What a $6,200 Crawl Space Job Should Never Look Like
Introduction
A Murfreesboro Crawl Space Gone Wrong
WHAT $6,200 ACTUALLY BOUGHT THIS HOMEOWNER
We were out in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, doing an inspection on a crawl space that had supposedly already been fixed. Mold remediation. Encapsulation. The whole deal. The homeowner paid $6,200 for it.
What we found under that house told a different story.
This is a good example of what happens when a company rushes a job or just doesn't know what they're doing. We're going to walk through exactly what we saw, because it's the kind of thing every homeowner should know to look for.
The Dehumidifier Problem
First thing we noticed was the dehumidifier. It was plumbed straight out through a hole cut in the door. Right next to it, an unsealed vent.
That combination means the unit never gets a break. It runs 24/7, trying to keep up with air coming in through that open vent. It's working overtime for no reason, which means more wear on the unit and a higher electric bill every month.
A $400 dehumidifier set up like this isn't doing its job. It's just running itself into the ground.
The Mold Remediation That Wasn't
This crawl space had mold remediation done, or so the homeowner was told. But once you got more than 10 feet back, nothing had been touched.
That's not remediation. That's covering up the easy part and leaving the rest of the problem right where it was.
Mold doesn't stay in one spot. If it's growing 10 feet back, it's likely spreading further than that. Treating a fraction of the space and calling it done isn't just incomplete work. It's setting the homeowner up to deal with the same problem again down the road.
The "6 Mil Vapor Barrier" That Wasn't Installed Right
The plastic they put down was labeled a 6 mil vapor barrier. On paper, that might sound fine. But the material is only part of the equation. How it's installed matters just as much.
For $6,200, this homeowner should have gotten a complete, properly sealed encapsulation. Instead, they got a partial job with gaps in the work that left the crawl space vulnerable to the same moisture problems they were trying to fix in the first place.
This is why checking the details matters. A vapor barrier that isn't sealed right isn't doing much more than sitting there.
The Electrical Issue Nobody Talks About
On top of everything else, the wiring running to the dehumidifier was too thin. Wrong gauge for a unit pulling that much power.
Most homeowners aren't going to know to check this. It's not something you'd notice just by looking. But undersized wiring on a unit like this isn't just inefficient. It's a safety risk that can lead to overheating and potential fire hazards.
This is the kind of detail that gets missed when a job is rushed or when whoever's doing the work doesn't fully understand what they're installing.
What This Job Teaches Us About Hiring a Contractor
This job is a good reminder that cheap or rushed work almost always costs more in the end. This homeowner paid $6,200 and still ended up with a crawl space that needed to be fixed all over again.
Before you hire anyone for crawl space work, ask a few questions. How much of the space will actually be treated? What kind of material are you using, and how is it installed? Who's checking the electrical work?
If the answers feel vague, or if nobody's offering to show you the work once it's done, that's a red flag. A company that does things right isn't afraid to show you exactly what they did and why.
Fixing It the Right Way
Now we're the ones going back in to fix what should have been done correctly the first time. That means treating the entire crawl space, not just the easy 10 feet. It means properly sealing the vapor barrier so it actually does its job. And it means correcting that electrical work so the dehumidifier runs safely.
This is the part of the business I don't love, having to clean up after someone else's shortcuts. But it's also exactly why we do things the way we do. Every job, every time, done completely and done right.
Don't Let This Happen to Your Home
If you're not sure whether your crawl space was done right, or if you're getting quotes for new work, reach out. I offer free inspections throughout the Murfreesboro and greater Nashville area, and I do every one of them myself.
No sales pitch. No pressure. Just an honest look at what's going on under your house and a clear explanation of what you're dealing with.
