Can You Waterproof Your Crawl Space This Winter?

Come wintertime, it’s easy to hunker down and put off home repair projects until the weather starts to warm up again. However, if you’re dealing with crawl space and foundation damage, or if you suspect your home might not be able to stand up to the spring’s precipitation, you have the option to invest in crawl space waterproofing this winter. 

Should You Waterproof Your Crawl Space This Winter? 

It can be more dangerous to install crawl space waterproofing measures in the wintertime. After all, snow and ice can make it difficult to work under and around your home, delaying the work you need done and making it more difficult for you to protect your home from an unexpected chill. 

While you will want to take the weather into account, remember that professional crawl space repair contractors are used to working in all types of weather. As long as the contractors you work with have a solid base of experience behind them, they should be able to help you restore your home without falling victim to winter’s bad weather. 

Furthermore, waterproofing your crawl space in the winter can have its benefits. The colder weather will send bugs and critters into hibernation, meaning there’s less of a chance you’ll have to deal with an infestation while professionals work on your home. 

How Should You Protect Your Crawl Space? 

Protecting your crawl space and home in the wintertime means more than reaching out for guidance. It also means determining what spots in your home are most likely to fall victim to water damage once the weather turns. 

To figure this out, you can work with a professional contractor to inspect your home. This way, you can look for signs of damage, including: 

• Seepage 
• Sticking doors or windowsills 
• Water damaged belongings 
• Mold growth 
• Unexpected or unexplained humidity spikes 
• Trouble controlling temperatures throughout your home 

If you identify any of these symptoms, you can invest first in crawl space repair and waterproofing solutions to prevent future damage. Some of the best waterproofing solutions for your crawl space include: 

• Interior drainage systems 
• Sump pumps 
• Dehumidifiers 
• Full spec encapsulation with a vapor barrier 
• Waterproof insulation 

Note that you have the option to stack these solutions if you want them to last longer. 

Will Waterproofing Your Own Crawl Space Save You Money? 

If you’re concerned about the cost of waterproofing or otherwise repairing damage done to your crawl space in the winter, you’re not alone. Several homeowners find themselves reluctant to reach out to professional contractors for guidance due to the suspected cost of those services. 

As such, many homeowners are willing to try and waterproof their own crawl spaces without any help. 

To a point, there are some things you can do to protect your crawl space from damage on your own. However, there are some things that may be more challenging for you to do on your own while you try to waterproof your crawl space. 

Similarly, you may find that you have access to fewer waterproofing measures should you try and take on crawl space waterproofing efforts on your own. Not only that, but you can rapidly blow your home repair budget purchasing not only the materials you need but also any special equipment that might help you with your installation. 

Those tools aren’t the only sources of potential financial drain, though. If you make a mistake while installing your waterproofing measures, you may mask signs of leaks. In doing so, you can let damage build up in your crawl space and home to the point where it starts to damage the overall value of your home. If this happens to be the case, and you don’t find that damage for a few years at a time, you’ll be in trouble. 

In short, you have the option to waterproof your crawl space without professional help. However, if you’re trying to tackle this kind of work in the wintertime, it may be in your best interest to reach out for guidance from an area contractor. 

Waterproofing Your Crawl Space This Winter 

Want to try and protect your home from the worst of the winter weather and spring’s precipitation? The contractors in Cleveland, OH, can help you do just that. You can reach out to the experts at Ohio Basement Systems for a home inspection and a free quote on any services you might need to bring your crawl space and home back up to snuff.