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Home Crawl Space
Dos & Don'ts
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There are special home crawl space does and don’ts that
could affect the safety and comfort of your home. Here’s a
simple guide to taking good care of your crawl space and
avoiding endangering the safety of your home with improper
usage.
Crawl Space Smell
It’s a good idea for every homeowner to climb up to the
crawl space every few months and give it a good whiff. The
crawl space entrance may be located in the garage with pull
down stairs, or it may be inconveniently tucked at the top
of a closet as in my old home.
Fitting into the crawl space may be tricky and you’ll have
to bring a flashlight with you. If you’re allergic to dust
it’s a good idea to take anti-histamine before foraying into
the crawl space of your home. Despite all this, checking the
scent of your crawl space will alert you to be possible
dampness, mildew, mold or critter presence. Detecting these
problems early will allow you to solve them before damage is
caused to your home.
Crawl Space Insulation
Proper insulation on the floor of your crawl space should be
over 4 inches. Below this, winter heating in your house will
be more costly. Hot air rises naturally and without
sufficient insulation in the crawl space to hold the heat in
place, the air will continue to rise straight out the roof.
Exterminating companies typically also offer crawl space
insulation services.
The crew will come into your home and drive a thick hose
through the nearest window. They will create a tunnel with
plastic traps around the hose to keep your home clean. Then
they will blow insulation into your crawl space and
distribute it evenly around. Within less than a year you
should be able to recoup the cost of insulating your crawl
space through energy savings. And be sure to check with your
electric company if they are offering rebates on this energy
efficient crawl space insulation.
Crawl Space Vents
If you bought a used house, it’s a good idea to go up into
the crawl space and locate the exists for all bathroom
vents. Previous homeowners may have tried to cut on costs by
driving humidity vents up through the ceiling but not all
the way through the roof, as they did in my old home. As a
result, a bathroom humidity vent might be emptying into the
crawl space of your home. It’s also possible that a bathroom
vent that was set up to go out the roof would become
dislodged with time.
Checking the crawl space of your home regularly will alert
you to the problem before humidity damage occurs. Be aware
the bathroom vents that do not vent directly up and out of
the roof may also pose a problem in your crawl space. If the
vent extends for several feet horizontally before rising,
there will always be condensation of water in that space.
Dealing with Critters in Your Crawl Space
If you find signs of critter presence like stool, fur,
feathers or if you hear movement in the crawl space at
night, you best bet is to call in a professional
exterminator. If you decide to spread poison in the crawl
space instead, you will need to find every dead critter
after the fact or end up with a terrible stench emanating
from your crawl space to the rooms below.
What Not to Do with Your Crawl Space
Speaking with experts, I have learned that some homeowners
attempt to build an office or storage space up in their
crawl space. Not only is this a building code violation, but
the added weight in the crawl space may compromise the
integrity of the structure of your home.
In addition, any electrical gadgets used in the crawl space,
from a desk lamp to a drill pose a serious fire hazard,
which is not worth the risk. If you are trying to sell a
home in which an office or storage space was created in the
crawl space, dismantle these before the home inspection, or
the inspection will fail and you could be reported to the
city and fined for a building violation.
How to Walk in the Crawl Space of Your Home
The crawl space of your home was not built for taking a
stroll in. To safely walk in the crawl space you must walk
on the jutting floor beams, not on the ceiling drywall
between them. It’s a good idea to bring a plank of wood up
with you and keep it in the crawl space. You can rest the
plank between the floor beams and keep moving it as you
walk, so as to always have safe passage before and after
you.
Always take a flashlight with you into the crawl space and
watch your head, as you are likely going to need to bend as
you walk in the crawl space. Finally, avoid climbing into
the crawl space on hot or humid days. Remember that hot air
rises and the crawl space of your home will be far more
stifling than your home itself, especially if you have air
conditioning that may lead you to forget just how hot it is
outside.
For more home remodeling and decorating info from the same
author, visit my comprehensive budget decorating guide.
Comments? Questions?
Drop me a
line.
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