Let’s take a tour of your house.
But this isn’t the type of tour you might be expecting. You might get your shoes dirty, and you’ll likely have to be on your hands and knees.
We’re going underneath your house to your crawl space.
It’s easy to ignore this part of your home—after all, out of sight, out of mind—but it has a powerful impact on the rest of your house, including the quality of your air.
We’ll take a quick tour, examining some of the common problems and how crawl space encapsulation can help.
What Is a Crawl Space?
Many homes aren’t nested on the ground—there’s a hollow area that is under the floors. This keeps the house elevated between the ground and the first floor. Generally, this area is no more than three feet high.
It is where you typically find ductwork, plumbing and heating/AC….along with some other things that we’ll explore in this article.
A Tour
Every home is different, but we’d like you to imagine that you feel a draft on your floor when you walk across it when you’re wearing socks. That could indicate that something’s going on below your house, so you put on some of your old clothes and head outside to take a closer look.
You have to get on your hands and knees for this one, as you slowly open the entrance you’re met by damp, muddy ground that gets all over your jeans. Why is the area damp when it’s been closed off?
Something moves in the corner. Was it a mouse? A rat? Can animals live down there?
The answer is yes.
All kinds of vermin such as mice, termites and roaches can call your crawl space home. They can damage ductwork and even the foundation.
So how do you get rid of them?
We’ll give you the answers, but your tour is not quite done yet…
The damp air makes it difficult to breathe and you realize that there’s no ventilation in your crawl space, and the excessive humidity has been building up. Above you, there’s something that is grayish green. Is it mold?
You’re not surprised that mold could build up in an environment that is moisture-rich, but you had no idea that it could be lurking below —and sending spores into your home! Now all your allergy issues as of late start to make sense.
You need a dehumidifier.
It’s also important to take better care of your crawl space.
When you do, you’ll find that you need crawl space encapsulation.
Repairing Crawl Space: Where to Start?
This brief visit has brought a lot of issues to light. You have a lot of work ahead of you. Where do you start?
Crawl space repair is not a DIY job—often, repairs need to be measured and precisely fixed by those who have the equipment and experience.
Those like First Call.
First Call is always the right call.
Some of the Most Common Crawl Space Problems
Moisture lies at the heart of some of the biggest crawl space issues. You can easily tell you have a problem if you experience:
- Musty odors in your home or living area
- Mildew or mold in your crawl space
- Rotting wood framing
- Insects, rats or other vermin in your crawl space
- Hardwood floors that are buckled
- Drafty areas of the house
- Areas of high humidity
One of the best and simplest solutions is encapsulation.
What Is Encapsulation?
During encapsulation, we create a vapor barrier made of polyethylene plastic that keeps out moisture. We carefully use it to cover the ground and walls, making sure every measurement is accurate.
How Does Encapsulation Help?
Through encapsulation and dehumidifiers, we can eliminate problems such as:
- Bugs, termites and other vermin in your crawl space
- Flooded or moisture-ridden crawl space
- Foul odors
- Mold and mildew
- High power bills due to inefficient insulation
- Allergy or asthma problems due to moisture in crawl space
Let First Call Be the Right Call
When was the last time you took a tour? Did you like what you saw, or were you surprised by the multiple problems you encountered?
First Call serves the Triangle, Greensboro and Burlington areas, establishing our reputation for excellence and outstanding customer service. We respect your home and treat others as we would like to be treated.
If you recently took a tour of below your house and weren’t happy with what you found, let First Call be the right call. Contact us today.