Your crawl space may be a small part of your home, but it’s essential to a house’s overall health. Whether you’re just moving in or looking to renovate your space, it’s important to call in a crawl space inspector to look the space over. When you work with the professionals in your area, you can better protect your home from all types of unanticipated damage.
Why Should You Have Your Crawl Space Inspected?
Does your crawl space really need special care and consideration? Absolutely. Your crawl space is an especially sensitive part of your home. If something starts to go wrong structurally, the damage in your crawl space can spread out and impact the health of your entire house.
Some of the most common crawl space problems a thorough inspection can catch include:
- Insect infestations
- Moisture
- Mold clusters
- Wiring malfunctions
- Foundation cracks
- The presence of asbestos or other unhealthy materials
- Framing problems
- Ventilation
- Vapor barriers
When Should You Have Your Crawl Space Inspected?
When you move into a new space, you’re going to have a lot on your plate. In the midst of your renovations and repairs, you’ll need to take the state of your home’s supporting structures – including your crawl space – into account.
That said, there’s no set schedule on which you need to have your crawl space inspected. Ideally, you’ll want to call in a professional to look it over within your first three months in a new space. However, play your inspection scheduling by ear. Are you worried that the rain in your area may be flooding your crawl space? Then reach out earlier than you thought you would. Alternatively, if you’re having a dry year, you may be able to put off your inspection for a little while longer.
It’s never a good idea, however, to forgo a crawl space inspection entirely. It’s especially important to keep an eye out for signs of crawl space damage throughout your home. Some examples of obvious damage include:
- Warping door frames
- Misted windows
- Unpleasant smells throughout your home
- Higher water or electric bills than usual
- Decreased water pressure throughout your home
- Insects or unwanted animal invaders
If you notice any of these quirks appearing throughout your home, you’ll want to reach out to local professionals as soon as possible. If you wait, the damage in your crawl space may rapidly transform into foundation damage – all of which can be prevented by a thorough crawl space inspection.
What Does A Crawl Space Inspection Involve?
The crawl space inspection process is pretty straightforward. When you call a professional out to your property, you can expect him to take the following steps while looking over your space:
- Entry Inspection – To start, inspectors will look over the entrance to your crawl space. To be up to code, your entry point needs to, at a minimum, be two feet wide and 18 inches tall. If an inspector cannot safely enter your crawl space, you will fail your inspection and need to have your entrance expanded or otherwise remodeled with modern safety requirements in mind.
- Superficial Inspection – As long as an inspector can safely enter your crawl space, the inspection can continue. Once inside, an inspector will look over your crawl space in an attempt to identify anything that may be obviously wrong with the space. This can include the presence of mold clusters, vapor barrier damage, standing water, and so on. If an inspector is able to identify any of these things in your crawl space, you will fail your inspection. However, you’ll be able to immediately begin discussing potential fixes for your crawl space with the inspector on-site. The inspectors in Minneapolis, MN, will be able to offer you a free quote on potential services after your inspection has concluded.
- Full Assessment – If there’s nothing immediately or obviously wrong with your crawl space, then your on-site inspector will move on to the third stage of his inspection. During this phase, inspectors will look for the early signs of crawl space damage. This can include identifying minor wear and tear or assessing the bones of your crawl space for deep-set damage.
Failing a crawl space inspection isn’t the end of the world. If an inspector notices something wrong with your point of entry or your crawl space in general, it’s always better to know what kind of damage you may be dealing with. Once you understand what kind of state your crawl space is in, you can more readily work with the professionals in your area to improve the health of your home.
Crawl space repair contractors in Minneapolis, MN, will walk you through the crawl space repair process. With their help, you’ll be able to make sound decisions regarding the health of your crawl space.
