldn't need to be taken down if there were mold, as the repairman had feared. Overall, I saved having possible unneeded work done on the house.
Description of Work: Inspect the interior of the house for possible mold, conduct a test of an air sample from indoors and one from outdoors, and explain quite a bit about mold and what to do about it, if needed.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
Patricia Y.
11/2015
3.0
pest control
 + -1 more
Richard asked me where I thought problem was, showed them the guest hall bathroom under sink & master bath under the sink & crawl space in master closet. They did not go under crawl space, which is where I think mold is originating from, only opened crawl space door & briefly looked in, could not see under entire house unless you crawl in there. Initial quote was for $135 to inspect, however, ended up costing me $460.00 with $40.00 discount for Angie's list. Was not informed of additional costs for "actual test', which consisted of using some small device in front of bathroom to test for mold.? Suggested replacing bathroom fans, which we were planning on doing & changing ring around guest toilet. I'm still waiting for the official report, however, they don't even do the actual work. they recommend "a heat process" called pasteurization from a company out of Salinas that kills pests & mold, who they say will come out & give you a free estimate. I feel like I wasted $460.00 & that they should be more forthright with the customers in the future about "actual costs". I probably should have questioned them further about bill, but was sort of taken aback. They were both nice enough, however, felt like I was taken advantage of. Will not recommend them, This is why I joined Angie's list in the first place, because it is really difficult to trust contractors.
Description of Work: An inspection for mold, however, were only here about 30 minutes.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
3.0
$360
Response from Certified-Environmental
Angies List is very clear that the $135 inspection fee does not include an air quality test. Often we do an inspection and find no need for a test.
Dorothy R.
11/2015
1.0
air duct cleaning
 + -1 more
First, we purchased the $135 Angie's List inspection as we had a mildew smell in our entry closet. Richard Gray and his daughter did a quick inspection and said they could not smell mildew and did not see any obvious signs of mold. They said the remediation for our problem would be to hire the company PuroHeat to perform a heat treatment called pasteurization that would eliminate the smell. He said the PuroHeat treatment would cost around $2000 and strongly recommended we proceed with it so the problem would be done and over with. However, he said that PuroHeat would not provide the treatment for us unless Richard performed another test that cost an additional $340.00. So, based on Richard's recommended remediation plan, we had the 2nd test performed that same day. The following week I called PuroHeat to schedule the pasteurization treatment now that the testing was complete. Well, Mike at PuroHeat said that they would NOT perform the treatment as Richard had said. PuroHeat recommended that we have a contractor check the interior of our walls to see if there was water leakage. If so, the contractor would then proceed with bringing down a portion the wall, repairing the water damage and then sheet rocking and finishing the wall. No need for PuroHeat pasteurization. Based on this, there was ABSOLUETULY NO REASON to spend the additional $340 for Richard's second test that he said was mandatory in order for PuroHeat to come out and fix the problem. PuroHeat explained they could NOT fix our type of problem as Richard had said. Richard's recommendation of hiring PuroHeat was ABSOLUTELY WRONG and leads us to believe that it was just a way to get us to purchase his second test. We purchased Richard's second $340 test because he said we HAD TO in order to proceed to the next step of remediation. As it turns out, Richard's remediation was totally wrong, making the test unnecessary for us to do. Please do not fall into this same trap as we did and seek to find the true source of the problem before having Richard recommend a resolution. We wasted $475 on Richard's testing, still have the same problem, and now need to find a contractor to perform the work.
Description of Work: Performed two tests... the $135 Angie's List inspection and then a $340 air quality and swab specimen test.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
1.0
professionalism
1.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
5.0
$475
Response from Certified-Environmental
When we identify a moisture issue inside a wall pasteurization or remediation will not help due to the fact that the moisture issue is not cured. A plumber would need to remedy the moisture leak first. Puroheat or any of the other pasteurization contractors can not do plumbing. Often a simple mold issue reveals a much larger problem which this case unfortunately was not a simple mold problem.
Angela K.
10/2015
5.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
Richard Gray is a straight shooter who was great to work with, and didn't upsell anything. We used a coupon from Angie's list, and then had him come back for resting. He recommended the person who used to remove the mold. And we've had no issues since that treatment. Very helpful guy and glad we found him through Angie's List. A quick note about the inspection service we received and the actual cost. We knew exactly where the problem was, but had him inspect the house for our sake of mind. Our problem was such that it could not be handled on our own, and we opted for the professional cleaning since we have a child. -Angela
Description of Work: Tests for mold, and after cleaning from another provider, he also provided retesting.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$825
Nancy M.
09/2015
4.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
nothing unusual...routine report. No issues. He was fast, efficient and fair.
Description of Work: checked house after water damage repairs completed
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
4.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Dana N.
09/2015
5.0
Rich was very helpful and knowledgable. He tested my home for mold and suggested a company that could assist me with remediation. After the remediation was complete, he tested my home again. Throughout this process, Rich answered all my questions, he was punctual, courteous, and professional.
Description of Work: Rich performed mold tests before and after mold remediation.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$900
Kathryn C.
09/2015
3.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
It was okay. It turned out alright. Some of the work that he had suggested ended up being too expensive and we went with another company. They charged us a total of $500. I do believe what they say you're paying for it's almost like a switch bait. We end up paying for $500 dollars and it sounds like what you're getting, when we did the deal, it should not have been more than that but they were out here and we were kind of desperate to get that information done then so we could start the work to correct that.
Description of Work: They came out for a mold inspection. He actually came in and they did the inspection. They used there equipment to see exactly where the source of the mold was coming. They had written a long report. They took samples back with them. So many days later we got something back and where it was coming from.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
2.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
$500
Margaret C.
08/2015
4.0
home inspection
 + -1 more
It was okay. I would probably not use him again because it was kind of an unusual thing and it sounded to me like he was trying to sell work from somebody else for water damage. I'm sure he did what he was supposed to do. It was just strange to me that everywhere he went he found water in the walls, water here and water there. I don't have that problem in my house. I had him come out because I had a mold issue in my bedroom and he just didn't impress me with what he came up with. It was like a guy was looking for things and then recommending a friend that could do that. It didn't sit really good with me.
Description of Work: I used a Big Deal with Richard Gray, CMI,CRIE, Certified-Environmental.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
4.0
value
4.0
professionalism
4.0
responsiveness
4.0
punctuality
5.0
$39
Erinn K.
08/2015
5.0
Wow! What can I say? Rich came to the rescue the same day in which we called. He and his daughter, who is also an environmental scientist, were in the area and they were able to stop by our property that same afternoon. After investigating the entire house he called us with a complete report on the situation and status of the house. He took some samples of the mold and advised us how to proceed. Not only was he technically knowledgeable, he was personable as well, a trait hard to come by these days in most contractors. In a day of age where mold is such a "hot topic" with renters, Rich put our minds at ease and we feel very secure that we have done our part to protect our tenants as well as ourselves. Thanks Rich!
Description of Work: Rich visited a rental property of ours to inspect some mold which our tenant had reported.
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Service Categories
Home inspection,
Mold Testing & Remediation,
Water & Smoke Damage
FAQ
Certified-Environmental is currently rated 4.6 overall out of 5.
Monday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Certified-Environmental accepts the following forms of payment: Check,Discover,MasterCard,Visa