You shouldn’t put up with a damp or wet crawl space. It might seem normal, but it is far more costly to ignore than most homeowners realize. Here are just 10 of the reasons you really want to waterproof your crawl space now. Contact a crawl space expert today for a free inspection and estimate to learn more about how you can benefit from crawl space repairs.
1. Keep Your House Smelling Nice
The damp down there alone can make the rest of your home smell bad. The majority of the air in your home comes right up from your crawl space. You are breathing in whatever is lurking down there. So just because you aren’t looking at it every day doesn’t mean it is okay.
Eventually, the evaporating moisture in your crawl space also impacts the rest of your home. As that dampness sets into your floors, carpets, walls, and cabinets, it is going to be much harder to hide and cover up with air freshener.
If you’ve already been experiencing odors in your home, your crawl space is one of the first places you should investigate.
2. Keep Your Belongings Dry
We’re not just talking about any items you might be storing in your crawl space, either. Rising moisture causes dampness inside your bathroom and kitchen cabinets. It will bubble floors and cause dampness in carpets and rugs. Anything resting on the floor, including boxes, clothes, and furniture will eventually get damp and begin to smell like it. Replacing everything that’s been touching your floor to get rid of the smell because you waited too long to tackle the root cause is going to be expensive and painful.
3. Prevent Foundation Wall Damage
A wet or damp crawl space in your Indianapolis, IN, home can mean your foundation walls are being impacted. You may already notice the walls bowing. There may be telltale white stains or crystals left behind from leaks and seepage. You may even already have cracks. Some of these are urgent issues. Stair step-style cracks show uneven settling of your home. This will only get worse until the water problem is fixed. Vertical cracks are more serious. Horizontal cracks signal immediate danger. Replacing these walls can be expensive.
4. Preventing & Stopping Wall Cracks
These cracks won’t just stay in your basement or crawl space either. You’ll eventually see them all through your home, both inside and outside. You may notice cracks in brickwork, chimneys, around windows and doorways. Cracks in the interior drywall and ceilings also signal water and foundation problems. Once they become a quarter-inch wide, your home may be considered structurally unsound. This may require new support piers and more.
5. Preserve Your Renovations & Home
These problems can show up in both new and older homes. When dampness gets in, it will warp your floors, doors and more. Your floor can begin sinking away from baseboards. Anything you’ve spent on making your home look nice inside can be wasted. Ensure you have a waterproof crawl space first. Then you won’t be throwing away money on everything else.
6. Keep Out Rot & Mold
Moisture in your crawl space causes rot and mold. That won’t be limited to those spaces you don’t often visit under your home either. Mold spores are carried through the air and grow in your walls and floors out of sight. Toxic mold is extremely hazardous to your health. Rot will take over your home and eat it from the inside out.
7. Keep Out Insects & Rodents
Damp crawl spaces are a favorite breeding ground for many types of insects and rodents. These pests can eat away at your home and bring in a variety of unwanted health hazards, including hantavirus.
8. Stop Your Home From Falling Down
Eventually, rot, dampness, and cracks in your home will make it all come crashing down.
9. Maximize The Value & Appeal Of Your Home
A home with pest infestations, mold or structural damage resulting from damp may prevent any potential buyers from getting a mortgage to purchase your home. That’s if they haven’t been turned off by the state of your crawl space first. A clean crawl space says a lot about it, that you care about the details and taking care of your home. If sellers haven’t bothered to take care of this space, there is a good chance there are many more issues lurking.
10. Keep Utility Bills Down
Humidity rising from your crawl space can increase your utility bills by double digits.
