If you’re looking to protect your crawl space joists, you need to invest in regular crawl space inspections. Professionals can come out to your home on an annual basis and make sure your joists are working as they should. They can also keep an eye on the rest of your space and let you know if anything looks wrong.
Kicking Off a Crawl Space Inspection
Most crawl space inspections involve three phases: an early inspection, a superficial inspection, and a full inspection. Early inspections allow professionals to take a closer look at the entrance to your crawl space.
This entrance needs to be at least two feet wide and 18 inches tall. Professionals cannot enter spaces without this kind of established entrance without putting themselves in harm’s way.
If inspectors can safely enter your crawl space, then you can move on to the superficial and full inspections. During a superficial inspection, local experts will keep an eye out for anything obviously wrong with your space—standing water, broken joists, and so on. If nothing pops up on their radar, they’ll take a closer look at the nooks and crannies of your space. It’s during these phases that the professionals can most readily identify the damage that puts the rest of your home at risk.
Failing a Crawl Space Inspection
It is possible to fail a crawl space inspection or to have an inspection delayed due to existing damage. As mentioned, crawl spaces without appropriately sized entrances automatically fail their inspections. Homeowners living in these environments will need to expand or otherwise stabilize their crawl space entrances before professionals can take a step inside.
Glaring problems can cause a crawl space to fail its inspection. For example, if your joists have started to pop away from their supports, or if there’s standing water in your corners, then professionals will want to get to work as soon as they can. “Failing,” in this way, lets professionals know what kind of help it is that you need with your home. If your crawl space doesn’t obviously fail its inspection in one way or another, you can instead use your time and professionals’ expertise to explore the waterproofing options that might best suit your home.