Crawl space repair is a common service we do all the time at KC Pier. This neglected part of your home can be a useful indicator of your overall foundation health. If your Kansas City home has a crawl space, as many do, you’ll want to check out how we handle repair work, in case you ever need assistance.
Basics of Crawl Space Repair
Our approach to repairing a crawl space varies depending on the location of your home, the weather, the seasons, and the type of gutters you have. It also matters whether homeowners do an adequate job cleaning and grading since most of the repair effort involves problems like mold, mildew, and wood rot.
We often address issues related to foundation settlement, hydrostatic pressure, water in the crawl space, or bowing walls. The repair process is a lot like fixing basement issues, only that it’s in an ever smaller area.
The most common problems in the Midwest are hydrostatic pressure and moisture in the basement. When a bunch of water gets inside, it causes a lot of odors in either the crawl space or basement, which alerts homeowners to the problem. That leads them to call us, then we assess the problem, determine the cause, and enact a solution.
How to Address Hydrostatic Pressure Issues
A significant proportion of Kansas City crawl spaces are built where the water table is too high for a basement. Unfortunately, it leaves plenty of opportunity for odors, must, and mildew underneath it, which ultimately go through the joists, into the floor, before ascending into the house itself.
In our community, hydrostatic pressure causes the walls to move inward. When this happens, we can put in wall anchors or steel beams to support the walls. The availability of this application depends on geography and location.
Pending homeowner approval, we can add pumps to reduce the water pressure or excavate around the interior footings. We may also add drains to allow the water to divert from the pumps. The last option involves a process called “encapsulation,” where we level out the floors, clean the walls, and install a plastic waterproof membrane around the foundation and down the walls. Then we encapsulate the floors and use dehumidifiers to relieve the area of all the moisture.
Why Crawl Space Repair is Important
We almost can’t place too much emphasis on the importance of fixing your crawl space. While it won’t manifest directly in your home’s curb appeal, there are several ways it affects the air quality in your residence. These are just a few reasons you should remember to stay on top of repair issues.
- Cleaning and repairing your crawl space or basement will reduce your risk of flooding, chase away unwanted pests, and provide healthier air quality for your family.
- You can improve your home value by replacing or cleaning rotten wood, rusted beams, and sealing floor cracks or wall cracks.
- Are you having trouble with heating and air-conditioning costs? Did you know you can help your HVAC run better by getting rid of all the moisture and condensation around it?
- If you keep crawl spaces and basements clean, you give yourself more room to store items without worrying about them becoming moldy or rotten.
Get the Best Crawl Space & Basement Repair with KC Pier
We know that your home’s crawl space is probably not on the top of your list for home improvement concerns, but we hope you won’t skip it entirely. Everything related to foundation repair is a defense against the ever-shifting forces beneath the soil, which can wreak havoc on your home’s support structure.
As usual, if you run into a problem, please call us, and remember that a quick inspection will cost you nothing. One of our technicians can look over things and help you determine the condition of your crawl space or basement if you suspect any problems.
Contact KC Pier soon if your home needs fast, effective, and reliable crawl space repair.
