Anacortes WA Home Inspection (King of the House Inc): A Crawl Space Is Not A Repository For Debris

Out of sight, out of mind. That seems to be the attitude of many people when it comes to the condition of the crawl space. Often homeowners do not even know that the crawl space has problems because workers leave the mess and do not post signs saying they did a sloppy job. In crawl spaces, commonly, I find beer and pop cans, candy wrappers, snack food boxes and scraps of wood, paper and cardboard. These cellulose based items are the biggest worry, as they are conducive debris to attracting wood destroying organisms. Under Washington State law, that must be called out. Other things I find in the crawl space include wood planters that are being stored -- those are the property of the homeowner usually. And one that is really not pleasant, is the way the crawl space is often a repository for old boards full of exposed nails, extra rebar, sheet metal and broken up concrete left over after construction. Kneeling on a piece of old concrete, hidden under the vapor barrier, makes an inspector glad to be wearing knee pads. In fact, crawl space maintenance is pretty simple, as far as knowing what to do. If some scrap, wood, paper, metal is not a structural component then remove it from the crawl space. Keep things there that are supposed to be there, out with the rest!

Thanks for looking. By the way, I know the vapor barrier is out of place too!

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham Home Inspector

www.kingofthehouse.com