If you’re concerned about how much money crawl space repairs may cost you, it can be tempting to consider replacing damaged insulation on your own. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the best idea. Problems can pop up in any home DIY effort, but especially during your initial efforts and in the months and years to come after your work is done.
Problems During Your Initial Efforts
Trying to remove your damaged insulation without the appropriate tools can be dangerous for several reasons. For starters, touching insulation without gloves or removing it without protective materials can put your health at risk. Insulation can also be difficult to dispose of if you don’t know which disposals will accept it. You’ll also find yourself contending with the remnants of your insulation if you don’t have the tools on hand to keep it from falling apart as you work to remove it from your home.
As you go to install new insulation, you may face a variety of issues. First off, you may overlook the structural damage that allowed unusual levels of moisture into your home in the first place. Secondly, you may not be able to spread your new insulation as thoroughly as professionals otherwise would. You may also bring home a type of insulation that is either too water-absorbent or that otherwise may not protect your home from damage as well as those types of insulation available to area professionals.
It’s also more difficult to install home waterproofing measures over your insulation if you’ve never made an effort to do so before. In short, when you rely on professionals, you can forgo all the effort of DIY and rest easy. Thanks to their ample experience, the contractors on your property can install your new insulation and any approved waterproofing measures with the confidence of trained professionals.
Problems in the Future
Even if you don’t have any problems while installing insulation on your own, you may find yourself contending with issues later down the line. For starters, replacing the damaged insulation in your crawl space only allows you to address a symptom of a larger problem throughout your home. If your crawl space insulation is taking on unusual amounts of water, you likely have a leak on your hands. Failing to address this leak will see you having to contend not only with damaged insulation in the future but worsening stability throughout your home as well.
That kind of instability does more than just make your crawl space less pleasant to visit. The longer you allow a leak to fester in your crawl space, the more likely it is that you’ll see the walls not only in your crawl space but of your foundation begin to crumble. This kind of instability can have impacts on the whole of your home if it isn’t addressed appropriately. Professionals have the experience to notice when damaged crawl space insulation is a sign of a larger problem. When you reach out to area contractors, you may spend more money on repairs, but you can avoid the cost of other potentially necessary services later down the line.