I receive phone calls all the time from distraught home owners that were handed quotes for over $3000.00 for work needing to be done in their crawl space. The question I am most often asked is, "do I really need this?" After all, this is an area of the home that most home owners have never even looked at in their home and it sure is hard to fork over that kind of money without an understanding of what it is. So, let me give you some information on what a crawl space restoration really is and you can decide for yourself if it is needed.
Typically, a crawl space restoration is quoted after rodents do damage under your home. Many pest control companies offer this service and charge an arm and a leg for it because it is very hard work and a very dirty job. Here are the things to consider when you are deciding if you really need to bite the bullet and have the job done:
-Rodents like to nest in your subfloor insulation because it provides the perfect environment for them (warm, safe and cozy).
-Rodents leave urine and droppings everywhere they go, so things can get messy under there quickly.
-It has been estimated that up to 40% of the air you breathe comes from your crawl space, so that's kinda gross.
-Rodents can carry up to 40 diseases according to the Center for Disease Control.
-They can also chew into air ducts, which will cause you to lose heat and add to your utility bills.
-Although it is rare, they can cause fires by chewing wires in your home.
-Lastly, and most importantly, once they establish themselves under your home, their scent becomes inviting for more rodents to join them, which can quickly escalate the amount of contamination in your crawl space.
With these factors in place, you can see how the argument can be made that you should get this done. However, I am sad to say that many of these factors are greatly exaggerated by pest control companies in homes that I come to. Home owners will have pest technicians telling them that it is much worse than it actually is and that is just wrong. That is why it is so important to find contractors that you can trust. If you want to find someone that you can trust, you can always call us at Healthy Homes Pest Control in Bremerton, Washington.
Once you have decided to have this sort of work done, here are the items that are generally completed:
-Removal of contaminated insulation
-Removal of vapor barrier
-Dispose of contaminated material
-Crack and crevice sealing
-Entry point sealing
-Decontamination of crawl space with ULV fogger
-Vapor barrier installation
On a typical home, this service can run anywhere from $1000 to $4000, but we have seen outrageous bids by other pest control companies, so I would strongly encourage (whether you get a bid from another company or from us) get a second opinion. There are no set pricing for this kind of thing within the industry and there are people that will just rip you off.
If you have found this information helpful and would like to ask some more questions, be sure to contact us. We would be happy to help you or give you a second opinion.
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