Mold remediation on one basement wall, what should a Calgary homeowner budget?

Published Calgary-area prices read in September 2026 put a medium-sized mould job, roughly 30 to 50 square feet, at about $1,800 to $6,000, so measure the affected area on your wall to see whether it is in that band.

What moves the price around within that range comes down to a few things. How far the mould has spread behind the drywall matters, because porous materials like drywall and insulation typically need to be removed rather than cleaned, and Alberta Health Services notes that porous materials generally require removal. The source of the moisture matters too, because if the wall is still damp the remediation contractor cannot finish the job until that is fixed. Whether the contractor includes an inspection, a post-remediation check and disposal in the quoted price also shifts the number considerably.

What a fair quote should cover

A written quote for this job should spell out at minimum:

• What materials will be removed and how the debris will be disposed of (the City of Calgary has no specific rule for mould debris, so ask the contractor how they classify and dispose of it)
• Whether a post-remediation check is included or billed separately, and who does it (asking for a consultant independent of the remediation crew is reasonable, since the same firm doing both tests and cleanup is a conflict worth asking about)
• How the work area will be contained to keep spores from spreading to the rest of the basement
• The completion date and total price, both required in writing if any payment is made before the work is done

On that last point: Service Alberta requires any business taking payment before finishing the work to hold a prepaid contracting licence, and any prepaid contract of $200 or more must be in writing and include names, addresses, a detailed description of the work, itemized prices, the completion date and your cancellation rights. You can check whether a contractor holds that licence through Service Alberta's licensed-business search.

There is no Alberta licence or certification specific to mould remediation, and there is no OHS notification requirement for mould work the way there is for asbestos. IICRC S520 is an industry standard some contractors follow, but it has no legal standing in Alberta, so a contractor citing it is describing their own practice, not a legal obligation. The one OHS provision that does apply is that where mould exists or may exist, an employer must control worker exposure under the hierarchy of controls.

One more thing worth raising before any wall comes down: if your home was built before 1990, Alberta OHS bulletin ASB004 notes a higher risk that drywall mud and other building materials may contain asbestos. Disturbing those materials without testing first could change the scope and cost of the job significantly. Ask the contractor whether they will test before cutting.

Before you sign and hand over any deposit, put the two quotes side by side and compare exactly what each one includes for the post-remediation check, who performs it, and whether disposal is itemized or bundled into a lump sum. You can request a match with local remediation contractors through the form on this page.