A Quick Guide to Crawl Space Repair
Many homeowners enjoy carrying out their own DIY and home improvements, but crawl space repair isn’t usually at the top of their list! While redecorating and gardening can be fun ways to enhance your property, maintaining your crawl space doesn’t typically provide the same level of enjoyment or satisfaction.
However, the maintenance of your crawl space is extremely important and should never be overlooked. Serious issues could affect the structural integrity of your home and, in worst case scenarios, could render it unsafe and uninhabitable.
Due to this, it’s important to undertake crawl space repairs in a timely manner and maintain your crawl space in order to try and prevent issues occurring in the future.
Common crawl space repairs
The foundations of your crawl space are probably made up of concrete, which provides a solid framework for the basis of your home. However, concrete can crack over time and this may cause problems. Following the building and construction process, it takes some time for a house to ‘settle’. While this isn’t unusual, excessive movement could result in cracks occurring in the concrete foundation of your crawl space.
Although some cracks are more significant than others, they should never be ignored. It’s always best to seek professional advice when cracks appear in the concrete foundations, just in case they are compromising the structural integrity of the property. When necessary, a crawl space repair can be undertaken to prevent future damage occurring.
Reducing moisture with a crawl space repair
Approximately 50% of the air in your home will rise from the crawl space, so any stagnant water or excess moisture in the crawl space will have a significant impact on your living environment. While the floor of some crawl spaces is lined with concrete, others only have a thin polyethylene vapor barrier. While concrete flooring may reduce the amount of moisture vapor which can enter the concrete, a considerable amount can still get through.
As a result, this leaks into your home and living areas and may result in an increase in allergens, mold, mildew and musty smells. However, excess moisture vapor emanating from a crawl space can be repaired fairly swiftly.
Crawl space waterproofing is an effective way to minimize the amount of vapor that enters the crawl space from the earth below it and further minimizes the vapor which can then be transferred into your living areas.
Crawl space encapsulation is one of the most popular and cost-effective ways to achieve waterproofing, and it is suitable for almost every crawl space in the country. By lining the floor, walls, and ceiling of the crawl space with a professional-quality polyethylene barrier and high-quality ceiling tape, moisture is prevented from entering the crawl space and subsequently prevented from entering your home.
With appropriate air conditioning to maintain a suitable level of humidity, your crawl space can be kept in optimum condition. As well as improving the quality of the air in your home, this will minimize the need for future crawl space repairs and renovations.
Contact Sedona Waterproofing Solutions to schedule a quote on you basement or crawl space repair.
