People live in their homes for years and some never enter their attics or crawl spaces.

When was the last time you were in your crawl space? Have you checked your attic for leaks? Are there bees living in your soffit? Are you willing to make a bet for more than $1000 to say there are no looming issues in your home?

Your home is not only expensive and an investment into your future but it is your place of safety, it is where you retreat to at the end of the day to unwind. It is easy to think of our homes being safe, warm, and comforting. As long as there are no maintenance issues showing then there are no issues, right? Wrong. Out of sight, out of mind is not how you want to think of your home. Homes require regular maintenance and upkeep.

Attics and crawl spaces breathe. They heat and cool with the environment more than any other part of the home because they are typically not insulated. They are protected by the roof but the insulation stops at the ceiling. The same goes for your crawlspace and most basements. In these areas moisture and pests/animals can happen. Crawls/basements can easily have water intrusion that seeps through the walls. Siding moves and shifts with the weather, nails can rust or expand and contract, leaks around sinks, toilets, pipes, and exterior spigots (especially in the spring), shingles come off, all are common ways that water or pests can enter the envelope of your home and all are ways that a small issue can become large problems over time. All are also easily missed when you are used to the common, everyday happenings around your home.

What you don't want is a small problem to become a large, expensive issue. The time to discover the problem isn't when there's a water spot showing on your ceiling or water pooling in the kitchen, or a floor starts to sag. By then it is likely too late and that relatively cheap solution could be in the thousands of dollars. Fungus, mold, and wood eating organisms can not only lead to expensive consequences but can also have consequences to your health as well. Something as simple as not having a plastic vapor barrier in your crawl space can make a large difference.

I recommend having a home inspection once every 3-5 years to catch anything that you are unaware of in the places you never go in your home. Those areas usually contain the large, expensive components that most home owners aren't aware of how they work, they are only considered when they stop working.

You get a yearly check-up from a doctor because your health matters, why shouldn't your home get a check-up as well?