Crawl spaces are the most avoided part of any home. This is due to their small size, tendency to contain bugs and other pests, and general creepiness. Despite their lack of foot traffic, crawl spaces are a vital part of a home’s foundation. Getting a professional, thorough crawl space inspection in Southwest Virginia is essential for your home’s health.
Home Sweet Home
A crawl space is the general term used to describe the area between the earth and the first floor of your home. These spaces are usually no more than three feet high and are surrounded by the walls of your foundation.
Crawl spaces are a functional part of homes in Southwest Virginia. They allow space to exist between your home and the ground. This space prevents groundwater from touching the wooden structures of your home.
There may or may not be a door leading to the opening of your crawl space; many homes in southwest Virginia have makeshift doors made of fencing or plywood. Regardless of the look of your crawl space, it needs to be dry, well-ventilated, and clear of pests to be in good shape.
Moisture
Moisture is one of the biggest home inspection crawl space issues. This can be due to poor drainage around the house and in the yard. A French drain may be the solution to keep water flowing away from your home. Another cause of moisture in the crawl space can be leaky pipes, which your home inspector will carefully note for you so that you can contact a plumber to fix the issue. Evaporation from the soil beneath your crawl space can cause increased moisture and humidity, too. This can be fixed with a watertight vapor barrier that is placed over the soil.
Ventilation
Ventilation issues are a crawl space home inspection issue commonly found in Virginia homes that goes hand in hand with moisture problems. Many older homes have little to no airflow in their crawl spaces, allowing humid air to stagnate. To solve this, place a vent every 150ft, making sure that a second vent is directly opposite to allow air to flow through unobstructed.
Pests
It’s no secret that bugs love crawl spaces. It is one of the reasons that so many of us have an aversion to the area. Spiders and crickets are fairly harmless pests that are routinely found in crawl spaces, but termites are the real danger to your home. If termites infest a crawl space, they can cause extreme and expensive damage to the foundation. Your home inspector will check for the telltale signs of these little monsters and include them in your report so that a licensed exterminator can remove them.
Foundation Issues
Last but not least, your home inspector will look for gaps, cracks, and other foundation issues. The presence of small cracks is generally harmless, but big ones may need to be filled or addressed by a professional. When your home inspector finishes with their report, you will be armed with the knowledge that you need to either fix the issues or the peace of mind that all is well.
Stop Crawling
Crawl spaces are not an ideal place to find yourself, certainly not a good vacation spot, but they are important to maintain for good home health. Leave your crawl space in good hands by contacting Detail View Home Inspections today! Our professional home inspectors will do a detailed and thorough crawl space home inspection, ensuring everything is up to Virginia code and that you have nothing to worry about!