Moisture damage in your crawlspace needs to be addressed quickly, to minimize further damage and save on repair costs. Let me tell you about one of the homes we found lately with severe moisture damage. This was the worst I have seen since I have been inspecting homes for moisture problems. To even call it moisture damage is an understatement for this home. Every floor joist and beam underneath this home was rotten and falling out. A total of 88 floor joist and 22 beams/girders were eaten up by moisture and wood decay fungi.
The reason moisture is such a big deal in the Coastal Virginia area is because the hot humid air we have in the Summer, and all the rain we get in the Winter. When hot air meets cold air underneath your home, it makes condensation. Where does the condensation go, you might ask? Straight to the wood or the insulation. It has nothing to dry it up and keep it from attacking the wooden members under your home.
If you do not have gutters around your home or a french drain, or tile drain system, with all the rain we get the water will seep under your home. When water sits on the foundation overtime, it seeps through into the crawlspace and the same method of moisture damage happens to your home’s wood members. The one way to really get moisture under control is get one of our free moisture inspections. We will evaluate your home, and take moisture readings throughout the crawlspace to see what areas are of concern.
