Ignoring Your Crawl Space Will Cost You

When was the last time you poked your head into your crawl space? Like many homeowners, you know your dirt crawl space is nasty. It's not a pretty sight. That's why you never go down there unless you absolutely have to.

Out of sight, out of mind—right?

Wrong.

Your home operates as a system. When one part fails, it affects the rest of the machine. In this case, a dirt crawl space affects how much you pay for heating and cooling. It affects the comfort of your home, cold floors, drafts, and how your home smells. Mold affects your health. Wood rot affects the structural integrity and longevity of your home. A musty, dirt crawl space affects your resale value. You can ignore your crawl space, but it'll cost you.

The dirt crawl space problem is one problem that pays great dividends when fixed, but it can destroy your investment if left untreated. Repairing your crawl space doesn't necessitate a terribly expensive and disruptive home improvement project. There are four steps to totally eliminating a dirt crawl space's negative effects on the rest of your house.

1. Fix the water leakage.

Dirt crawl spaces are notorious for standing water and pervasive mold. To solve the problem of mold and moisture, you must first eliminate groundwater leakage. A high-quality sump pump system is essential and must include a perforated sump liner, reliable pump, alarm system, pump stand, valve, and an air-tight lid with a floor drain. An alarm will alert you in the event of pump failure or plumbing leaks, and an air-tight sump lid with a drain allows water to drain without allowing water vapor to escape into the crawl space.

2. Isolate your house from the earth.

A strong and durable vapor barrier is essential to stopping water vapor from permeating up from the dirt floor and allowing drainage to the sump. By installing a vapor barrier over the floor and up the walls of the crawl space, groundwater can effectively flow underneath the liner to the sump while the barrier locks out water vapor.

If you are looking for a crawlspace waterproofing company in Keezletown and the surrounding areas, look no further than Fortress Foundation Solutions!

Call us today at 1-434-473-7012 or contact us online for a free estimate!