Tag: crawl space

How Does Portland’s Rainy Weather Impact Your Home?

Posted on by Sofia Gallamore

We all know life in the Pacific Northwest is beautiful —lush forests and greenery are everywhere. But all that rainfall and moisture that supports our greenery can cause some serious damage to our homes. Our climate makes it easy for moisture to creep into places it shouldn’t, leading to issues like mold, foundation damage, and wood rot. Here are a few of the most common issues I see come up in PNW homes as a result of our rainy climate.

Poor Drainage Away From the Home

One of the simplest yet most important things you can do is ensure water is being directed away from your home. If rainwater consistently pools near your foundation, it can seep inside, leading to damp basements, weakened structural integrity, and potential mold issues.

A few key things to watch for:

  • Negative grading – The ground around your home should slope away from the foundation. If it slopes toward your house, water will naturally collect around the home’s perimeter.
  • Overflowing or clogged gutters – If your gutters aren’t properly maintained, rainwater can spill over and accumulate. Water may also gather along trim, siding, and other exterior wood elements and over time cause damage.
  • Poor water redirection – If downspouts, carports, or other structures funnel water toward your home instead of away, you could be in trouble.

I recently had a client who was purchasing a home in SE Portland. During inspections, we found moisture along the basement wall. After investigating, we realized the problem: a carport roof sat right next to the home and funneled all the rainwater into one spot along the foundation. Over time, this pooling water had worked its way into the basement. Had the owner considered how the water was being directed against the home due to the carport roof, this may have saved the foundation from the damage of water exposure over several years. 

Attic Moisture & Mold

Moisture doesn’t just cause problems at ground level—it can also cause trouble in your attic. Because of the PNW’s damp climate, attics that lack proper ventilation become a breeding ground for mold. Warm, humid air rises from the living spaces below and, if not properly vented, gets trapped in the attic, creating the perfect conditions for mold growth.

How to prevent attic moisture issues:

  • Ensure proper ventilation – Ridge vents, soffit vents, and attic fans all help keep airflow moving and moisture levels down. It’s important to have a balance of intake (air coming in) and outtake (air going out). 
  • Check for leaks – Even a small roof leak can introduce moisture into the attic, accelerating mold growth.
  • Seal gaps and insulate properly – Prevent warm, humid air from seeping into the attic by sealing any cracks and making sure insulation is in good shape.

Fun Fact: (Well maybe not so fun…but still worth sharing) You’d be surprised how many times disconnected bathroom vents are called out on inspection reports. It is quite common for bathroom vents to not be properly venting to the exterior of the home, but instead are just pushing all that warm, moist air right into your attic space. This is why its always a good habit to check your attic 1-2 times a year, to make sure everything is functioning the way it should.

Wood Rot

One of the sneakiest issues caused by excessive moisture in the PNW is wood rot. Wood rot occurs when wood materials are exposed to excess moisture over time and fungus begins to grow within the wood and ruin it’s structural integrity. Since so many homes here have wood siding, decks, and trim, this is something nearly every homeowner should keep an eye on. Furthermore, subflooring, joists, and other wood elements in crawlspaces are also prone to rot when proper ventilation is not present (similar idea to attic spaces). 

Signs of wood rot to watch for:

  • Soft, spongy wood – If you press on a wooden surface and it gives way easily, rot may already be present.
  • Discoloration – Wood that looks darker than the surrounding areas or has a slightly greenish tint may be starting to break down.
  • Fungal growth – While it really goes without saying, mushrooms or mold growing on wood are obvious indicators of excessive moisture.

Wood Rot in Crawlspaces

One often-overlooked area where wood rot can cause serious problems is the crawlspace. A decent amount of homes in the PNW have wooden elements within the foundation structure that are highly susceptible to moisture damage if not properly protected. Naturally, moisture from the ground rises into the crawlspace and this excess moisture can cause wood rot over time.

A properly installed vapor barrier is one of the best defenses against this issue. This thick plastic sheeting covers the ground in the crawlspace, preventing moisture from seeping up and attacking the wooden beams and joists. If your crawlspace lacks a vapor barrier or you haven’t checked it recently, now is a great time to make sure it’s doing its job.

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I hope this information is valuable to you. If you already own your home, then it’s a good reminder to keep an eye on how water is being directed around your house and to regularly check your attic and crawl space. For those of you who don’t yet own a home, these items are important to keep in mind when touring potential property. 

Please reach out if you have any questions about this topic. Also, if you’d like to hire any professionals to come and assess moisture or water damage in your home, I am well connected with local vendors and am happy to refer you. I’m here as your service provider for all things real estate!

Your friend & realtor, 

Sofi

A Case for Keeping Your Crawl Space Vents Open

Posted on by Robin Hakeman

It’s that time of year in Oregon when the weather is colder and many people worry about their pipes freezing. The first thing they do is close up the crawl space vents with styrofoam blocks thinking this will help. But every home inspector that I have worked with says this is a big no-no.

Here’s why:

Your Crawlspace Needs to Breathe:

Here in Oregon we get water in our crawl spaces – it’s just a fact. It can happen for a variety of reasons; poor grading of the soil around your home or periods of heavy rain creating excess ground water. Wet crawl spaces mean excess moisture which can lead to mold growth below the home and up into the attic. Keeping ALL of your vents open year round will help the air flowing and stop moisture build up.

radon is the highest leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers:

I’ll say that again. radon is the HIGHEST LEADING CAUSE OF LUNG CANCER IN NON-SMOKERS. If you aren’t familiar with radon (it doesn’t deserve a capital letter here) it is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the soil. Some areas have higher amounts of radon in the soil than others but even small amounts of radon can be harmful to your health. Everyone should test their home for radon gas and take the proper measures to ensure the least amount of radon enters the home. The best way to lower radon levels is to keep your crawlspace vents OPEN! Closed vents mean the radon has nowhere else to go but up into the home. The second way is to ensure that the floor of your crawlspace is completely covered with black 6 mill vapor barrier. The vapor barrier should be in good condition without rips or holes.

Click Here to learn more about radon gas and how to test for it.

 

There is low risk of your pipes freezing in Oregon:

Don’t quote me on saying that your pipes will never freeze or burst – of course that can happen. But we don’t get below freezing often enough to keep your crawl space vents closed up for months at a time. If temps drop below freezing for more than a day or two, fine, go ahead and close them up. But then open them back up immediately after the freeze. Many homes have insulation covering the majority of the plumbing and if you live in an older home without insulation below the floors, consider adding it. Your feet will thank you and so will your energy bills!

Check out my instagram post on this topic & make sure to follow me for more real estate fun!

Crawl Space: A Healthy Home Starts From the Ground Up!

Posted on by Erika George & Kari McGee

Crawl spaces are out of sight and out of mind, making them easy to neglect. Crawl space issues OFTEN rear their ugly heads during a real estate transaction, so it’s important for homeowners to learn to maintain this area. A crawl space inspection is typically included in a standard home inspection when buying or selling a house. This is an area where issues tend to arise and can throw a wrench in the home sale. Both home sellers and buyers should be aware of the state of the crawl space in order to mitigate any potential problems prior to the sale.

Prior to listing their property, sellers should make sure they have adequate access to their home’s crawl space and consider having it inspected by a crawl space contractor. Buyers should make sure that their inspector fully inspects the crawl space. If access is not adequate for inspection, the buyer should not release the inspection contingency until it is provided.

 

Purpose of a Crawl Space

A crawl space, as its name implies, is a basement variation in which one crawls around. It may be only a foot tall, and the surface is often bare earth. Traditionally, crawl spaces are built within homes lacking a basement or homes that are built on the ground instead of a slab. The primary purpose of a crawl space is to promote air circulation through the home and allow easy access to plumbing, electrical work and other maintenance, repair and installation needs.

HouseLovePDX_Crawl_Space

 

Moisture

Signs of excessive moisture throughout the home are often noticeable, but signs of moisture in your crawl space may be harder to detect. Unfortunately, moisture in a crawl space can be just as problematic, causing complications such as mildew, dust mites, mold and wood rot. When there is nowhere left for moisture to go within a crawl space, it can travel into your insulation, flooring and walls to create even larger problems. Crawl spaces with exposed dirt most commonly have trouble with excess moisture. A vapor barrier is one of the best ways to protect your home against the encroachment of moisture. A vapor barrier is essentially a large plastic sheet placed over the base of a crawl space to fully cover any exposed dirt.

 

Energy Loss

A crawl space isn’t a livable part of the home, but insulation is still important to keep in the heat. Crawl spaces can be a major source of energy loss. If you find yourself running your furnace all winter long and driving up high energy bills, yet still feel cold on the ground floor of your home, your crawl space could be the issue. Insulating your crawl space depends on the general climate in the area. In warm or dry areas, insulation can be limited to just the area between the floor joists.

 

Pests

Crawl spaces can easily become a dwelling for pests if they are not properly secured and maintained. Since most homeowners don’t spend much time in their crawl space, it may be harder to determine if there is a pest problem. Pests such as mice, rats, termites, carpenter ants, spiders and more have the ability to damage insulation, crawl through vapor barriers, dig into wood, and even tunnel into your main living spaces. Proper crawl space maintenance can help prevent pests.

 

Structural Issues

Crawl spaces can experience structural sinking or sagging due to a variety of reasons:

  • Support columns spaced too far apart.
  • Joists, girders and posts have been weakened by rot.
  • Weak soil and poor footings cause columns to settle.

If these issues are identified, contractors with an expertise in crawl spaces and foundational supports should be called in to strengthen the weak points.

 

How to Identify & Avoid Crawl Space Water Issues

Issues relating to moisture in crawl spaces (and basements, for that matter) are becoming increasingly prevalent in real estate transactions as the Northwest’s rainy season is longer and wetter than it used to be. Home inspectors need to pay extra attention to evidence of water in subterranean spaces, especially during the dry season. 

According to Chris Nelson, of Blue Roof Home Inspections LLC, “Since most of the water entering crawlspaces and basements come from two sources: (1) Improper sloped hardscapes and soil and (2) Roof drainage issues, inspectors should be able to catch drainage problems in the dry seasons as well as the wet.”

Nelson reports that homeowners and future homeowners try to identify sources of moisture by looking around the home’s exterior. “Look at the site to ensure the soil, yard and hard surfaces are sloped away from the structure. Roof drainage issues are easier to see, simply by checking the slopes of the gutters, the joint connections, cleanliness of the gutters and checking that the downspouts are properly diverting the water far enough from the foundation.”

There can also be clues on the inside of the home. “Other clues in the crawlspaces and basements are visible during dry times that can help determine if there is a drainage issue that should be corrected.  Looking for efflorescence and moisture stains on the interior concrete walls, past and repetitive moisture stains on the bottoms of the support posts and pools of dry soil on top of the vapor barrier give additional evidence that a moisture/drainage problem exists.”

While we know that crawl space repairs are not sexy or the least bit fun, you can see why it’s not a good idea to space on your crawl space!