Property Guide: Home Health Checklist
Do you know how to spot issues with building health? This checklist will help you identify problem signs and their corresponding home repairs.
A healthy home has a good indoor environment. However, it’s not always easy to connect the dots between a building’s symptoms and the home repair that could resolve the issue.
Let’s look at the factors of building health and a home health checklist to help you understand the impacts of home repairs.
What Does It Mean to Have a Healthy Home?
When it comes to the health of your home, two factors that are usually considered:
- How the building affects the physical health of the occupants
- How the building itself is performing in its ability to withstand the elements, structural integrity, and energy efficiency.
As you might expect, these two home health issues are interconnected.
For example, a house with a damp basement or crawl space could start to see structural deterioration and be less likely to withstand flooding. Simultaneously, the damp basement or crawl space could circulate mold spores throughout the house, potentially causing respiratory problems for the occupants.
In another case, a crawl space may not be sealed to the elements. This could create thermal issues that cause the house to be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. Not only does this reduce energy efficiency, but it also affects personal comfort and can cause physical stress.
What’s the Root Cause of Home Health?
The health of a home starts at the ground level. The building’s foundation and basement or crawl space are all critical.
Your lower level will determine the air quality throughout your home as your home’s natural air circulation draws air upwards from your basement or crawl space.
Your basement or crawl space also can protect your home from water and flooding. If you have a secure interior drainage system or other barrier in place, you could be able to avoid the damaging effects of a flood, thus preserving the longevity of your structure and home appliances.
Securing your foundation and repairing cracks is also one of the key aspects of preventing pests, insects, and animals that can spread disease and damage your property.
Plus, because appliances like water heaters and furnaces often are located in a basement, a better environment will help them to last longer and perform better.
How Can You Make Your Home a Healthy Building?
During COVID-19, having a healthy home has never been more important. Not only are people spending more time at home, but the physical structure should support optimum health for its occupants.
A free inspection from the country’s leading basement waterproofing, foundation repair, and crawl space repair experts can help you learn how you can improve your building health and what steps you can take to improve the overall quality of your home. You can also investigate on your own to identify issues that could be affecting the health of your building. This downloadable Home Health Inspection Checklist will help identify problem areas so you can maintain a safe and healthy living environment for you and your loved ones.
Let’s look at the four main areas of building health and what’s at stake for each.
Do You Have These Structural Issues in Your Home?
Do You Have?
- Nail pops
- Wall and floor gaps
- Uneven floors
- Drywall cracks
- Sticking doors or windows
- Bowed basement walls
- Flood damage
- Cracked chimney
- Sinking foundation
- Foundation settlement
- Vertical, horizontal, or stair-step cracks
- Cracked bricks
- Cracked block foundation
- Concrete cracks
Any combination of these issues could be a sign of foundation problems.
If you’re seeing these signs, it’s important to act quickly. Ignoring underlying foundation problems can cause irreversible damage to your structure. As foundation problems become more extreme over time, the value of your home could be reduced by as much as 30 percent of your asking price.
There are several repair options to explore, and a free inspection from a foundation expert can uncover specific problems and the right solutions to meet your home’s unique repair needs.
Checklist for Crawl Space Health
Do You Have?
- Water in your crawl space
- Floor joist issues
- Wood rot
- Condensation
- Wet crawl space insulation
- Foundation cracks
- Open crawl space vents
- High indoor humidity
- Sagging floors
- Mold in your crawl space
- Unpleasant odors or poor air quality
- Rodent or bug issues
- High electric bills
It is vital to have a clean and healthy crawl space so that issues don’t creep up into the interior of your home.
Persistent moisture and water problems can affect your home’s structural integrity. Mold, wood rot, mildew, and insects thrive in this type of environment. Plus the health of residents could be at risk because of poor air quality or rodent-borne disease.
If you see some of these crawl space issues, crawl space encapsulation could be a straightforward solution that can protect your home from moisture and pests. A free inspection from crawl space experts can help you troubleshoot your crawl space issues and identify the solutions that can improve your building health.
Basement Health Checklist
Do You Have?
- Poor drainage
- Musty basement smell
- Leaking water heater
- Leaking basement windows
- Leaking in basement cove
- Sump pump issues
- Swelling or warped doors
- Water stains on the walls or floors
- Efflorescence
- Wet walls
- Wet floors
- Wet carpet
- Wet drywall
- Condensation on windows or doors
If your home is experiencing any of these symptoms, you may need basement waterproofing to improve your building health.
If water issues persist, home integrity can rapidly decline, causing other foundation problems and leaving you unable to sustain a significant weather event like a hurricane or flood.
Moisture issues and mold are also among the leading causes of allergies and asthma. This creates a direct link between the health of your basement and the well-being of its occupants.
By waterproofing your basement, you can often avoid costly structural problems and health issues.
Home Concrete Health
Do You Have? Sinking, Uneven, Cracking Concrete Slabs on Your Property:
- Patio
- Garage
- Driveway
- Basement floor
- Sidewalk
- Pool deck
Cracking, sinking, uneven concrete slabs are dangerous tripping hazards for you and your family. Not only is it safer to have level surfaces, but fixing concrete slabs can help you address drainage issues and your home’s structural stability. This can help you avoid foundation problems.
There are a few concrete repair options available like PolyRenewal injections, and a free inspection can help you learn what’s the best solution for your home.
Maintaining a healthy home starts from the ground up. Get a free inspection from your local basement waterproofing, foundation repair, and crawl space repair experts to learn how you can protect your home and your family.