Did you just buy a new home in Grand Junction, CO? Or have you lived in your home for many years? No matter how long you have been in your home, don’t forget the crawl space when doing the home inspection. Ignoring the crawl space during a home inspection can cause future problems for you and your loved ones.
Due to its low-lying position, the crawl space can harbor insects, gnawing pests, moisture, and mold—the very things crawl space experts check for and deal with during their repairs. All these can damage the crawl space and set the stage for costly repairs. If you’re wondering whether you should invest in a crawl space inspection, here is your answer.
Check for and Prevent Moisture
Water is the biggest threat to your crawl space and home. When it gets into this area, it can cause fungus that destroys wooden supports. Moisture also makes your home attractive to termites and other insects. Left unchecked, water can also penetrate your home and hurt your foundation.
Crawl space inspections will help you find out soon enough if there’s water leaking inside. This way, you can start draining the water and drying your crawl space before things get out of hand.
Deal with Mold Clusters
Mold is toxic. You can’t allow it to grow in your crawl space let alone the home. Mold spores in the crawl space circulate into the air supply, causing allergies and respiratory problems. Some homeowners end up with life-threatening bouts of asthma because they didn’t bother to check on their crawl spaces.
Sometimes you might notice the presence of mold in your crawl space by its musty smells. If the house suddenly feels uncomfortable when you come in, you need to have the crawl space checked as soon as possible.
If you want to protect your loved ones’ health, you can’t allow mold to grow in your crawl space. Inspecting your space from time to time protects you from this deadly problem.
Reduce Interest from Rodents
If you don’t fancy the idea of sharing your space with pests and rodents such as mice, you better inspect your crawl space. Mice are very cunning and can easily crawl through small cracks to enter your home. And when they do, they’ll not only disturb your peace but also destroy your home.
In fact, once they get into the crawl space, they’ll also find room to enter the house and cause a lot of damage. Before you know it, you’ll be dealing with rodent urine and feces around the house. Regular crawl space inspection helps you discover uninvited guests and kick them out.
Check for Wiring Issues
Like many homes, electrical wires that power the HVAC and other appliances run through the crawl space. Gnawing pests and rodents can chew these wires and damage them. Defective wires may force the heater to overwork as it tries to heat cold air pulled from the crawl space. When this happens, you’ll have to deal with high energy bills and still end up with a cold house.
You might not uncover the cause of the problem until you carry out a crawl space inspection. A home inspection will reveal the source of your wiring problems and enable the electrician to fix the issue before it becomes a hazard.
Identify Foundation Cracks
Crawl space issues will ultimately affect your home’s foundation. The health of your foundation depends on what’s going into that space. When moisture gets in your crawl space, it causes wood to rot. The fungus can also grow in your crawl space even without moisture causing structural issues that affect the foundation.
Some structural issues originate from a neglected crawl space. Over time, this will lower the structural integrity of your house. You can avoid such problems by performing regular inspections and maintenance.
Just because your crawl space is out of sight doesn’t mean it should be out of mind. From the above information, it’s clear that the crawl space is one of the things that threatens the safety of your home. You can avert moisture issues or water damage by scheduling a free crawl space inspection and repair quote with the experts at Foundation Repair of Western Colorado.
