7 Reasons Why You Should Fix Your Crawl Space

Many homeowners are not aware of the importance a crawl space can be to a home, because it typically goes unnoticed or is just known to be that dirty area beneath your home. Well, if you want to save money on energy bills, prevent mold growth in your home, and want to keep your home’s value from decreasing, fixing your crawl space is crucial.

Here are 7 reasons why you should fix your crawl space before your home begins to crumble beneath your feet!

1.    Unwanted Moisture

The moisture in your crawl space comes from two sources, the ground and outside air. Because of the humidity in the crawl space, the water in the soil turns into water vapor and seeps into the house and condensates onto the walls and foundation. This could cost the homeowners extra money in energy bills, and makes it easier for any wood in the crawl space to begin to mold or rot.

2.    Mold, Fungus, and Rot

Any organic material in your crawl space, such as wood, will begin to grow mold when it gets wet. In a dirt crawl space, this is almost always bound to happen and can be very bad for the health of the homeowners!

3.    Save Money- Lower Energy Bills

Homes with dirt crawl spaces cost more to heat and cool, because they contain damp air. Damp air uses more energy to heat and cool, so if you get rid of the humidity you will end up saving more money on heating and cooling costs.

4.    Dust Mites and Other Critters

Dust mites live off of the humidity in your crawl space, and can crawl up into the house itself. Other nasty pests love the humidity too like termites, spiders, and mice. Dry out the crawl space, and you will drive away all these unwanted critters!

5.    Groundwater Leakage and Flooding

Some crawl spaces can collect almost a foot of water from groundwater leakage or flooding! To prevent this, a sump pump should be installed to pump water out of the crawl space to keep it nice and dry.

6.    Settlement

When soil underneath your home gets wet it will hold onto the water and expand in size, and when the soil dries, it shrinks. These changes in the soil can cause your foundation to crack, sink, or settle. Checking these symptoms in your crawl space can be crucial to the longevity of your home.

7.    Home Value

Having a damp, moldy crawl space can depreciate your home’s value by 10%! It’s simple, fixing your crawl space is a lot cheaper than NOT fixing your crawl space.