COLUMBIA - With mold problems forcing South Carolina's first family out of the Governor's Mansion at least until September, Gov. Mark Sanford is planning to sleep on the floor of the pool house on nights when business keeps him in Columbia, his wife, Jenny, said Tuesday.

"We're going to move his futon from the congressional days; we're having it cleaned," Jenny Sanford said.

During his six years in the U.S. House, from 1994 to 2000, Mark Sanford gained attention for refusing to move his family to Washington and sleeping on a futon in his office. The pool house is on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion complex.

Jenny Sanford and the couple's four sons, whose ages range from 51/2 to 12, will stay in the family's beachfront home on Sullivans Island near Charleston until school starts.

At that time, she said, "what we're looking at doing right now is having all of us move into the pool house. Our little boys are happy to sleep in sleeping bags."

The pool house is basically a large open room, the first lady said. "But it has two bathrooms, and we're looking into whether we can get it wired for a computer; it already has a telephone."

She said: "It's got a little room ... like half a kitchen. I suspect if we moved a refrigerator in there, we could make do with breakfast and some minor meals."

The Governor's Mansion was closed June 21, and the consultant hired by the state to fix the mold problem said that it will be another eight weeks before the Sanfords can move back in.

According to the consultant, Rick Bennett, the mold was caused by a problem with the mansion's air conditioning system that was installed three years ago as part of a $5.6 million renovation to the mansion, which was built in 1856.

Mold also was found in other buildings on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion Complex, including the historic Lace House that was renovated this year.

The State Budget and Control Board, which is in charge of maintaining the buildings, put in manual controls intended to reduce humidity in August after mold was discovered in one upstairs bedroom closet.

The first lady wasn't satisfied and hired a Charleston engineer to investigate the building's air handling system. In March, the engineer concluded that the system hadn't been built properly.

Jenny Sanford has said the mold caused health problems with family and staff.