1. Will the cover you are about to purchase fully enclose the area wall and access door? Purchasing a cover designed to fully enclose both the area wall and access panel door into your crawlspace will prevent water from standing in the area wall and rust occurring to the steel access panel due to changing weather elements.
2. Is the cover you are purchasing constructed using a water proof material? The purpose for your cover is to keep water out of the area wall and crawlspace.
3. Will the cover support any weight? The area wall on most homes sits at ground level, and someone including yourself could accidentally fall or step on the cover.
4. What is the weight of the cover? The cover needs to be made of a light weight material for easy removal when the crawlspace needs to be accessed. The cover should also lock or latch down to ensure it remains in place.
5. Temperatures and climates vary from state to state; will the cover withstand temperature changes? Replacing your cover because it continues to crack or break can become very costly.
Hardware home improvement stores do carry area wall covers. They will generally stock a few different sizes, and if you are lucky enough to find one that fits the width of your well it will typically not have the correct projection you need to fully enclose the entire opening. These covers will be made out of a thin plastic and will easily break. Typically these covers cost around $20.00 but can be higher and do not address the above considerations.
Purchasing a cover constructed using a polycarbonate material will address all things to consider when selecting a cover. Unfortunately home improvement stores cannot stock this type of cover, due to the many variations in homeowner’s crawlspace area walls. These covers need to be custom made, to specifically fit individual area walls and access doors.
A durable and properly fitting cover may cost a little more up front, but in the long run, will limit the frustration homeowners have of trying to find one that actually fits and the cost involved in continued replacement of the plastic covers.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Why should I cover the entrance to my crawlspace?
Any homeowner living in an older home with an outside access door into their crawlspace, will agree that over several years of enduring weather elements, their steel door begins to not fit properly, will no longer latch shut or completely rust out, making the door useless. This in time creates the perfect entry point for unwanted insects, rodents and water.
Costly repairs can occur to the homeowner when crawlspaces become saturated with water because of improper fitting access doors. Moist environments, and drafts into the moist environment, can stimulate the growth of certain molds. The costly fix is to contract a company that specializes in mold remediation, to treat the molds and to dry out the crawlspace area.
Then there is the frustration of trying to replace the access door that no longer fits. Good luck with this one, it would be a lot easier to accomplish if all builders were required to use the same size access door openings and all hardware stores were required to stock these replacements.
The cost of getting rid of unwanted insects and rodents can add up fast when using an exterminator or animal control company to take care of the problem, not to mention the damage rodents can do in a crawlspace. Homeowners could potentially be looking at rewiring issues due to this chewing, unwanted guest.
Homeowners should also consider that usually the need to access this area will be during the worst of times when it comes to the weather. It is so much easier to access an area wall that is dry, free of debris and not filled with snow.
The best option for homeowners is to purchase a cover that fully encloses the area wall surrounding the access door into the crawlspace. This should be done as soon as construction is complete on your new home.
If you are living in a home and do not currently have a crawlspace cover you should purchase one immediately to avoid the potential for costly future repairs.
If you’re unlucky enough to have already experienced the cost involved to have a contractor correct your crawlspace issues, then you know how important it is to keep your crawlspace dry and to have a properly fitting cover in place.
You should have purchased a cover yesterday!
Costly repairs can occur to the homeowner when crawlspaces become saturated with water because of improper fitting access doors. Moist environments, and drafts into the moist environment, can stimulate the growth of certain molds. The costly fix is to contract a company that specializes in mold remediation, to treat the molds and to dry out the crawlspace area.
Then there is the frustration of trying to replace the access door that no longer fits. Good luck with this one, it would be a lot easier to accomplish if all builders were required to use the same size access door openings and all hardware stores were required to stock these replacements.
The cost of getting rid of unwanted insects and rodents can add up fast when using an exterminator or animal control company to take care of the problem, not to mention the damage rodents can do in a crawlspace. Homeowners could potentially be looking at rewiring issues due to this chewing, unwanted guest.
Homeowners should also consider that usually the need to access this area will be during the worst of times when it comes to the weather. It is so much easier to access an area wall that is dry, free of debris and not filled with snow.
The best option for homeowners is to purchase a cover that fully encloses the area wall surrounding the access door into the crawlspace. This should be done as soon as construction is complete on your new home.
If you are living in a home and do not currently have a crawlspace cover you should purchase one immediately to avoid the potential for costly future repairs.
If you’re unlucky enough to have already experienced the cost involved to have a contractor correct your crawlspace issues, then you know how important it is to keep your crawlspace dry and to have a properly fitting cover in place.
You should have purchased a cover yesterday!
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