Crawl Spaces
Check out the crawl space and basement areas before you sign on the dotted line.
What is a crawl space?
A basement crawl space is a hollow area under the floors of some homes between the ground and the first floor. It’s usually just high enough for someone to enter by crawling as it’s name implies.
A crawl space raises your home off the ground and is a convenient place to contain the mechanical “guts” of the house like air conditioning and heater ductwork, insulation, plumbing, and electrical wiring.
As we mentioned before, the primary difference between crawl spaces and basements is the livability.
Turning a Crawl Space Into a Basement?
Crawl space repair to-do list
You can turn a crawl space into a basement. You will have to dig up your foundation, raise your house, pour a new concrete wall and concrete slab, then finish it off by waterproofing, backfilling the exterior, framing, and interior finishing details.
Increases value of your home
More living and storage space for your family
Covered by home insurance
Easier to access utilities such as pipes and furnace
Buyers-homeowners — rarely think about what’s under their feet when touring homes.
What You Need to Know
To sum up, the primary difference between a crawl space and a basement is the ventilation needs of each space: basements are heated spaces (i.e., properly insulated and not ventilated, regulating the temperature of the space), while crawl spaces are unheated spaces (i.e., properly insulated and ventilated, promoting the flow of air and ,moisture).
Additionally, basements have a higher clearance than crawl spaces, and are thus much better suited to be livable space in the home.
