Do you know what evil could be lurking in your crawlspace?
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY , CA — A customer recently hired me for a foundation inspection after noticing unusual cracking in the walls and ceilings of the home.
As a normal part of every foundation inspection, I visually survey the crawlspace in addition to measuring the relative elevation of the home using specialized tools to assess any foundational shifting.
While inspecting this crawlspace, I found an unrelated leak due to wear and tear on the plumbing system. This issue was a quick fix. But if unnoticed for too long, it could have led to pervasive mold growth.
Generally speaking, people get a home inspection during escrow and then the crawlspace goes untouched for several years. Good preventative maintenance is to have a crawlspace checkup every 3-5 years.
During this review, an inspector should be on the lookout for plumbing leaks, wear and tear on foundational supports, damage cause by rodent intrusion, insulation and/or duct work issues, potential mold growth and so on. These problems can start off small and be relatively inexpensive to address, though more often they go unnoticed until compounding into larger and more expensive repairs.
I see the latter all too often, even though it’s avoidable with a regular preventative maintenance schedule.
Scott Denslow is the owner of Safe at Home Inspection Service. He is an InterNACHI and ASHI certified inspector who has 59 five-star ratings on Yelp. Contact him at scott@safeathomellc.com. For more info visit www.safeathomellc.com.