Common Crawl Space Problems In Pittsburgh

The crawl space of a home is usually ignored because they are dark, damp, moldy, and usually smelly. Homeowners would rather stay away from the area, but a crawl space is part of the home and what happens in the crawl space can affect the entire home.

Here are some of the most common problems in a crawl space and what it means to you and your Pittsburgh home:

• Rotting and/or sagging crawl space – This can lead to your first floor caving in and wood support beams and subfloors to fail. 
• Crawl space mold and mildew – Mold grows in damp, dark spaces such as a crawl space. Mold means damage to crawl space wood and it can lead to mold spore allergens that invade the home. This is a major problem for the health of you and your family.
• Insects and dead animals – It is not uncommon for a crawl space to become a home to insects and critters such as mice, termites, ants, snakes, and many other critters that live (and die) there. This can lead to horrible odors seeping through into the home.
• Flooded crawl space – When water comes into a crawl space through either the walls, floors, wall/floor joist of from a plumbing lead, it will lead to damage that can affect your entire home.
• Humidity – Summers in Pittsburgh are hot and humid. However, the crawl space is a naturally cooled place because of the earth. When the hot and humid air enters the crawl space, it gets cooled and creates high humidity throughout your home.
• Radon – Radon is a naturally occurring soil gas that can enter the crawl space. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, second only to cigarette smoking. Radon enters the crawl space from the ground underneath. Crawl spaces with exposed soil floors have no barrier to slow down the radon gas from entering.

Many Pittsburgh homes have a crawl space instead of a basement either due to the cost savings or out of necessity because of a high water table. If your home’s crawl space is in need of repair, the professionals at Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing can help. Don’t let your crawl space cause you all of these problems. A properly sealed crawl space can prevent many of these problems. Don’t let a wet crawl space compromise the structure of your home or the health of you and your family. Let Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing help get your crawl space back to a healthy state and prevent any of these problems from arising. With our experience and products for crawl space encapsulation, you can rest assured that you won’t have the problems that a wet crawl space can cause. We serve the Pittsburgh, PA area for basement waterproofing and foundation repair.

The Best Crawl Space Solutions in Pittsburgh

Crawl Space Vapor Barriers

Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing has the best solutions for your crawl space repair needs in the Pittsburgh area. We use vapor barriers for crawl space encapsulation. The vapor barrier that is we install is the best system made for crawl space encapsulation and is manufactured by Earth Contact Products (ECP), the leader in the manufacturing of basement waterproofing and foundation repair products in the industry.

Transform your damp, dirty crawl space into an area that is clean and dry to prevent the problems that a damp area can cause. Vapor barriers are installed to prevent moisture from entering the crawl space, thus guards against mold, mildew, allergens, fungus, radon, and heat loss. The ECP vapor barrier that Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing installs is 10-mil and 16-mil thick and is puncture-resistant. They are manufactured using a triple-ply woven high-density virgin polyethylene membrane. These vapor barriers have the highest strength to weight ratio, highest tensile strength and tear resistance than any other product on the market today for crawl space encapsulation.

Let the experts at Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing install a vapor barrier in your crawl space that will stop moisture from migrating to your living spaces and keep your home and family safe for years to come.

Crawl Space Encapsulation

Many homes in the Pittsburgh area have a home with a crawl space due to the cost saving or because of a high water table. The humid spring and summers in the Pittsburgh area cause the crawl space to have excessive moisture. This can cause a variety of problems for you and your home. Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing has served the Pittsburgh area for over 30 years for basement waterproofing and foundation repair. Our services include crawl space encapsulation among other waterproofing services.

Crawl space encapsulation will help your home become a healthier environment and prevent structural damage to your home. Other benefits of crawl space encapsulation are:

• Eliminates mold and mildew
• Creates a barrier to prevent moisture, insects, and rodents from entering
• Improves air quality
• Reduces heating and cooling costs

Crawl space encapsulation using a vapor barrier puts a barrier on the walls and overexposed floors. A vapor barrier for crawl space encapsulation prevents water vapor, thus improving the air quality in your home. Mold and mildew thrive in a damp crawl space. This can cause you and your family many health issues.

Don’t ignore your crawl space. Look for some of the signs that you are in need of crawl space encapsulation. Some of these signs are:

• Damp insulation
• Standing water
• Rusty metal surfaces in the crawl space
• Mold
• Soft or rotten wood
• Musty odors
• Pests
• Water condensing on pipes and other surfaces in the crawl space

If you see any of these signs, let the experts at Matthews Wall Anchor & Waterproofing give your crawl space an inspection and find the solution for your damp crawl space in your Pittsburgh home. You can get the job done now and pay later with our 6 months same-as-cash financing program. Don’t hesitate to contact us today for any of your crawl space encapsulation needs. We are the experts in the Pittsburgh, PA area for waterproofing and foundation repair.