How often do you check your crawl space? Many homeowners would probably answer, “Not often.” Some of them may not have even tried visiting the underside of their property, not even once. And that’s understandable, especially since the area can be dangerous and hard to access. However, you shouldn’t forget that the space underneath your home is as important as any other part of your house.
Experts suggest checking your crawl space at least twice a year or every six months. They also recommended that you encapsulate the underside of your home. Here’s why:
• Helps Reduce Humidity
If your crawl space is not waterproofed, water brought about by heavy rains or leaky pipes can easily get into the area. And since the place is not reached by direct sunlight, the water will stay there for a long time. When this happens, your home’s humidity and moisture levels may increase. Fortunately, you can prevent such a problem from happening through crawl space encapsulation.
• Prevents Mold Growth
When your home has too much moisture, there is a high possibility that mold will start growing on the surfaces of your property. The presence of such fungi is never a good thing, as they can cause structural damage and health problems. If your household members are sensitive to molds, they may experience allergic symptoms like coughing, itching, sneezing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
• Protects Your Home From Pest and Insect Infestation
Your unmaintained crawl space could become a perfect place for pests and insects to thrive, especially when it’s damp and has a high moisture level. It can be infested with cockroaches, mosquitoes, spiders, centipedes, rodents, and termites. Such pests and insects can not only threaten your property’s structural integrity but your health as well.
• Improves Indoor Air Quality
Your crawl space contributes a large percentage of the air you breathe inside your home. So, when the air in your crawl space is of poor quality due to molds, pests, insects, or any other reasons, your indoor air quality will also be bad. Fortunately, you can help prevent such a thing from happening by encapsulating the underside of your property.
• Helps Reduce Your Energy Bills
Have your electricity bill suddenly increased even when you haven’t changed your usage habit? If yes, the underside of your home may be to blame. As stated above, an unmaintained crawl space can increase your home’s humidity level. And when this happens, your HVAC system will have to use more energy to keep you and your family comfortable. But as a result, your electricity bill will go up.
• Increases Your Home’s Value
Do you plan on selling your property in the future? If yes, then encapsulating the underside of your home would be a good investment. Potential home buyers would surely prefer houses with an encapsulated or waterproofed crawl space to those with an unmaintained one. That said, you might even be able to demand or ask for a higher price.
• Provides Extra Storage
When you encapsulate the underside of your property, it can become an excellent storage area for your belongings, especially those that you don’t often use. This includes your farm equipment, hardly used electrical appliances, household utensils, tool bags, or even craft supplies. You can also keep seasonal items in the area like your Christmas or Halloween decorations.
• Helps Your Wooden Floor Achieve Its Lifespan
Hardwood flooring can last up to 100 years with proper installation and maintenance. However, it may not achieve this lifespan if your crawl space is not encapsulated or waterproofed. When the underside of your property is infested with molds and insects, your floor can rot and become unstable. Insects like termites can also chew on your wooden floor.
Ready To Encapsulate Your Crawl Space? Contact a Waterproofing Company Today!
Given all the benefits of having an encapsulated crawl space above, you should have already decided to waterproof the underside of your property, too. If such is the case, don’t hesitate to reach out to your trusted waterproofing company now so that they can start the job as soon as possible.
And in case you have some questions or clarifications about crawl space encapsulation, the experts at a waterproofing company could also answer them. Get in touch with them now to set up an appointment. They’re surely looking forward to hearing from you and assisting you with your needs.
