The McKelvie Story Support us
Georgetown, Texas Updated May 2026

On October 3, 2024, we found toxic mold in our new home.

This is our story.

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577
days displaced
I.

The story

In August 2021, we began dreaming about building a home in Wolf Ranch, Georgetown, Texas. We chose Drees Homes because their quality seemed unmatched and their reputation was stellar. There was no one else we wanted to build with.

We broke ground on August 18, 2022. We closed on April 26, 2023, with our daughter Londyn just beginning to walk. Our second daughter, Lily, was born in November 2023, right in the middle of our first year in the house. This was our forever home.

In June 2024, we noticed unusually high humidity and bought a dehumidifier. We had to empty it twice a day.

On October 2, 2024, Kristen used a moisture meter under our rugs and found mold. Later confirmed to be Aspergillus and Penicillium.

On October 24, Drees gave us 1.5 business days to vacate. On October 28, 2024, we moved out. Two months, maximum. Our daughters would barely notice.

That was over a year and a half ago.

We are still displaced. We don't have unrestricted access to our belongings. We don't have answers.

III.

Timeline

A condensed record of the last 19+ months.

  1. Apr 26, 2023

    We close on our home

    We close on our newly-built Drees home in Wolf Ranch. This is the forever home we spent two years building toward.

  2. Jun 2024

    High humidity

    We notice unusually high humidity throughout the home and purchase a dehumidifier. We have to empty it twice a day.

  3. Nov 2023

    Lily is born

    Our second daughter, Lily, is born while we are living in the contaminated house. She will later show significant developmental impacts directly tied to mycotoxin exposure.

  4. Oct 2, 2024

    Moisture detected

    Kristen uses a moisture meter and detects dangerous moisture levels under our rugs. She immediately alerts Drees.

  5. Oct 3, 2024

    Mold confirmed

    An independent inspector confirms toxic mold: Penicillium, Aspergillus, Bipolaris, and Drechslera. Our ERMI score is 17.2. Scores above 5 indicate a significant problem.

  6. Oct 24, 2024

    Forced out with 1.5 days' notice

    Drees gives us just 1.5 business days to vacate our home. We scramble to pack and arrange housing.

  7. Oct 28, 2024

    We move out

    We leave our home. Londyn keeps saying, "Mommy, I want to go home." We are told remediation will take two months, maximum. Displacement begins.

  8. Nov 5, 2024

    Drees asks us not to test our neighbors' homes

    Drees instructs us not to test our neighbors' floors. They already knew this was a widespread problem and tried to keep it quiet. Several other families in our section have since confirmed mold. Many more have elevated moisture levels and many show similar patterns.

  9. Early 2025

    Health crisis deepens

    Our daughters begin formal testing. Functional medicine confirms mycotoxin exposure. Londyn's eczema, which had been worsening since we moved in, is now confirmed to be directly tied to mold. Lily, born in November 2023, shows a growth drop from the 57th to the 5th height percentile in just 8 months. Kristen is battling chronic active Epstein-Barr Virus. Ross is diagnosed with new-onset asthma by a pulmonologist.

  10. Apr 30, 2025

    Financial abandonment

    Drees simultaneously cuts off housing payments to many affected families, including ours. From October 28 to April 30, Drees paid $250/day for temporary housing, often delaying payments and going back on verbal agreements. It took another neighbor standing outside the neighborhood entrance before families received compensation. After April 30, we are on our own. We begin carrying two mortgages.

  11. Fall 2025

    Arbitration

    The dispute moves into formal arbitration. We continue advocacy, sharing what we've learned with other affected families.

  12. 2025 - 2026

    A "fix" that won't fix anything

    Drees proposes coating only the floor with Planiseal VS epoxy. Our hired independent engineer says this product is 30 times too permeable for what is needed, that it likely won't prevent moisture from migrating under cabinets, and that the mold could return. It is not a real solution.

  13. May 2026

    Still displaced

    Over 576 days out of our home. The story is not over.

IV.

The health impact

Every member of our family has been affected. This is the medical record.

Londyn

Age 2.5 at displacement
  • Severe full-body eczema. Red, inflamed skin from eyebrows to feet. Itching to the point of bleeding, countless times.
  • Strangers commenting on her appearance in public.
  • Woke 2-15 times every night screaming and scratching. Two weeks before we moved out she couldn't sleep more than 90 minutes at a time. The night we left the house, she slept through the night for the first time in months.
  • Topical steroids, tacrolimus, wet pajama therapy, oral antihistamines, elimination diets, and 7 months of monthly Dupixent injections. Nothing worked while we lived in the house. Condition worsened throughout.
  • 40+ medical appointments including Mayo Clinic visits. Blood drawn four times by age three.
  • Recurrent strep throat.
  • PANS/PANDAS.
  • Food allergies.

Lily

Born November 2023, about to turn 1 at displacement
  • Height dropped from the 57th percentile to the 5th percentile in just 8 months.
  • After leaving the house, she recovered to the 20th percentile.
  • Eczema.

Kristen

Mother
  • Chronic active Epstein-Barr Virus.
  • Severe cough and congestion for months. Unable to breathe through her nose. Recurrent sinus infections.
  • Extreme fatigue and brain fog.
  • Had to stop breastfeeding Lily at 16 months due to mycotoxin levels detected in her body.
  • Itchy arms, increased anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

Ross

Father
  • Developed asthma. Diagnosed by pulmonologist in November 2024 after wheezing and coughing every night from July through October. Ross had no prior breathing problems in his life. Symptoms resolved after leaving the home.
  • High blood pressure (new).
  • Skin rashes on foot and armpits. Dry skin on eyebrows and beard.
  • Possible Epstein-Barr: 3-week cough in May 2024.
V.

Public updates

Every post we shared publicly as this story unfolded, in chronological order.

Dec 13, 2024
Dec 14, 2024
Dec 15, 2024
Jan 22, 2025
Feb 6, 2025
Feb 17, 2025
Feb 23, 2025
Feb 28, 2025
Mar 10, 2025
Mar 15, 2025
Mar 27, 2025
Apr 2, 2025
May 15, 2025
May 23, 2025
Jul 11, 2025
Sep 3, 2025
Sep 13, 2025
VI.

Day by day

Written in real time. This is what it actually looked like.

Oct 28, 2024
Day 1

Today they began the process of remediating our home. The past 5 days have been full of packing and figuring out how to live life outside our home. We prepped by putting everything we knew we wanted on our dining table so that when the cleaners Drees hired came they could do that first and we could take it to our rental.

We luckily found a place to live for the next two months, but it is mostly unfurnished so we had to bring plates, soap, etc. Five people showed up to clean around 10am until 5pm. Literally everything I own was wiped down. Every item in every drawer.

The hardest part about today was Londyn saying "Mommy, I want to go home," and having to explain to her that this is our home for the next two months. Lily had a hard time falling asleep in this new place.

I finally felt a small sense of relief tonight knowing that we are out of the mold. Today is Day 1 of healing.

Oct 29, 2024
Day 2

I'm surprised how quickly it looks like the move-out process is happening. Two people packed up most of the house today. There are dozens of boxes, and all the furniture is clear and empty. The movers brought our mattress, bed frame, rocking chair, and Ross' desk to the rental.

I took a couple trips to the house. One to dump the water from the dehumidifier. I was shocked how filthy the inside of it was, which means the cleaners did not clean it. I also opened the air purifiers to put in new filters and found the old filters still inside, with black dust around the edges. The cleaners must not have understood that mold can build up inside these appliances.

This move wasn't a choice, and it wasn't optional. But given the circumstances, it is really nice having a whole team pack up your items for you. Honestly, moving us back in would be the least they could do. The air scrubbers and dehumidifiers never showed up today.

Oct 30, 2024
Day 3

Today the packers continued packing, but they aren't quite done yet. They haven't even touched my closet. We are also still making trips over to grab things we forgot. The movers moved quite a bit out as well. I wonder if any of them were told they were entering a moldy home.

Nov 4, 2024
Day 7

The remediation team began covering everything up and setting up their zones today. They hung a big drape between the balcony loft area and downstairs. They removed the back door and installed a piece of plywood with six holes. They covered half of the Venetian Plaster on the fireplace.

The movers also finished moving the rest of our belongings out of the home, including the laundry fridge that had been thawing over the weekend.

They set up all of the air scrubbers and negative air pressure with tons of tubes and machines going through the house. We expect demo to begin tomorrow.

Nov 5, 2024
Day 8

Today the remediation company came in and began demoing the wood floors in the living room. Through the whole day, they only chipped away about a 6 by 3 foot area, even with a huge machine. They spent a lot of time standing around and even went outside and sat on their truck. They looked as though they didn't know what to do or were waiting on instructions from someone.

Yesterday the Drees representative said he'd get us answers by end of day today. We hadn't heard from him so Ross called him at 4:57 PM. He asked for a few more days. They've been getting an influx of requests.

Nov 6, 2024
Day 9

The remediation workers arrived at 8:37 AM. They taped a yellow piece of paper to the front door that said "Notice: Mold Remediation Process In Progress."

Nov 19, 2024
Day 22

We hired our own mold inspector to investigate our home and give us the full picture before remediation cleaning begins. The inspector previously worked in remediation for 15 years. Now he does inspections, so he really knows his stuff.

What he found: the remediation team did not properly cover the HVAC vents during demo. Dust from the demolition and mold spores are likely throughout the entire HVAC system and ductwork. They also left the AC running during the process. This is a direct violation of remediation protocol and potentially spreads contamination to every room in the house.

Nearly all of our hope that we can return to this home disappeared after this conversation.

Ongoing
The storage unit

Drees estimated remediation would take 6-7 weeks. They packed all of our belongings, including our pantry, and moved everything into two units at Extra Space Storage: one 10x30 and one smaller unit. We were never given a key or access information.

It has now been 576 days. Everything we own is still sitting in that storage unit. If we want access to our own belongings, we must contact our lawyer, who contacts their lawyer, who contacts Drees, who then schedules a supervised escort. We are not allowed to go alone, to our own things.

We scheduled a meeting for 2:30pm on May 8, 2026. They did not show up.

In those units is everything we ever owned, plus food that should have been thrown away long ago.

VII.

For press

Resources for journalists covering builder accountability, new-construction defects, and indoor mold exposure.

The story in one paragraph

The McKelvies, a family of four in Georgetown, Texas, discovered toxic mold in their newly-built Drees home in October 2024. and were expecting to be back in their home following remediation after 2 months. Nearly 19 months later, the family is still displaced, carrying dual mortgages, and contending with significant health consequences for their two young daughters. The matter is in formal arbitration.

Key facts

  • LocationWolf Ranch, Georgetown, TX
  • BuilderDrees Homes
  • DiscoveryOctober 3, 2024
  • Vacated~3.5 weeks after discovery
  • Promised return2 months max
  • Actual displacement576 days and counting
  • StatusFormal arbitration
VIII.

For other families

If you've recently found mold in your home, here's where to start.

Step 01

Test your home

Get a professional inspection on the books immediately, and test independently as well so you have your own record.

Step 02

Test your body

Find a mold-literate practitioner. Functional medicine doctors typically have the training to identify mycotoxin exposure. While waiting for an appointment, order a mycotoxin test.

Mycotoxin tests are available through Vibrant or Mosaic.

Step 03

Decide about belongings

Not everything has to be thrown away, but you need to know what species you're dealing with first. Some molds are far more toxic and require stricter decisions about what to keep.

  • Reference the Surviving Toxic Mold guides for category-by-category decisions
  • Get species ID from your inspector, not just "mold detected"
Step 04

Connect with others

You are not alone. If you are going through something similar, especially in a new-construction home, reach out. Connecting with other affected families has been one of the most important parts of navigating this.

If you are a family affected by toxic mold in a new-construction home, especially a Drees home, we'd like to hear from you.

Reach out →

Get in touch