Have you been looking after your crawl space?
It is important to keep up with crawl space maintenance to protect your home and your health. But if you’ve never had to do it before, you might not know where even to start.
If structural issues affect parts of your basement (i.e., bowing walls or foundation settlement) – The first thing you will need is a foundation professional to investigate the causes and cost estimation of foundation repair.
In homes without basements, the crawl space is the space under the building between the ground and the first floor. The concrete slabs around your home can settle for different reasons, including poor site conditions, compaction, drainage, and invasive tree roots. A sagging crawl space can be very dangerous – even a minor issue can quickly become a big problem that can lead to a costly crawl space foundation repair.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Read on for these 5 helpful crawl space maintenance tips.
1. Keep Out Moisture
No matter where your home is, the ground beneath and around your home will contain moisture. In an ideal world, this moisture evaporates into the air.
In hot, humid months though moisture can gather in and go through your roof space, causing issues. You need to prevent moisture from doing this.
If you spot in, bring in a crawl space dehumidifier to regular your crawl space humidity levels. A dehumidifier will collect any extra moisture in the air pass it out. This will leave your crawl space clean, dry, and issue-free.
2. Get a Vapor Barrier
If you have dirt floors in your crawl space, consider sealing them off. Exposed dirt allows moisture from the ground to rise into your home. This will raise the humidity levels in your home. A vapor barrier is great at preventing this, keeping your crawl space moisture-free.
3. Insulate
Having proper insulation in your crawl space will regulate the temperature. It’ll stay cool in the summer and warm in the colder months. It’ll help prevent warm/cold air from escaping keeping your home temperature stable.
You can choose many different types of insulation. Each will work for different crawl space situations. It’s best to call in a professional to help decide what insulation your crawl space needs.
4. Keep It Clean
It’s so important that you keep your crawl space clean. A dirty crawl space can reduce the air quality of your home. It can also encourage pests and insets to move in.
It’s often damp and dark down there, we get that it’s not a nice job. But with a little patience and hard work, it should only take a few hours at most.
Bring in the right supplies, you want to prevent mold, or deal with a mold problem if it’s already there. Make sure you have PPE to keep you safe from any spores in the air. Some tools you’ll find useful include:
- mask/respirator
- goggles
- gloves
- headlight
If you don’t want to do it yourself or don’t have the right tools, call in a professional. They’ll have your crawl space spick and span in no time.
5. Keep Out Pests
Once the space is clean, you need to keep it that way. Block up any entry points that rodents or other pests could use. This should include any cracks or holes that you find. Even small ones.
You want to prevent rodents and pests as they can do severe damage to your home. They’ll chew on wood, wires, and any insulation, and could even get into your main home.
It’s a tricky one though, as you need to make sure your crawl space still has room to “breathe”. Otherwise, you’ll set yourself up for moisture and mold-related problems.
Crawl Space Maintenance Tips You Won’t Want to Miss
So, there you have it! Now you know these top 5 crawl space maintenance tips, yours will be the envy of the neighborhood.
This isn’t only cosmetic, your crawl space is integral for regulating your home’s temperature and moisture levels. You must prevent moisture from building up, encouraging pests and mold to take root. Keep it clean and dry and you’ll be in for success.
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