Crawl Space Solutions
If your home's experiencing higher than normal energy bills, mold or mildew growth, or unstable floors, it might be due to underlying problems in your crawl space. Here are the solutions we offer to combat those issues.
Crawl space solutions can have several options depending on your home, tackling a wide variety of crawl space problems and managing all sorts of underlying concerns. If you’re having crawl space problems, you’re going to need to invest in some sort of solution, but you might not know which ones will be best for your needs. When you look into crawl space solutions, these are the most common solutions you might experience.
Crawl Space Solutions
Crawl space encapsulation is the process that your crawl space can go through if you’re trying to change it from an unhealthy dirt floor to a healthier crawl space as a whole. Encapsulation typically requires at least a crawl space vapor barrier, but it may also require things like a crawl space dehumidifier and removal of any dirt and debris in your crawl space that may have a serious impact on your crawl space’s overall health.
The insulation in your crawl space is an important part of its health. You must be able to maintain healthy crawl space insulation from start to finish. If you avoid insulating your crawl space in the most effective manner possible, you may end up with insulation that doesn’t work and may even reduce the insulation in your crawl space. That’s why you might need to insulate your crawl space again or replace some amount of insulation.
There are many elements of your crawl space that may require you to think about moisture control seriously. Moisture is the biggest enemy in your crawl space and it can come from almost anywhere, including underneath it, through the walls, and even through the ceiling. Maintaining a healthy crawl space starts with taking a look at the moisture and learning how to avoid problems with it.
In your crawl space, you may need a sump pump system to maintain your crawl space’s maximum health. A sump pump system effectively removes issues with standing water by ensuring that you can pump out the water in the crawl space. However, it’s still no match for an effective crawl space waterproofing project, which is why the sump pump should only be part of your process.
If you have a dirt crawl space, you need a vapor barrier to make it healthier. A dirt crawl space is under attack all the time due to water vapor. However, if you’re looking into making your crawl space vapor barrier more effective as a whole, you’ll want to make sure it’s high-quality and thick and installed by an expert.
Vented crawl spaces are very common in homes across the nation. However, if you have a vented crawl space, you’re probably seeing crawl space moisture and pests far more than you would without those vents. To remove these crawl space vents, you can add vent covers. However, it’s important to remember that this process isn’t necessarily as easy as adding the cover on top of the vent. An expert can help you ensure your unvented crawl space is even healthier than the one you had previously.
If you’ve already had a flooding issue with your crawl space, you’re going to need to make sure you’re able to clean it up. That means removing the existing debris in your crawl space, taking out the water, and making sure the water removal process goes as well as possible. An expert will be your best bet when it comes to crawl space cleanup and water removal.
When you need to make sure you’re maintaining a humidity level in your crawl space that’s healthy, you might need to install a crawl space dehumidifier. Even in arid areas, the crawl space can have a high level of humidity because cooler areas typically have higher humidity. You mustn’t try to fix general crawl space moisture concerns with a dehumidifier, however. You should use a dehumidifier as an extra step to maintain your crawl space’s health.
Doors on your crawl space are an important element of maintaining your crawl space’s health. Especially if your crawl space has an external egress, you may need to use well-fitting crawl space doors to ensure that moisture, pests, and other concerns stay on the outside of the crawl space. With loose or poorly-fitting doors, you’re going to have many more issues with these crawl space concerns.
Floor joists tend to sit on the roof of the crawl space. This way, an inspector can take a look at your home’s floor joists if need be. Although this is a great element of crawl space repair and management, it’s important to know that if you have an unhealthy crawl space you may also have damaged floor joists. Repairing these floor joists is crucial if you want to make sure you don’t have lasting floor problems.
An interior drain system is a great way to maintain your crawl space’s low moisture content. An interior drain, which goes around the edges of the crawl space, will help you avoid standing water buildup in a way that a sump pump might not be able to on its own. This drain system can be an extremely effective way to avoid crawl space water.
FAQs About Crawl Space Solutions
After reading about so many different crawl space solutions, you may wonder which one is the right one for your needs. Trying to decide on the best crawl space solution is often difficult, but you can figure out what works best for you if you have a bit of information.
- Choosing More Obvious Solutions
In some situations, the right crawl space solution may be relatively easy to uncover. There are a few obvious choices, like the fact that a crawl space sump pump may be explicitly best for dealing with current standing water problems. It’s common to have certain fixes that you might be able to figure out on your own.
In these situations, you may be able to let an expert know what you’re looking for before they get to your home. They’ll consider your information as they inspect the area and formulate a customized fix. It might even help the expert to arrive at your home with all the tools they’ll need to fix the problem right away, without the need for extra visits.
- Getting an Expert’s Help with Less Obvious Solutions
Although there are some fairly obvious solutions that you might be able to put into play, some are a little more complicated. You might not know, for example, what’s causing your sunken floors. Instead, you probably just know the symptom you’re having problems with, which isn’t enough for most homeowners to figure out what’s going on.
The best way to determine the right option is to talk to an expert who can help you uncover the right answer. Experts know their way around a crawl space, which means it’s easier for them to understand what’s going on. Even if you just have a general understanding of the symptoms you’re experiencing, that can be enough once you get an expert’s help.
There’s a lot of difference between some crawl space solutions and not a lot of variation among others. Understanding this fact is one of the more important things to keep in mind as you start to research crawl space solutions.
- Solutions That Require an Inciting Problem
There are some solutions that you might not need to use unless you’re having a problem right now. Floor joist repair, for example, is typically only something you’ll need to do if you’re actively having floor joist problems. The inciting problem in this situation can be something that’s fairly obvious but you might not know about it until you get an expert in to help.
The good news is that if you’re not having these problems, you’ll likely never need to find a solution. A crawl space repair expert will be able to let you know what you might need to implement when it comes to these solutions.
- Solutions That Work for Many Situations
Some types of crawl space equipment and installations don’t require a problem and are a preemptive fix. For example, if you have a dirt crawl space, you’ll need crawl space encapsulation even if you don’t think you’re running into moisture, pest, or mold issues. These fixes will help you avoid problems that you may later encounter.
Taking a preemptive step can help you avoid very serious problems in the future. A preemptive solution is typically better if you’re trying to maintain a healthy crawl space. Not only can this save you from costly damage in the future, but it can also preserve the health of your family in the home.
You don’t have to be an expert in crawl space solutions to have a bit of knowledge on the topic. Knowing more about different crawl space solutions can help you understand what an expert is trying to tell you when you’ve been looking at your crawl space.
- Knowing a Bit of Information
It’s not only important to get the right solution for your crawl space. It also helps to understand what it needs and how to manage it. For example, when an expert lets you know you need to switch out your crawl space vapor barrier, they can also explain how this system works, the problems it solves, and warning signs for similar problems in the future.
Just a bit of knowledge often makes it easier to keep your crawl space healthy. Whether you’re trying to avoiding future issues or just parsing information that an expert is telling you, you will be better prepared.
- Getting an Expert’s Help for the Rest
In some situations, you might not be able to completely understand what a crawl space solution will entail. There are a lot of very technical needs and subtler red flags that may be overlooked, which could lead to further damage. That’s okay; an expert can help you figure out all the technical details.
You don’t have to understand every aspect of the crawl space solution. All you have to know is what the expert is explaining to you and most specialists are happy to sit down with you and help you understand the problems you’re experiencing. A professional can ensure you come away informed, confident, and ready to proceed with repairs.
The installation process is a crucial element of fixing crawl space problems. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t put a lot of thought into the installation process of their crawl space fixes. High-quality installations are essential if you’re going to maximize your crawl space’s health.
- DIY Installations
You should never try to install crawl space solutions on your own. DIY solutions for crawl space problems rarely do anything of value. At best, you’ll probably delay the issue for a short time. At worst, you could actively turn your crawl space problems into something that’s much more foundational.
Remember, even if you think you’re saving money, you probably aren’t. You’re almost certainly going to have to go back in and fix things again, which will be more expensive and more difficult. Trusting a crawl space expert from the beginning is much more likely to save you money, time, and the health of your crawl space overall.
- An Expert’s Installation
If you’re having crawl space problems and need to fix them, it’s important to talk to a crawl space expert. This expert will be able to assess your exact issues, identify the root causes, and provide customized solutions that will suit your home and budget.
As a plus, by taking advantage of a professional installation, you can benefit from warranties, quality control, and better equipment. Rather than spending extra money on a half-way fix or installing a system incorrectly, you can have peace of mind that the job is done right the first time. Schedule a free inspection with Groundworks to get those great crawl space answers.
Repair Your Crawl Space More Effectively with a Visit From a Crawl Space Expert
A crawl space repair expert will be the best way for you to make sure you have the right crawl space repair solution. There are many potential repair solutions out there, but if you have more information about your crawl space, you’ll be able to choose the right solution to keep your crawl space healthy for years in the future.
A local expert will take stock of your current situation and help you figure out your crawl space repair options. With this expert information, you’ll be able to choose the correct repair option for your location, home, and crawl space concern.
