BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair Helps Provide Safe & Healthy Homes
Crawl Space Wood Rot – Causes and Repairs
Moisture in a crawl space has been known to cause many issues in homes. Wood rot is among the worst issues that arise from crawl space moisture because it can compromise the structural integrity of large areas of your home, leading to high (and preventable) repair costs.
Have you discovered the presence of wood rot under your home? Did a termite inspector or HVAC technician surprise you with unwelcome news? You’re in the right place. This guide educates you about the Causes of Wood Rot, Eliminating the Causes of Wood Rot, and the Best Solutions for Wood Rot today.
For more help, please request a free inspection and estimate from one of our trained crawl space repair experts. We will provide honest, helpful feedback at a great price and guarantee all our repairs.
Crawl Space Wood Rot: Causes
Without moisture, your home would never develop wood rot in the crawl space. However, most wood rot is caused by the combination of high wood moisture content and wood-destroying fungus.
But what causes high wood moisture content and the growth of wood-destroying fungus?
These causes of wood rot arise because of long-term exposure to moisture. There are three primary sources of moisture in a crawl space:
- Moisture from the damp earth
- Moisture from groundwater and flooding
- Moisture from the humidity outside
These three sources of moisture are the root cause of all moisture problems, including wood rot, mold, and wood-destroying fungus in a crawl space. After years of fixing problem crawl spaces, we’ve discovered the exact formula to eliminate all moisture problems.
Since we know there are only three actual sources of moisture in any crawl space, we should identify which sources your home is experiencing first. This is where a professional crawl space inspection is necessary. But if you’re a DIY person, you can identify the problem areas yourself.
Here are some things you can look for that are obvious sources of moisture: exposed ground (not covered by a vapor barrier), standing water, open foundation vents in the summer, watermarks on piers or walls, a thick layer of dirt on the plastic, condensation on ductwork, wet insulation, and more.
Crawl Space Wood Rot: Eliminate the Causes
The first and most important step when your home has developed wood rot is to control the moisture that allows the wood to rot.
Our professional recommendation is always to address potential flooding in the crawl space first. If your home has flooded due to groundwater, it’s likely to happen again. If you don’t control potential future flooding, you risk having to replace any other moisture solutions when the next big storm arrives. Our tried-and-true crawl space drainage systems resolve flooding every time.
After controlling flooding, the next step is to prevent moisture from the damp earth. This is done by covering 100% of the ground with a Class A Vapor Barrier. For homeowners, we typically recommend a 12-mil– or 20-mil Guardian Liner vapor barrier, which has a highly protective 10-year or 25-year warranty.
Finally, to 100% eliminate the causes of wood rot, we recommend our ‘Dry Space’ Crawl Space Encapsulation. We’ve perfected the art of encapsulation and guaranteeing that your crawl space will remain moist and healthy every season.
Crawl Space Wood Rot: The Best Solutions
Once the wood framing under your home is rotten, it needs to be repaired or replaced. But first, it’s important to kill any wood-destroying fungus that caused the rot.
Before performing any structural repairs on wood rot caused by wood-destroying fungus, we will remove the floor insulation and treat the area with mold to kill the wood-eating fungus.
Next, we assess the condition of the framing for the best wood repairs. Many homes are unique so they might require custom repairs, but here are the most common and most effective repair options:
Joist Sisters
Fasten a mirror-image piece of wood to the rotten joist to strengthen the failing joist significantly. A properly Sistered Joist is stronger than the joist created before the wood rot.
Beam Replacement
Most rotten beams should be replaced. When replacing beams, the floors must be lifted to remove the old rotten beam and insert the new strong beam.
Beam Reinforcement
Some minimally rotten beams can be reinforced with structural steel. This can be especially useful when the floors above are prone to damage if lifted. Materials like glass, tile, and granite are delicate and can crack when lifted.
Subfloor Plating
Where the subfloor becomes soft and is not critically damaged from wood rot, adding subfloor support from below is a great, noninvasive option.
Subfloor Replacement
Once a large subfloor area is damaged, it should be replaced from above. This will require removing the flooring and cutting the subfloor from inside the house.
Entire Floor Structure Replacement
Sometimes, the floor structure is too damaged to be repaired but needs to be replaced. This is true when the crawl space is difficult to access or dangerous due to the extent of the damage. Our professional technicians can remove and rebuild your entire floor structure if needed. This is a complex and technical job requiring great hands-on expertise. Trust the experts.
Inspecting for Crawl Space Wood Rot
Our Expert Advisors are trained to identify the causes, signs, and best repair options for any crawl space wood rot solutions you might need. If you’re concerned about the integrity of your home, we offer free, no-obligation, no-pressure inspections and estimates.
Why Choose BAY to Fix Your Crawl Space Wood Rot?
BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair is your one-stop solution for crawl space wood rot in Virginia Beach, Newport News, Suffolk, and the surrounding region. Our expert teams have over 400 collective years of experience fixing homes in the Hampton Roads, VA, and NC regions.
Our staff includes structural experts, repair specialists, and an entire support team ready to deliver exceptional customer service and a fast turnaround of your project. This is why BAY Crawl Space can offer excellent long-term warranties on the installation and materials for your repair.
Take advantage of our free crawl space and foundation inspection to learn more about BAY’s crawl space wood rot solutions. Your inspection will give you a much better understanding of the issues at hand and your best options for repair.
Contact BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair today by filling out our online form or call 757-460-0444 for a free inspection.
About BAY Crawl Space & Foundation Repair
BAY is an award-winning crawl space and foundation repair contractor. We’re proud to service an 80-mile radius around our Norfolk, VA headquarters Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
BAY is best known for its amazing reviews (quality and quantity), superior expertise, special methods, and affordable pricing options. We have the ‘Best of the Best’ on our team. Our All-Star Team delivers great customer experiences and the best quality for a great price.
Our reputation as a crawl space foundation repair contractor in the Hampton Roads community, with homeowners, engineers, city permitting offices, home services professionals, and online, is outstanding.
Reviews Summary & Links- Google – 4.9 / 5 Rating, 2,200 + Reviews
- Better Business Bureau – 4.95 / 5 Rating, 500+ Reviews
- Facebook – 5.0 / 5 Rating, 550+ Reviews
- Nextdoor – 5.0 / 5 Rating, 400+ Reviews
- Angi – 4.9 / 5 Rating, 550+ Reviews
We have ranked #1 for crawl space repair in Hampton Roads for 11 years (Google: 2015-2025), ranked top 5% in the USA with Super Service Awards for 8 years (Angi: 2017-2024), were voted Best of Foundation Repair locally for 7 years (CoVA BIZ 2018-2024), were voted “Best of the Best” nationally, and we also won the “Best Places to Work” award (CoVA BIZ).
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