Moisture in a crawl space causes mold and falling insulation. The CrawlSeal system prevents these issues.
Have you ever wondered where that hatch in the floor or opening in a basement wall leads? It would be great if you could enter Narnia through these entryways, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Odds are, these are access points to a crawl space.
A crawl space is a hollow area directly underneath your house. Not every house has one, but it is a common building practice to construct homes atop this 1-3′ empty space to elevate the structure off the ground. Crawl spaces usually have dirt floors because it is cheaper than pouring concrete. These areas aren’t used very much, but they can be handy in hiding HVAC units, plumbing, ducts, and electrical wiring. (Source: Realtor.com)
While they can be useful for keeping the latter items out of plain sight, crawl spaces normally give people the creeps. Your typical crawl space is dark, dirty, and downright nasty. There could be water, moldy insulation, creepy crawly creatures, rodents and so many more unpleasant things lurking beneath your feet than you realize.
Out of sight, out of mind, right? That’s a dangerous attitude to take regarding your crawl space. Especially if anyone in the house suffers from asthma or allergies, the conditions in the crawl space could be contributing to sickness.
On this page, we’ll address some common questions about crawl spaces that we hear from homeowners like you, and how our expert team at Ohio Basement Authority can help you improve the health and safety of your home.
During the year that they have lived in their house, homeowners in Millfield, OH, noticed issues in their basement and crawl space areas. These included moisture and improper insulation, which became more evident during cold winter months.
The homeowners wanted to ensure the health and safety of the 150-year-old house. During their research for repair options, the homeowners learned more about Ohio Basement Authority online and they were eager to contact us for help with transforming their basement and crawl space areas.
After meeting with Inspector John Becker Sr., the homeowners were excited for the crew to install several reliable basement waterproofing and crawl space repair products. Because of the older home’s dirt crawl space and basement flooring, the CrawlDrain drainage system was installed to catch any seeping water. This water is then directed to the SafeDri ProX sump pump in the basement that will pump the water out of the home and away from the foundation.
Both the crawl space and basement were encapsulated in CrawlSeal liner. This thick, durable liner completely isolates these environments from the earth. CrawlSeal also acts as a moisture and vapor barrier, and it helps insulate the basement and crawl space. Additional insulation measures included applying spray foam insulation to the band joists and placing foam insulation panels on the crawl space and basement floors before the encapsulation process.
The homeowners are excited to have a basement and crawl space that will now be safer, drier, and healthier because of these reliable repair solutions.
After one year of owning their vacation home, homeowners in Nelsonville, OH, began to notice various issues such as cold floors and water collecting in the crawl space. These issues can lead to an uncomfortable and unhealthy atmosphere within the home.
The owners wanted to be sure this home away from home would be a safe and healthy living environment, so they contacted Ohio Basement Authority after learning more about our crawl space repair services online.
We completely transformed this unhealthy area underneath the home by installing several of our reliable crawl space repair products.
The crawl space was encapsulated in CrawlSeal liner, which acts as an insulating water and moisture barrier. This liner is also compatible with the SafeDri sump pump that was installed to pump any seeping water out of and away from the crawl space. Spray foam insulation also was added to the rim joists for extra insulation.
The sump pump discharge line was tied into a new downspout conductor line. Exterior vent covers were also placed over the vents to prevent pests, outside air, and precipitation from entering the crawl space.
The homeowners were excited these various permanent solutions were installed so their vacation home will be a healthy place to visit for many years to come.
Homeowners in Logan, OH, have noticed their unhealthy crawl space environment affecting the rest of the home. The existing crawl space insulation and sump pump were both failing, support beams were rotting, and floors were very cold during the winter.
Concerned with further damage and additional issues, the owners contacted Ohio Basement Authority. One of our expert crews completely transformed the crawl space into a more functional, healthy and stable area.
The entire crawl space was encapsulated in CrawlSeal liner, and ExTremeBloc panels were installed on the walls. CrawlDrain and a SafeDri Sump Pump were installed as waterproofing measures, and a dehumidifier will filter and dry the air. New downspout lines were installed outside the home, and a FreezeGuard was attached to the exterior sump pump discharge line. Vent covers were also added to the home's exterior.
IntelliJacks were installed to stabilize the above floors, and support beams were added to existing beams.
The homeowners have peace of mind knowing their crawl space and the rest of their home will now be a healthy place to live for many years to come!
Have you noticed any of these issues in your crawl space or throughout your home? If so, it might be time to hire a professional crawl space contractor. Look at this checklist for some common crawl space symptoms:
Open Crawl Space Vents
The day your home was built, your house already had a problem. The biggest culprit that leads to other issues is open crawl space vents. Building code traditionally has called for crawl space vents to be open for air drying purposes. However, this is an outdated, ineffective and harmful building practice. (Source: The Ohio Home Inspections Company)
Some “do it yourself” websites and resources still encourage this practice, but the reality is that having open crawl space vents is not safe for your home. Vents are like big flashing “open” signs that allow outside air, water and pests into the crawl space and ultimately into your home.
So, whatever is in your crawl space is in the rest of your home and affecting you and your family. This is because of what is known as the stack effect.
Whether or not your house has a fireplace and chimney, think of airflow in your home as having the pattern of a chimney. Air enters at the bottom, rises throughout the structure, and exits at the top. Air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. When there is a greater difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, the more significant this airflow becomes. (Source: Fine Homebuilding)
While you can’t see airflow, it could be helpful for you to see the stack effect in action. The Cold Climate Housing Research Center has several informational YouTube videos, including “Your Northern Home: Stack Effect” that illustrates the stack effect.
More than 50% of the air you breathe in your home comes from the crawl space. If mold is present in the crawl space, you and your loved ones likely are breathing in these unhealthy spores.
Here’s a look at other issues resulting from open vents and the stack effect:
Crawl spaces commonly have high relative humidity and moisture – the ideal conditions for mold growth, especially on organic materials like wood and insulation. Any moisture in a crawl space also may enter another part of the structure and contribute to mold growth there. Moisture can pass from a crawl space and into other areas through cracks in walls, floors and ceilings. (Source: EPA)
Here are a few questions we commonly hear from homeowners like you wondering what they should do about the issues they notice with their crawl space:
The answer to all of them is – you guessed it – YES!
All these measures will greatly improve the health and appearance of the crawl space, and lead to a safer home and healthier, happier family!
Now that you’ve learned more about your crawl space and what could be underneath your living area, aren’t you ready to say goodbye to these nasty conditions? You may never go into your crawl space, but there are so many reasons why it’s a good idea to remedy this area of your home to protect your family.
After seeing the importance of having a healthier crawl space, now’s the time to act. You have a wealth of resources at your fingertips and there are many websites addressing crawl space repair. Many of them are DIY sources that spark ideas, and it may be tempting to head to your favorite hardware store to buy supplies and prepare for a crawl space overhaul.
But crawl space repair is not something you can tackle in a weekend. A lot can go wrong, which we explore in our blog, “The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard About Crawl Spaces.” We have seen a lot of problems result from fast fixes. Especially concerning real estate transactions, quick fixes can raise red flags. You’ll then have to spend more time and money to repair these issues. It’s best to leave these projects to professional contractors so the problems will be fixed correctly the first time around.
We encourage you to educate yourself to make the best decision and sound investment with trustworthy repair solutions from a reliable crawl space contractor.
It can be scary inviting someone you don’t know into your home for needed inspections and repairs. You’ve probably heard horror stories about working with contractors who didn’t complete their work or caused damage to an owner’s house. That’s why it’s important to research and investigate before choosing a contractor you can trust.
Popular Mechanics compiled an article with a list of 10 useful tips for selecting a reputable contractor:
We at Ohio Basement Authority are proud to meet and exceed expectations on these points. But don’t take it from us. Our reviews from customers speak for themselves about our company, our work, and our crawl space projects. You also can learn more about our team through our About Us page.
Our experienced and trusted team is ready and eager to help you create a safer and healthier home! Once you contact us to discuss your crawl space issues with our customer care team, we will schedule an appointment for you for a free inspection and estimate with one of our certified field inspectors.
Here’s what you can expect during this consultation. The inspector will:
The next step, should you choose to work with us, is scheduling your project with one of our installation crews. The crew will use tested and proven solutions to address all your crawl space repair needs. The crew also will treat your home with the utmost care and will not stop until you are completely satisfied with the work. If anything comes up afterwards, you can trust us to respond and not leave you hanging. We offer emergency service, as well as an annual crawl space maintenance program to ensure the solutions we installed continue to properly work in protecting your home.
Crawl space encapsulation will improve the home’s comfort and energy efficiency.
Here are ways we address your crawl space issues, as highlighted in our “Crawl Space Repair Checklist” blog:
Because we are committed to you and your health and safety, we only use the very best solutions to repair and protect your crawl space and home. Our products are manufactured right here in the United States. They are tested and proven to effectively keep water and pests out of your crawl space for a safer and healthier home for you and your family. All these solutions also are designed to work together to give you the most bang for your buck and prevent any further problems.
Cheaper quick fixes like generic plastic floor liners, light duty jack posts, and wooden access doors are only temporary bandages that will not address the problem.
So, don’t waste your time and money on fast fixes. Fix it right the first time. You need quality permanent solutions like the ones we install in homes every day. We use reliable, custom equipment and state-of-the-art technology to install these various systems.
This is one of the most common questions we hear from homeowners. And rightly so.
According to Home Advisor’s State of Home Spending Report, consumer spending on home improvement increased significantly – rising 17% – from April 2018 to April 2019, with average home improvement spending totaling $7,560 in 2018. Home improvement rather than home maintenance has been the focus for homeowners who want to replace or repair damage, defects and decay.
All this being said, it is difficult to give an actual cost of crawl space repair. We understand how frustrating it is to not get an exact number or ballpark figure when you contact our office. But there are so many factors to consider with repair projects.
First off, it’s important for one of our inspectors to physically visit your house and look at the crawl space. It’s not fair to you to just give a ballpark estimate without seeing what we’re dealing with.
The cost also depends on specifics like the square footage to determine how much material will be used, as well as the extent of any damage.
Our solutions are not “one size fits all” fixes. Every home is different, and each project requires different solutions. We can customize these solutions to be specific to your repair needs. So, what worked for a friend or family member might not necessarily be what your home needs.
Our inspectors also will take your repair goals and budget into consideration, and they can discuss various payment and financing options with you. We will not try to slap a quick bandage on the problems with sub-standard products or push you to buy unnecessary items. Crawl space cleaning (mold, wet falling insulation, and whatever the years have ‘given’ to your crawl space) structural soundness, safety, and security are our goal – your crawl space becomes ours and we take tremendous pride in our work.
When you choose to work with the Ohio Basement Authority team, what you are really investing in is your home’s safety, your family’s health, and your peace of mind.
When you’re searching for a crawl space expert, crawl space services, or crawl space repair near me, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to assist with protecting your most significant investment – your home – and we look forward to helping create a safer and healthier living environment for you and your family!
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