Once in a while we have to warn our clients about what can go wrong with their basement and crawl space, and yes, we are referring to those “bump-in-the-night” creepy things that homeowners often don’t know much about, until it’s really too late! A crawl space can be a scary thing!
A crawl space is that shallow, unfinished space beneath the first floor of a home. Many of our clients tell us, “I never go inside my crawl space so why should I care?” Well, here are the Top-Three terrifying secrets about basements and crawl spaces!
No. 1 – You and your family breath in crawl space air, whether like it or not!
Let’s set the stage: your house is one structure, and operates as a system. Just because you don’t go inside your crawl space, doesn’t mean you and your family aren’t affected by it! Why is this the case? It’s because of air mixing! As warm air rises in your home, it leaks out of the upper floors. As it leaks out above, new air enters at the ground level to replace the air that had escaped, and this creates a suction effect. In a typical “leaky” home, virtually all the air in the home is fully-exchanged twice per hour!
What does this mean? It means that whatever air is in your crawl space makes its way inside and up your home, getting breathed-in by you and your family… If there’s humidity inside your crawl space, your family is breathing humid air! If there is dust in the crawl space, your family is breathing dust! If there’s mold spores or bacteria inside your crawl space, your family is breathing it! If an animal (e.g., cat, rat, or mouse) died in your crawlspace, the “essence” of its rotting body is sucked in through your crawl space (gross, right?) and is being breathed by your loved ones! You get the idea now? Luckily, there’s a way to provide your family with clean air to breath – keep reading to find out how!
No. 2 – A neglected basement and crawl space likely have mold, fungus, and rot inside of it!
Mold, mildew, fungus, and rot have become a hot topic in recent years, and are the subject of terror to those who come across it. The issue is actually very simple – mold is everywhere, and it operates just as Mother Nature intended it to operate, breaking down dead or decaying organic matter in a humid environment. And so, guess what? Our homes are built almost entirely out of organic matter (e.g., paper, cardboard, fiberboard, chipboard, plywood, and even framing lumber)! As such, our crawl spaces, if left neglected, provide a perfect humid environment for mold to grow and simply “do its thing”!
As mold grows, it releases airborne “spores” (or seeds) which are incredibly small and light, and float on the slightest of air currents. And so yes, you’ve guessed it: the updraft and “air exchange” described above, are perfect carriers of mold spores up, to be breathed in by everyone in the house!
You will not be able to find a single doctor who will say that mold in a home is “good.” You also won’t be able to find a single doctor who says that mold in the home is “not bad.” In fact, all doctors are going to say that mold is very bad, all bad, every day, all the time! Mold will irritate human lungs, cause allergies, and with prolonged exposure, can cause asthma and other pulmonary illnesses! But, there’s a way to prevent your family from ingesting mold – keep reading to find out how!
No. 3 – There may be a deadly killer lurking in your basement or crawl space: It’s called Radon gas!
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from Radium deposits deep in the earth’s crust. If there’s Radon present in the soil under your home, and Radon has been found in many places across Los Angeles, it can get sucked into your home through your basement and crawlspace and you won’t even know it, as this gas is odorless and tasteless!
The thing about breathing in Radon gas, is that Radon is the second leading cause of cancer in the United States! In fact, the EPA estimates that 21,000 people die each year from Radon-related lung cancer! Sadly, only smoking causes more lung cancer deaths…
Of course, no homeowner wishes for their family to be poisoned slowly by Radon gas, and there are ways to combat the harmful effects of Radon and actually get rid of it! Here’s how!
What can homeowners do to prevent dirty and dangerous crawl space air?
Today’s top building scientists all agree that the most effective and reliable solution that provides families with a healthy and comfortable living space involves installing an affordable crawl space encapsulation system and a dehumidifier which prevents humid air that breeds mold, mildew, and fungus, gives life to nasty critters and bugs, and rots a home from the inside out.
How does this work? Weinstein Construction professionals can help! We will isolate your home from the earth floor of the crawl space by adding a vapor barrier liner to your crawl space. Such a liner is made from ultra-durable polyethylene which resists punctures and tears and is also blended with anti-bacterial materials which offer additional protection against mold and bacteria. Thirdly, we will seal the vents and outside air leaks. And lastly, we will install an “Energy Star rated” dehumidifier to dry out and continuously “condition” your crawl space air.
So, if you are asking, are there crawl space contractors near me? The answer is yes! Your local Los Angeles crawl space encapsulation specialist is just a phone call away! Call Weinstein Construction for a free inspection of your basement and crawlspace – we can show you how crawl space repair is done!
We are the leading crawl space repair company in Los Angeles! Whether it’s French drainage installation, installing a sump-pump to keep ground water out, adding a dehumidifier to dry the air, exterior waterproofing, or basement repair, we do it all at an unbeatable price and value!
If you want the leaders in basement waterproofing and crawl space encapsulation Los Angeles, call Weinstein Construction today at 866-771-4847, and we’ll schedule you for a free crawl space encapsulation inspection and estimate! Your peace of mind, family health, and home value are worth it!
