Crawl Space Drainage Matting

The means you have of protecting your crawl space from leaks and high humidity are many and varied. Drainage matting serves as less of a waterproofing measure on its own and more of a waterproofing accessory. This matting works in tandem with other home waterproofing measures, including a full space encapsulation with a vapor barrier. If you’re concerned about what kind of damage your crawl space has taken on in the past, you can invest in this kind of protective measure to both preserve the integrity of your space and the functionality of those home waterproofing measures you’ve invested in.  

Crawl space drainage matting serves as an insert that you can install in between a crawl space vapor barrier and the floor of your crawl space. CrawlSeal™ Drainage Matting can be identified by its raised bumps, which help prevent water from sticking to your liner and continually increasing the amount of moisture within your crawl space. 

Installing Your Drainage Matting 

Drainage matting installation is a rather straightforward process. Normally, you’ll want to install your drainage matting at the same time as a vapor barrier or a full crawl space encapsulation. You can discuss the process with the experts in your area to determine first if an installation is plausible and then, in turn, how long it may take considering the size of your crawl space and any pre-existing damage. 

That said, most drainage matting installations take a day or less. Again, if your home has experienced some manner of water damage in the past, you’ll want to factor in the amount of time it will take to repair your crawl space before making other plans for your home. 

The Cost of Your Installation 

Determining how much it might cost to install crawl space waterproofing measures isn’t a process that’s set in stone. However, you can often guess at the cost by taking the size of your home into account. In most cases, larger crawl spaces are going to cost more to waterproof than smaller ones simply due to the material cost of that installation. If your crawl space needs any additional repairs, you can expect your eventual costs to run you more than they would if you installed waterproofing measures before that damage appeared. 

For a more specific estimate, however, you can opt to schedule a consultation with the professionals in your area. After a thorough home inspection, you can determine whether your crawl space needs any structural repairs. Then, you can debate what kind of waterproofing measures might best suit your crawl space’s needs. At the end of the day, you’ll have the option to look over a free quote to determine what of the available installation methods, materials, and more you want to take advantage of while protecting your home. 

It isn’t normal to find water in your crawl space, but that doesn’t mean you’re the only homeowner in the world who’s had to contend with some manner of crawl space damage. 

How Is Water Getting into Your Crawl Space? 

Water and moisture can find their way into your crawl space through a variety of means. More often than not, though, you can place the blame on hydrostatic pressure either inside or outside of your home. Hydrostatic pressure begins to build up around your crawl space when rain runoff, leaking pipes, or other forms of standing water press up against your crawl space’s supporting materials. That water can cause your supports to change size on a molecular level. The rapid changes in the size of your crawl space’s structural supports can cause those supports to start developing stress fractures. Unfortunately, those fractures tend to allow even more water into your home, lending to the damage that’s already arisen. The longer you let this kind of damage sit in your crawl space, the more likely it is that you’ll find yourself contending with signs of stress and strain throughout the rest of your space. 

That said, water can also make its way into your home courtesy of pest infestations, wood rot, and foundation settling as caused by disruptive tree roots. Non-hydrostatic pressure-related damage can be a little easier to attend to around your home, but you will have to first attend to the kind of damage that your crawl space has already seen before you can invest in the installation of any home waterproofing measures. 

Signs of Crawl Space Damage 

To try and avoid crawl space leakage, you’ll want to set up annual crawl space inspections with the professionals in your area. If you aren’t in the habit of setting up these appointments, however, you can head down into your crawl space yourself. You’ll want to keep an eye out for the following signs of damage: 

• Damp walls 
• Sagging floors 
• Rusting floor and rim joists 
• Standing water 
• Ice 

• Mold 
• Warping door frames 
• Fogging windows 

Note that unpleasant smells in your crawl space can also indicate that your structural supports may be at risk of rotting or otherwise failing. That said, it isn’t always easy to distinguish between crawl space damage and foundation damage. When in doubt, you’ll want to work with an expert in your area to try and determine what’s gone wrong in your crawl space and how best to address that potential damage. 

You don’t use your crawl space as an entertaining area. You may not even use it as a storage space. Why is it so important that you install waterproofing measures like drainage matting to keep your crawl space safe? 

Water Damage and Your Home’s Value 

Your crawl space has more influence over the value of your home than its size suggests. As moisture makes its way into this space, it can actively begin to destroy the structural integrity of any supports you may have in place. As this crawl space damage sets in, you can begin to see symptoms of it throughout the rest of your home, ranging from sagging floors to bowing walls. If you let these conditions go untreated for too long, you may find the damage spreading down into your foundation, where it can destabilize the whole of your home. Not only will you eventually have to invest in comprehensive repairs, but that process may extend far beyond your crawl space, to the point where you need not only home waterproofing measures but to excavate and restore your entire foundation. 

This process isn’t just inconvenient for you as the home’s current tenant. If you want to put your home on the market at some point in the near future, you’ll want to make sure you’ve done as much as you can to keep that unwanted moisture out of your crawl space. The kind of damage that a damp crawl space can foist upon you can cost you up to 30 percent of your home’s market value, especially if you opt to sell your property without first investing in repairs. Not only that, but you will have to disclose any untreated crawl space water damage to potential home buyers, meaning that you may have a more difficult time ensuring that someone takes your home off your hands. 

Water Damage and Your Family’s Health 

It isn’t just your home’s value that crawl space moisture can play with, though. Moisture originating in your crawl space can also have a detrimental effect on the health of your family. Residents with allergies or respiratory issues can see their conditions rapidly worsen. Even family members without these conditions can see them develop over time, especially if you don’t make a point to attend to the damage that you’re facing. 

All these conditions can worsen before mold has a chance to take root in a damaged crawl space too. If you find yourself contending with mold, you’ll want to do what you can to either tend to your crawl space or relocate your family as soon as possible. Most types of mold, if allowed to flourish in your home, can cause health problems ranging from a persistent cough to long-term lung damage. 

Trying to get ahead on just how long a drainage matting installation may take can be a challenge. Know that when you go into a crawl space repair and waterproofing job, your experience is going to vary based on several individual factors, including your budget, the size of your crawl space, and the extent of the damage that space may have already seen. 

Estimating Installation Time 

It does not take all that long to install drainage matting in your crawl space. That said, it also isn’t easy to offer a comprehensive installation estimate, as each installation faces its own unique quirks. When in doubt, you’ll want to reach out to a professional contractor in your area to get a better idea not only of what your drainage matting installation might look like but how long it may take, considering the state of your crawl space. 

More often than not, you’ll be installing your drainage matting in tandem with a full crawl space encapsulation with a vapor barrier or other waterproofing measures like interior drainage and a sump pump. These installation processes tend to take less than a day, with schedules again varying based on the conditions of the crawl space in question. As such, you can rest assured knowing that, provided that your installation goes smoothly, you should be able to reclaim your crawl space within a day or two at the most. 

Additional Home Repairs 

As mentioned, it is in your best interest to invest in any necessary crawl space repairs before you decide which crawl space waterproofing measures may best suit your home. Trying to install crawl space waterproofing measures when you’re still contending with an active leak is like putting duct tape on a running faucet. While these solutions can help you maintain your crawl space for a short period of time, it’s more than likely that they’ll succumb to hydrostatic pressure long before their proper time. 

That said, many homeowners may find themselves reluctant to invest in comprehensive crawl space repair. Some are concerned about the cost, while others may underestimate the need for said repairs considering how infrequently crawl spaces are used as entertaining areas. If you’re not sure whether or not you should invest in crawl space repairs throughout your home, you can reach out to a professional contractor in your area to discuss what specific problems your crawl space may be contending with. In turn, you can arrange repairs within your budget. Whatever you do, however, know that attempting to fix or waterproof your crawl space on your own time can have catastrophic effects on the structural integrity of your home. 

Working with Professionals in Your Area 

You are under no obligation to try and repair or otherwise waterproof your crawl space without professional guidance. Doing so, in fact, can actually cause more harm around your home than good. With that in mind, if you find water in your crawl space, don’t hesitate to reach out to area professionals at Foundation Recovery Systems. After a thorough home inspection, a team can provide you with a free services quote detailing not only what kind of waterproofing measures might suit you best but also what repairs your crawl space may need. With this information at hand, you can determine what services you’re more interested in and whether or not drainage matting may help you better protect your crawl space.