Choosing a contractor is tough, choosing a crawl space encapsulation contractor is even tougher. Most people don’t spend much time in their crawl space. Some homeowners are so unfamiliar with their crawl space, contractors have lied about issues by showing pictures of another bad crawl space in the area. Don’t let this happen to you. Make sure the contractor you choose to help improve the indoor air quality of your home is well trained, licensed, insured and much more. Choosing the wrong crawl space contractor based on price will lead to more damage and more money to repair it correctly.
Warranty and Satisfaction Guarantee
The first thing I would say is to make sure that whoever you choose, they have some kind of warranty or guarantee. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. So in other words, all of our customers have been 100% satisfied, because they have paid us. We don’t ask for money until they’re 100% satisfied.
How we do that, is we either take the homeowner down in the crawl space and show them the work that we’ve done, or we do videos, or pictures, because not everybody can get down into the crawl space.
Bonus Tip: make sure that your crawl space encapsulation professional shows you proof of what they have done if you can’t get down in the crawl space.
Crawl Space Contractor Service Agreement
A second tip I would recommend is that you make sure that the crawl space encapsulation company that you’re hiring offers some sort of service agreement. This doesn’t mean you have to take the service agreement. But keep in mind that a lot of things that we do to fix crawl spaces are mechanical, like dehumidifiers, and sump pumps, and fans. And just like a vehicle, they require maintenance.
If you took your new car and let’s say the engine blew up, and you went and said, “Hey Mr. Car Dealer, I bought this car from you and the engine blew up,” and he would say, “Oh, well when’s the last time you had it maintenanced?”
“Oh, I never had it maintenanced.”
“Well, your warranty is void.”
The same thing applies with every mechanical device. If it’s not maintained properly, it could void the warranty. If you’re unable to maintain the mechanical devices down there properly, make sure you have a crawl space encapsulation company that can do that for you. Because it’s the heart and soul of the system.
Standing water gets addressed by sump pumps, and humidity gets addressed by dehumidifiers, and soil gasses get addressed by fans. So make sure that your company offers a service agreement.
How Long Has The Crawl Space Contractor Been In Business?
We found a statistic that when we heard it, we could hardly believe it. According to the Better Business Bureau, in the past 50 years, home improvement contractors (not just crawl space people, but home improvement contractors in general) are responsible for 10 million complaints. 10 million complaints over 50 years. That’s a complaint every two and a half minutes, basically.
If you’re hiring someone, you can check them out. Check out their Google reviews, Facebook reviews. Some parts of the country are big on Yelp and Angie’s List. Look at the Better Business Bureau. When you do this, make sure you do a fair assessment of these reviews as well. We’ve had people write bad reviews about us that aren’t even our customers. As of May 2019, Crawl Space Ninja is complaint-free with the Better Business Bureau.
But back to the Better Business Bureau statistic. 10 million complaints for home improvement contractors. You know what the saving grace for me was? I found out that 80% of those complaints came from homeowners that chose the cheapest price. That’s right. Let that sink in. 8 million of the 10 million complaints are from people that always went with the cheapest price.
Now, we are hardly ever the cheapest. And many times we’re the most expensive, but we charge just enough to make sure that we’re going to be around long enough so that if you have a problem, we’re going to be around to help you with that problem, even after your crawl space has been encapsulated by us.
That brings us to our next statistic from the Small Business Administration. Did you know that 96% of all contractors, 96 out of 100 of all contractors actually go out of business within the first two years? That is amazing. So when you’re choosing a crawl space contractor, make sure you choose someone who’s backed by a company that’s been around.
So make sure when you’re choosing someone to work on your crawl space, perhaps look at those companies that’s been around a little longer than two years. Because they just defied the Small Business Administration statistic about closing. 96%, I can’t believe that. It’s crazy.
Proper Crawl Space Contractor Insurance
One of the last things I want to talk about, and probably this is the most important. Make sure you choose a crawl space contractor that has the proper insurance.
There’s something that’s called ghosting insurance. Ghosting. It’s ridiculous. You see this a lot with contractors. I’m not trying to beat up on contractors, but it is what it is.
What that can happen is that some contractors can actually go and get a certificate of insurance. They pay the initial fees, they get this certificate, and then they stop paying for the insurance. That way when they come to your house, they say, “Hey Mrs. Jones, I’ve got my certificate right here.” But if you call the insurance company, they say, “Oh, well XYZ stopped paying for that policy, so he’s not insured.” But you didn’t take that next step. You didn’t call the insurance company to see if that certificate is actually valid. So make sure you call, okay?
We actually offer you to be put on as a certificate holder. That way you can call the insurance company, be placed on as a certificate holder, so that you have validated that we have proper insurance.
Speaking of proper insurance, if you’re working in a crawl space, it’s very dangerous. It’s extremely dangerous to work in a crawl space. So just having handyman insurance doesn’t cut it. You’ve got to have crawl space encapsulation professional insurance. And normally it’s in the form of some kind of insulation or mold insurance. Which is way higher than handyman insurance. So make sure they have insurance, and make sure they have the proper insurance to work on your crawl space.
Those are just a few tips to make sure that you choose the right crawl space encapsulation company for your home. Why lose everything that you’ve worked so hard for by not making sure you hire somebody that’s been around a while? You don’t want to invest good money in a company that doesn’t know what they’re doing, or that hasn’t been around long enough to make sure that they keep on doing what they’re doing. Or that isn’t properly insured.
What Next?
Do you need help with mold removal, crawl space encapsulation, crawl space insulation, vapor barrier, waterproofing, or controlling humidity in your crawl space and you live in Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, or Kentucky? If so, please contact us to schedule your assessment. Also, let us know in the comments below if you have an idea for a new blog topic.
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12 thoughts on “How To Choose A Crawl Space Contractor”
Can you recommend a contractor in AZ?
I am sorry David at this time we don’t have anyone in AZ we can recommend. Hopefully, someone will choose to open a Crawl Space Ninja Franchise in your area. https://franchise.crawlspaceninja.com/
Can you recommend anyone near Hazard KY? Thanks!
I am sorry I can’t but we may have a Lexington location opening soon, not sure how close you are to Lexington.
I live in Denver NC. Do you have a company here? I need my crawl space done. Do you do free estimates?
Hi Jan, our Charlotte office can assist you. Please call 865-659-0390 or fill out a form at https://crawlspaceninja.com/free-assessment/ for a free estimate.
Do you have crawl space service company to fix crawl space issues in Wells, Maine?
I am sorry we don’t.
I’ve got 2 quotes for my crawlspace encapsulation. I have a small, 1042 sq ft ranch in Richmond VA. (1948 construction). I have Oil Furnace (under the house) and only window units for AC.
* Company 1 – states they will close off all vents under house except for 2 (I was trying to find where he says it in quote but I think he said that is for air for furnace?)
* Company 2 – states they will seal ALL of the vents & they’ll install a “combustion air supply” that will open & close during heating season.
* help.. what is your take on this and what do you do for proper venting for oil furnace? And both state “dehumidifier is optional”
I would check local HVAC/Furnace codes for the amount of makeup air that is needed in Richmond, VA. My thinking is company 2 may have the better solution but check local codes to be sure. If humidity is higher than 60%, I would recommend a dehumidifier too. Hope that helps.
Choosing the right crawl space contractor is crucial for your home’s health. Ensure they have a warranty and satisfaction guarantee, so you can trust their work. Check if they offer a service agreement for ongoing maintenance of mechanical devices. Verify the contractor’s experience and longevity in the business to avoid unreliable options. Most importantly, confirm they have proper insurance to protect against potential risks. These steps ensure quality and peace of mind
Great advice. We believe a contractor should do all of these as well.