What To Do When You See Wood Damage in Your Crawl Space

If you notice wood damage in your crawl space or basement, what should you do?

Step 1: Waterproof

Odds are if you find wood damage, it's due to water. By waterproofing the area first, you are solving the deep-rooted issue. Without waterproofing the crawl space, this issue would keep occurring until the underlying issue was solved. At Woods Basement Systems, we will walk you through how the issue occurred and what we recommend to resolve and prevent wood damage from developing. 

Step 2: Replace the Wood

Now to the more serious step, wood replacement. When dealing with wood damage, you want to answer a few questions before you decide to replace the wood that supports your home.

First, what kind of damage is it? This is important to identify because if the issue is mold, you might not have to replace the wooden structure. If the damage is rotting that can damage the structure of the home; action is most likely required. 

Second, where is the damage located? You want to make sure that the location of the damage is identified so that you are only replacing the wood that needs the attention. 

These steps are essential because if the wooden structure of the crawl space isn't treated correctly, the crawl space ceiling could sag and create uneven floors. 

 Step 3: Adding Support 

The last step recommended is to support the crawl space by reinforcing the weakened areas. This is a cost-effective way to make sure that your crawl space is supported at all times. At Woods Basement Systems we recommend installing SmartJacks in the damaged crawl space to strengthen and support the weakened foundation. Our SmartJacks are made out of durable, galvanized steel that will serve as support to the crawlspace for years and can be adjusted if necessary. 

If you're interested in knowing more about SmartJacks, click here.