How to Choose a Crawl Space Encapsulation Company
You’ve made the decision to get your crawl space encapsulated. Great decision! You won’t regret it. The air your family breathes will drastically improve, your energy bills will be reduced, and you’ll have a space that you won’t be deathly afraid of to enter and even use for storage.
But there is still work to be done. You have to choose the crawl space encapsulation contractor you’ll use to get the job done. In the Portland, Oregon market, there are a number of vendors that provide this service. And while choice is usually a good thing, not all crawl space companies are created equal.
So, what should you look for when choosing a crawl space encapsulation company? Here are a few tips.
Jack of “One” Trade
When doing your research, you’ll see a number of companies that do crawl space encapsulation as “one” of their services. This means they do other things as well, whether that’s foundation repair, concrete leveling, earthquake retrofitting, or even asbestos removal. What you really want is a company that does nothing but crawl spaces. Why? Because they have probably worked on considerably more crawl spaces than those other companies that offer multiple services. This means they’ve seen and dealt with all types of issues that can come up during the installation process. They know the best place to put the sump pump, how to trench and install French drains properly, and how to correctly seam tape vapor barriers among other things.
Check Reviews
While it should go without saying, you should check the reviews of any company you’re thinking of hiring. And don’t just check out the reviews on Google. Cross-reference those with reviews on their Facebook page, Yelp page, and anywhere else they might have reviews. Doing this should give you a clearer picture of what their customer service and quality of product are like.
Table Manners
Hiring a crawl space contractor is much like hiring any other contractor in that you’ll want to get multiple quotes. You may be able to weed out some companies right off the bat, because those will be the ones that don’t bother coming to your house. They just ask for your square feet and email you a quote. Steer very clear of these companies. For the representatives that come out to your home, compare how much time each spends examining your crawl space, explaining the process, and listening to your questions. Encapsulating your crawl space is a big investment, so any contractor that doesn’t spend the time to go through these steps with you isn’t one that you should hire.
Detailed Encapsulation Proposal
The proposal you get from your contractor should be very detailed. It should spell out exactly what is being done, the materials that are being used (including the thickness of the vapor barrier and dimple matting as well as the brand/model of sump pump or dehumidifier), the timeline for completion, and the warranty specifications of both the installation and the products used. As long as we’re talking about warranties, you’ll also want to make sure that the company you hire is licensed, bonded and insured.
If you follow these steps, your crawl space encapsulation project should not only go smoothly, but will give you a crawl space that benefits you now and into the future. Give Dr. Crawlspace a call today at 971-275-2920 to get a free, no obligation estimate.