Burke Home Services Q&A

The short answer is ABSOLUTELY! Homeowners often tell us they "never go down there, so why should I worry" Many homeowners know their crawl space is nasty and that's why they never go down there. In fact, I've never crawled into a dirt/stone crawlspace and said, "wow, this is nice". It's always bad and often times, really bad. If you care about your health, your comfort, and how much you pay for heating and cooling; then you should absolutely care about your crawlspace, and we aren't even talking about the potential for rot, mold and structural decay that could costs thousands and thousands to repair if left unattended. Crawlspace air is nasty. It's damp, it's cold in the winter, its full of mold spores, dust mites and other allergens. It gets upstairs in to your house through natural air flow and you breath it in. It also makes your house smell. It can even make your clothes smell and you might not even notice it anymore but others do.. That's right, you are dealing with the effects of your nasty crawlspace even if you never go down there. You will never meet a Doctor who will tell you that mold in your home is good for your health. Besides irritating people with asthma and allergies, prolonged exposure to mold can cause asthma. The only difference between a crawlspace and a basement is height, so why would we treat it any different? Additionally, just like a basement, Radon Gas is present in the soil under your home. It can be sucked into your house via the basement or crawlspace, Radon doesn't care. Encapsulating your crawlspace can solve this problem as well. SO when customer's ask us, is it really necessary we tell them ABSOLUTELY!

More ventilation is a common misconception among crawlspace remedies. Most of us believe that outdoor air is healthier than indoor air so it would seem sensible to air out your crawlspace. It so damp down there- letting in some air should solve that problem, and since you're never actually down there, you might as well air it out all the time right? Not exactly!

To keep it simple, most of the year, the crawlspace is cooler and less humid than the outside air, the outside air is warmer and more humid. The natural movement of air is more to less, so the more humid and more warm thr air is, the easier it's going to flow IN to the crawlspace which is the opposite of what your trying to accomplish. That air is then rapidly cooled, expelling the moisture and the humidity in the crawlspace rapidly increases. It's this science the allows us to understand that more ventilation is actually wrong and the best way to fix a crawlspace is to encapsulate, or seal it off, from the the outside elements. If you would like to find out more or to set up a free consultation give us a call!

At a glance fiberglass looks fluffy and colorful so of course it should work right? However, we expect way too much out of it. Fiberglass has a rated "R" value, you'll see this stamped on the paper backing, the higher the "R" value number, the better the insulation right? But that R value is based on a perfect test in a controlled environment, not laying loosely in the attic with gaps and voids so air can pass right through the insulation. Fiberglass is the the cheapest insulation and it's very easy to install (wrong) with a knife and maybe a stapler. Better insulation costs more and that's why it wasn't put in when the builder built the home. Now you and millions of your neighbors have gotten stuck living with it! But don't worry, we can help! We have a number of different options for air sealing (the most important step) and insulating attics, crawlspaces and even adding insulation in the floor of a room above a garage! We'll be glad to help! We can remove rodent infested fiberglass and even vacuum out old nasty loose fill insulation and install clean, efficient new insulation!

Check out the video on insulation done wrong and how to do it right! click here

Absolutely! In fact, we can perform a home energy assessment on your home to show you exactly where and how you would benefit from insulation upgrades. Often times we see homes built within the last 10 years that are just as leaky (inefficient) or worse than homes built 50 or more years ago! Most modern homes are built "to meet code" which means they typically meet the minimum requirements for someone to be able to occupy the home. It sounds crazy when you say it that way, but it's true. Other homes are built to meet or exceed various types of energy efficiency ratings and these types of homes outperform conventional homes by a huge margin. The good news is that retrofitting an older (or newer) home to meet or exceed these same energy efficiency standards is possible and affordable, we have many different solutions to help homeowners in any age home live more comfortably and efficiently!

Falling insulation is FAILING insulation. The reason it is failing is due to the excessive moisture in the crawlspace. This is also one of the early signs that rot and mold may be starting to grow in your crawlspace. Replacing the insulation is not the answer to the problem, the insulation will fall down again as soon as it becomes heavy from the moisture. The answer is to eliminate or significantly reduce the moisture in the crawlspace. For more information on properly eliminating crawlspace problems, give us a call or use the contact us link here.