{"id":28042,"date":"2022-09-01T08:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T08:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/?p=28042"},"modified":"2022-09-01T08:20:24","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T08:20:24","slug":"sign-to-look-out-for-when-buying-a-house-with-a-crawlspace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/sign-to-look-out-for-when-buying-a-house-with-a-crawlspace\/","title":{"rendered":"Sign to Look out for when buying a house with a Crawlspace."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- SEO Ultimate Plus (https:\/\/seoultimateplus.com) - Code Inserter module -->\n<script async>(function(s,u,m,o,j,v){j=u.createElement(m);v=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0];j.async=1;j.src=o;j.dataset.sumoSiteId='b68b392479b5981b8acf46565e9fe32a0734fc21a1f7c1e60121eaa6ca1a1c64';v.parentNode.insertBefore(j,v)})(window,document,'script','\/\/load.sumo.com\/');<\/script>\n<!-- \/SEO Ultimate Plus -->\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you in the market to buy a home? Even if it looks great on the outside and the bedrooms and kitchen are immaculate, you may want to also consider the crawlspace beneath your feet. A crawlspace is more than just a place to house aircon equipment and plumbing lines. Crawlspaces were initially meant to help keep the home\u2019s floor level away from the soil and its moisture. This was important because excess moisture can wreak havoc on a home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, crawlspaces don\u2019t quite achieve their purpose as intended. Moisture and water can get trapped in a crawlspace, especially in humid areas or places that receive a lot of rain each year. What\u2019s more, with lingering moisture, the crawlspace can begin to experience a variety of problems that may require repairs or remediation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make sure that no unwelcome surprises come up when you buy that house, look out for these problems in the crawlspace\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Crawlspace Problems to Watch Out For<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before deciding on a house, you may want to inspect the home\u2019s crawlspace and watch for these common problems\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mould Growth<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wood Rot<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pests<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Damaged\/Leaking Foundation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Mould<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mould is one thing that no one wants to have in their home. But a damp crawlspace has moisture, and wooden material for mould to grow, survive, and spread. As mould grows, it will begin to release new mould spores. Due to the Stack Effect (or chimney effect), the air from the crawlspace will be sucked up into the floor levels above, carrying those extra spores with it. When your indoor air begins to carry more mould spores than usual, it can lead to allergic reactions. Some of the moulds you may encounter include black mould and Penicillium.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Wood Rot<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another fungal problem that can<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myhandyman.com\/ann-arbor-saline-and-chelsea\/about-us\/blog\/2021\/march\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wood-rot-repai\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">plague a crawlspace is wood rot<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As moisture soaks into the wooden support structures of the crawlspace, wood rot can begin to grow and consume parts of the wood. This can lead to the weakening these wooden structures and may even require the replacement of those parts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Pests<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Termites, ants, rodents, oh my! There are a lot of critters out there that are always looking for a place that\u2019s safe and abundant with food sources. Unfortunately, that makes a damp crawlspace a perfect spot to set up a nest or begin a colony. Termites especially can cause a lot of damage to the wooden structures of your home, leading to high repair costs. Dust mites are known for causing allergic reactions when their faecal particles get swept up into the air around your home.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Damaged Foundation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While foundations are made of concrete and are designed to be robust, hydrostatic pressure and foundation settling can lead to cracks. These foundation cracks can also leak groundwater through and into the crawlspace. It is essential to have the foundation stabilized and repaired in these cases.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Source of These Problems<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may have noticed from the problems above that they all have one thing in common: Moisture. Whether it\u2019s moisture in the air flowing into the crawlspace, or groundwater seeping in and evaporating, a damp crawlspace can mean problems. Those problems won\u2019t stay in the crawlspace either\u2014they can impact the rest of the house. Musty air filled with mould spores can saturate the air of the living spaces. Pests can venture up as they search for food. Weakened floor joists can lead to sagging or bouncy floors. It\u2019s essential to stop the moisture in the crawlspace before things get worse. Otherwise, it means more repairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Solution? Crawlspace Encapsulation and Waterproofing<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To prevent these problem scenarios from occurring, the moisture in the crawlspace must be dealt with at its source or sources. That\u2019s where an<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/58foundations.com\/crawlspace-encapsulation\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">encapsulated crawlspace and crawlspace waterproofing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can help. Crawlspace encapsulation involves using a thick vapour barrier lining to seal the crawlspace away from outside moisture. This can help make the space dry and useable as an extra space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crawlspace waterproofing may also be needed if the crawlspace is having hydrostatic pressure problems. A waterproofing system in the crawlspace can redirect that outside groundwater and move it away from home. This also helps crawlspaces that flood because groundwater seeps through the dirt floor.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Make Sure Your Next Home is a Safe and Healthy Home<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to crawlspace encapsulation and crawlspace waterproofing, you\u2019ll want to make sure that your next home is taken care of by the best crawlspace expert available. While searching for a contractor, be sure to do your research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check if a contractor has a lot of positive reviews online. Do they offer a strong warranty for their work? How long has the contractor been in business doing crawlspace repair?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #999999;\">Ref: THSI-2990 | ZD.26234<\/span><\/h6>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you in the market to buy a home? Even if it looks great on the outside and the bedrooms and kitchen are immaculate, you may want to also consider the crawlspace beneath your feet. A crawlspace is more than<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/sign-to-look-out-for-when-buying-a-house-with-a-crawlspace\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":28043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"wl_entity_type":[602],"modified_by":"Editor","_wl_alt_label":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/crawlspace.png","wl:entity_url":"http:\/\/data.wordlift.io\/wl0502\/post\/sign-to-look-out-for-when-buying-a-house-with-a-crawlspace-28042","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28042"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28042"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28042\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28045,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28042\/revisions\/28045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28042"},{"taxonomy":"wl_entity_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thehouseshop.com\/property-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wl_entity_type?post=28042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}