Franklin Township covers Cashtown, Orrtanna, and the Route 30 corridor west toward the mountains. Orchards, older villages, and homes on the slopes of South Mountain make up most of it. West on U.S. Route 30 toward Cashtown, about 15 minutes from our office.
Older village homes in Cashtown and along Route 30 often have stone foundations and small basements. Homes set into the slope take water from uphill, and that side of the foundation stays wet longer.
Higher ground toward the mountain means cooler nights. Attics and exterior walls get colder here than in town, and that makes condensation and attic mold more common.
Quick answer
Franklin Township has about 2,178 homes, and 65.8% were built before 1980 (49.5% across Adams County). FEMA records 18 flood insurance claims in Franklin Township, most in 1996. Published national benchmarks put a typical mold remediation project at $1,223-$3,757 (Angi) to $1,500-$6,000 (HomeGuide); a written quote after inspection sets the real price, and the first step is always finding the water.How costs break down.
How old the homes are, how many share walls, and how often water has come in, compared with Adams County and Pennsylvania.
| Measure | Franklin Township | Adams County | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 4,722 | 106,115 | 13,018,639 |
| Housing units | 2,178 | 43,672 | 5,806,452 |
| Median year built | 1971 | 1980 | 1965 |
| Built before 1940 | 27.0% | 17.5% | 25.0% |
| Built before 1960 | 40.7% | 29.4% | 44.9% |
| Built before 1980 | 65.8% | 49.5% | 67.2% |
| Built 2000 or later | 7.2% | 22.3% | 14.3% |
| Single-family detached | 90.5% | 74.7% | 56.6% |
| Attached homes (rowhouse, twin, townhouse) | 5.7% | 9.3% | 18.8% |
| Mobile homes | 3.2% | 5.5% | 3.5% |
| Owner-occupied | 84.5% | 78.9% | 69.3% |
| Median home value | $252,600 | $268,500 | $254,500 |
Named events with claims in Franklin Township: Hurricane Sandy 2012 (2), Flooding 1996 (1).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035 and B25077 (profile); FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP redacted claims, data as of 2026-09-08. Municipal claims use FEMA's NFIP community; ZIP claims use the reported ZIP code, which can cross municipal lines. ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error, and small places have wider margins. Paid amounts are not adjusted for inflation.
On cold mornings, the roofing nails poking through the sheathing can grow frost that later melts and drips. It means warm, moist house air is reaching the attic.
Staining on the roof deck that stops at each rafter usually comes from condensation, since the wood between rafters runs colder than the framing itself.
Soft, sandy mortar joints in a stone foundation are a sign that water moves through that wall regularly. The uphill side is usually the worst.
Paint and coatings that blister and flake off stone or block are being pushed off by moisture moving through from behind.
A heavy, damp smell when you open up a house that sat closed for a few weeks means humidity climbed while no one was there to run fans or air conditioning.
Heading west on Route 30, the ground climbs toward South Mountain, and clear nights at higher elevation get noticeably cool. A roof deck radiates heat to the night sky and can drop below the outdoor air temperature. If moist air from a bathroom, kitchen, or leaky attic hatch reaches that cold sheathing, it passes the dew point and turns to water on the wood. Repeat that for a few winters and the plywood darkens with growth.
The older village homes in Cashtown and Orrtanna often sit on stone foundations laid with lime mortar and no footing drains. Stone and mortar move water by capillary action, so a wall with wet soil against it stays damp all the way through. On a hillside lot, runoff and shallow groundwater collect on the uphill side and keep feeding that wall. Occupancy matters too. A house that is empty part of the year does not get its air stirred, heated, or cooled on a regular schedule, and humidity inside settles wherever surfaces are coolest.
Out Route 30 toward Cashtown, homes on the slopes of South Mountain see colder attics and wetter uphill walls than homes in town.
Condensation mold on sheathing in colder attics, with ventilation fixes.
Cooler nights at elevation mean more condensation on roof sheathing. We clean the attic, check that bath fans vent outside, seal air leaks from the house, and make sure soffit and ridge vents are working together.
Stone and block basements on hillside lots.
Stone and block basements in older village homes take water from the uphill side. We clean or remove what has grown, dry the space, and point out grading or downspout fixes on that side.
Containment and removal when growth has spread through a closed-up house.
Houses that sit closed for stretches can develop mold on walls, furniture and closet contents at once. That calls for containment and HEPA filtration, and a plan to keep humidity down while the house is empty.
Every service we offer is available in Franklin Township.
Thermal imaging in the attic shows where warm house air is leaking through the ceiling, and moisture readings along the foundation show which wall is wet. Those two checks usually explain what we are seeing.
Attic sheathing is cleaned under containment with HEPA filtration, and badly damaged sections are flagged for replacement. In the cellar, growth is removed from stone, joists, and anything organic stored there.
Framing and sheathing are dried and rechecked with a moisture meter. We follow IICRC S520 practice of confirming the source is controlled before calling the area finished.
The lasting fix is keeping moist air out of the attic: sealing ceiling penetrations, venting bath fans outdoors, and balancing soffit and ridge vents. Below grade, we recommend grading and downspout changes on the uphill side.
Driveways here can be steep and long, so we ask about access before bringing equipment. In winter, we plan attic visits around the weather.
For seasonal homes, we can arrange access and send photos and a written scope if you are not on site.
Cooler nights at higher elevation make the roof deck colder, so moisture from the house condenses on it more often. Air sealing the attic floor and making sure the attic is vented properly are the long-term fixes.
Yes. Franklin Township, including Cashtown and Orrtanna, is part of our service area.
Stone itself is not food for mold, but dust, dirt, and old whitewash on the surface can be, and the wood resting on the stone definitely is. The sill plate and first joists are usually where growth shows up. Keeping the cellar humidity down protects that framing.
A little frost on nail tips on the coldest mornings is common, but a heavy layer of frost or dripping when it melts is a warning sign. It means a lot of moisture is getting into the attic from the house. Over time that water soaks the sheathing and feeds mold.
It often backfires. Stone foundations need to let moisture out, and a sealed coating can trap water in the wall until it pushes the paint off or damages the mortar. Managing water outside and humidity inside works better for most old stone cellars.
More answers on our mold FAQ page.
Tell us whether the house is lived in year-round and where you have seen the mold. We will plan the visit around the access.
