I have lived in my home for nearly ten years. During those ten years, I apparently had some unwelcome tenants eating the wood in my basement. I found out that there were termites destroying my home and that I was going to have to get some serious repair work done. The damage that those tiny insects caused to my home left me bewildered. I had thought about attempting the damage repairs myself, but quickly realized that it would be work better left to the professional damage contractors. If your home has been eaten by termites, take a few moments to visit my site to find out what all really needs to be done to ensure the damage is repaired and those pests don't return.
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Can You Convert Your Damp Crawl Space to a Storage Place?
Christopher Mitchelle
When dry and properly secured, crawl spaces can be the perfect places to store small HVAC equipment, air ducts, and even seasonal decorations. However, damp crawl spaces may not be the best place to store items. Moisture can damage your items as well as your home over time. Read on to learn why crawl spaces become so damp over time and how you can convert yours to a storage place.
What Are the Problems Associated With Damp Crawl Spaces?
Moisture is a significant problem for crawl spaces. A number of sources can cause moisture and water to infiltrate your crawl space, including broken gutters and sprinkler systems. Underground water can also infiltrate your crawl space over time. No matter what type of moisture problem you have in your crawl space, you want to get rid of it. Otherwise, you could face a host of unforeseen issues in the future.
One of the problems damp crawl spaces cause is pest damage. Damp soil and wood can attract termites, palmetto bugs, and gnats. Mosquitoes can also breed inside your crawl space.
White and black mold growth can also be a problem in your damp crawl space. Both types of mold can grow on damp soil and surfaces inside your crawl space. Mold can also invade the floorboards above your crawl space. If mold makes it pass your floorboards and enters your living space, it can cause ill health effects for your family.
You must deal with the problems above before you convert your crawl space to storage. Learn how you can do so below.
How Can You Convert Your Crawl Space Properly?
The best way to convert your wet crawl space to a storage place is to waterproof it. Waterproofing involves multiple steps and techniques that can take some time to complete or carry out. However, the main goals of waterproofing are to:
- remove all signs of moisture from your crawl space
- redirect moisture away from your crawl space
- refine or convert your crawl space into usable space
It's also important to assess your crawl space thoroughly. The assessment can help determine whether or not your crawl space requires repairs before the waterproofing process takes place. For instance, if mold or decay damaged the wooden floorboards above your crawl space, you may need to fix or replace the structures before you start waterproofing your crawl space.
If moisture corroded the metal plumbing pipes in your crawl space, you may need to have a plumber replace the lines. You also want to take care of any plumbing leaks inside your crawl space or gutter problems around your roof before you waterproof it. Leaks can cause additional moisture problems for your crawl space in the future.
A waterproofing contractor or company may also need to dehumidify the space for you. Dehumidification is the process of removing humidity, water vapor, and other signs of moisture from a building or space. A contracting company may dehumidify the space during and after the waterproofing process. If your crawl space is at risk for moisture problems in the future, the company may leave dehumidifying equipment inside the crawl space after they finish working on it.
Additionally, it may be necessary for a waterproofing company to stabilize the soil beneath your home. Waterproofers may place large sheets of plastic or barriers over the surface of your soil to ensure moisture stays out of the space.
The above techniques are just a few things you need to waterproof your crawl space properly. If your crawl space requires anything else, a contracting company will discuss it with you.
If you need to remove water from your crawl space before you convert it to a storage place, contact a contracting company like Central Penn Waterproofing for an assessment today.
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