Room-by-Room Inspection Tour - Crawlspace: Basement, Sump Pump, Ventilated, Standing Water, Seepage, Sill Plate

< Infrastructure

Basement >

It's Enough to Make Your Skin Crawl

As far as crawlspaces go, the builder should have put in a basement.

• They've already dug a hole three feet deep. Why didn't they just dig it a few feet deeper and make it a basement.
   
• Crawl spaces are always suspect, somewhere most homeowners don't go unless there is already a problem.

Things to look for if the home has a crawlspace include:

• Is there a sump pump? Is it working right?
• Is the area ventilated properly? (Closed in the winter and open in the summer.)
• Is there a problem with standing water?
• Has water seepage and or moisture build up damaged the sill plate?
  • It costs about $200/foot to replace a damaged sill plate.
  • Damage from jacking the house up to replace the sill plate can occur, adding to the cost of repair.
  • If the sill plate has been damaged by moisture in the crawl space, most likely it will not be all of the damage we find.
     
• Is there mold in the crawlspace?
  • Mold is a living, growing organism. Chances are that if mold is present in the crawlspace, it will be present inside the home as well.
  • Mold can be extremely hazardous to your family's health, especially if anyone has a respiratory ailment, such as asthma.
  • Mold is very difficult, and expensive, to remove from the home's interior.

WE ARE NOT BIG FANS OF CRAWLSPACES!!

< Infrastructure

Basement >