What Are the Signs of Crawl Space Damage?
You cannot see some signs of crawl space damage unless you enter that region beneath your house. However, other symptoms can manifest in your home’s living areas. Watch out for unusual odors, sagging floors, signs of pest infestations, and more. Should you notice such indicators, contact professionals for crawl space structural repairs to protect your home from significant damages and yourself from expensive services.
NV Waterproofing & Foundation Repair offers crawl space repair and encapsulation services. We provide affordable solutions to protect your home from water intrusion and serve our customers with honesty, integrity, and professionalism. Moreover, we received the Angi’s List Super Service Award multiple years in a row for our outstanding quality of service. Call our office at 1-703-690-3889 to get a free estimate!
Below, we outline common signs of crawl space damage:
Odors
Water enters unsealed crawl spaces through cracks in the walls, high relative humidity, or soil moisture. Once there, the water may pool or absorb into the wooden framework and insulation. In doing so, it provides the perfect conditions for mold and mildew to form.
The air in your crawl space will rise and become the air in your home’s interior. Mold spreads by releasing spores into the air, which allows it to invade your home’s living spaces. This process creates a tell-tale, musty smell that—from the perspective of a home’s residents—seems to have no direct source.
Sinking & Sagging
A wet crawl space can also cause your home’s floors to sag or sink. Specifically, water in the soil—upon which your crawl space beams stand—may cause the soil to settle and compress under the beams’ weight. Alternatively, humid basement air may soak joists and beams, which will sag under the structure’s weight.
It can also happen when the walls of your crawl space buckle due to water damage. You may notice “softness” or shifting in your floor when the structure’s integrity begins to compromise.
Mice & Pest Infestation
Termites are attracted to warm, damp environments. Thus, wet crawl spaces are an ideal home for them. Once moved in, termites munch on the organic material outside your home near the foundation. Moreover, there’s a good chance you have termites in your crawl space if you discover them in the upper levels of your home.
Rodents can also make their homes in crawl spaces. Unusual odors, scratching noises, and droppings are all tell-tale signs. The surest way to discover rodents is to have your crawl space inspected for holes and tunnels.
Crack Formation
Crawl spaces that lack proper drainage may experience stability problems in the event of flooding. Excess water that has no way to leave your crawl space, such as from flooding, can put pressure on your crawl space walls, erode them, and open up cracks in the concrete.
Cracks are a problem because they create space for water and air to leak into your crawl space. Moreover, they pose the dangerous risk of weakening the structures upon which your home depends.
Jamming & Sticking Doors
Finally, doors—and windows—may jam and stick due to crawl space moisture damage. As discussed above, foundation and floor joist damage can cause your floors to sag. Your home’s entire structural integrity may be affected, leading to the misalignment of door and window frames. Some homeowners may only struggle with this problem during spring and summer when the outdoor conditions become hot and humid.
NV Waterproofing & Foundation Repair: Crawl Space Structural Repairs
Crawl space structural repairs may be necessary to protect your home from dangerous problems that can affect your whole house. NV Waterproofing & Foundation Repair offers solutions, including crawl space waterproofing, which can reverse such damage and prevent other moisture-related problems in the future. We have more than 3 decades of experience serving residents in our area. So, call us today at 1-703-690-3889 to receive a free estimate.
