Owning a home is not for the faint of heart. Not only can the initial costs be expensive, but maintaining a home requires a significant financial commitment. After all, things eventually will need to be repaired, and you won’t be able to call on a property manager to replace things for you.
If you have a crawl space, though, things can get a little tricky. After all, if you’re not monitoring this space, it can be difficult to know when it needs repairs and when you can let it be. Unfortunately, if you let your crawl space responsibilities fall by the wayside, you may find yourself dealing with some unexpected damage.
What kind of damage, however, is common in a crawl space, and how much money should you have set aside in a repair budget?
Why Bother Worrying About Your Crawl Space?
When it comes to the care and keeping of your home, you want to make sure everything has a place and that everything is in its place. That’s why crawl spaces come in handy. While they can’t be converted into liveable spaces like basements can, you can readily use your crawl space to store seasonal decorations, nostalgic belongings, and more.
If it’s just another storage space, though, do you really need to worry about the state of your crawl space?
In a word, yes. If you let your crawl space fall into disrepair, then you not only put the belongings you have stored there at risk but you also risk compromising your home’s structural integrity and general cleanliness.
Why worry about repairing your crawl space, then? If you don’t, you might find yourself dealing with:
- Higher Bills
The more moisture gets into your home through your crawl space, the more difficult it’s going to be to temperature control the space. If your crawl space has a leak, then more moisture will be able to get inside – and your bills can start to rise.
- Pests
If there’s a crack or a leak in your crawl space, pests are sure to follow the water to this new source of warmth and food.
- Mold
Mold loves nothing more than a dark and damp space to grow. If you don’t repair cracks and leaks in your crawl space, you may rapidly find yourself dealing with a moisture problem as well as a mold problem.
- Water Damage
Naturally, crawl space leaks and cracks will let water into your home. The amount of water damage you have to deal with, however, will vary based on the severity of the damage and how quickly you’re able to respond.
- Smells
Finally, if your house smells a little off, no matter how many times you’ve cleaned it, you may have a leak on your hands. This may disrupt your lifestyle more so than your home’s structural integrity, but that’s no reason not to act quickly. If you don’t, that unpleasant smell may morph into something much worse.
How Much Should You Put Away For Crawl Space Repair?
Unfortunately, homeowners sometimes put off the care and keeping of their crawl spaces in favor of more immediate projects. As a result, you may find yourself dealing with unexpected damage.
If you do need to put off repairs, or you find yourself facing a problem that you didn’t expect, how much money should you have to fall back on?
Unfortunately, there’s no one straight answer to this question. Contractor rates in Virginia Beach, VA, will vary based on the size of your home and the severity of your crawl space’s damage. In general, though, you’ll want to have between $5,000 on the low side and $15,000 or more put away to repair your crawl space. A buffer somewhere within this range should help you both cover the costs of initial repairs and waterproofing your space to prevent additional damage.
Should You DIY Crawl Space Repair?
In this era of DIY, it’s tempting to try and save money by taking on home repairs yourself. As such, you may consider breaking out the tool kit at the first sign of trouble in your crawl space.
While you might think this path will save you money, it actually could end up costing you more in the long run. More often than not, homeowners who are not well versed in repairs could do more damage to a crawl space crack or leak than they would if they’d left the crack alone. As a result, the professional you eventually call in with not only have to repair your crawl space, but they’ll have to remove any DIY repairs. This means more construction time – and a higher price tag at the end of the day.
When in doubt, then, reach out to the professional crawl space repair contractors working in the Virginia Beach, VA, area. These contractors will be able to provide you with a free inspection and repair estimate on services before helping you take back your home.
