Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010
Company tackles dark spaces
Crawl spaces and attics are the places nearly no one likes to venture.
They're often musty, sometimes water damaged and prone to rodent infestation.
Yuck, right?
Thankfully, companies such as American Crawlspace Cleanouts in Lynnwood are in business to deal with the dark spaces of people's homes.
“We clean as well as install insulation,” co-owner Patty Lee said. “We'll take an awful mess, rodent or water damaged, any number of thing, and we'll seal it up and sanitize it.”
They are one of the dozens of companies people can talk to this weekend at the Everett Fall Home & Gift Show.
Having a professional inspect crawl spaces and attics can help make a home clean, keep it warm and save on energy bills, Lee said.
When insulation is soiled from pesky rodents or gets damp from water leaks it can turn into a terrible mess and produce some unsavory stinks.
Cleaning the area and re-installing the insulation eliminates odors and stops drafts, Lee said.
The work also provides homeowners with a feeling of ease that they're taking care of their investment, she said.
Inspections are free and salespeople are trained not to pressure homeowners into doing unnecessary work.
“Customers feel really comfortable and confident,” Lee said. Salespeople “never exaggerate a need, and they're happy to say if work doesn't need to be done.”
Typically the work takes about a day and costs about $1 per square foot. Costs can go up and down based on several variables, Lee said.
“It just depends on the size of the job,” she said.
Right now there's added incentive from local utilities and the federal government to have crawl spaces and attics checked out.
Snohomish Public Utility District and Puget Sound Energy have rebate programs to encourage homeowners to seal drafts and ducts, and to add insulation.
The federal government also offers homeowners 30 percent back on their taxes, up to $1,500, if work is completed by Dec. 31.
In addition to insulation cleanup and installation, American Crawlspace Cleanouts also wraps pipes, seals up drafts and makes sure critters can't make their way inside homes.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
American Crawlspace Cleanouts: 425-353-0354; www.americancrawl.com
They're often musty, sometimes water damaged and prone to rodent infestation.
Yuck, right?
Thankfully, companies such as American Crawlspace Cleanouts in Lynnwood are in business to deal with the dark spaces of people's homes.
“We clean as well as install insulation,” co-owner Patty Lee said. “We'll take an awful mess, rodent or water damaged, any number of thing, and we'll seal it up and sanitize it.”
They are one of the dozens of companies people can talk to this weekend at the Everett Fall Home & Gift Show.
Having a professional inspect crawl spaces and attics can help make a home clean, keep it warm and save on energy bills, Lee said.
When insulation is soiled from pesky rodents or gets damp from water leaks it can turn into a terrible mess and produce some unsavory stinks.
Cleaning the area and re-installing the insulation eliminates odors and stops drafts, Lee said.
The work also provides homeowners with a feeling of ease that they're taking care of their investment, she said.
Inspections are free and salespeople are trained not to pressure homeowners into doing unnecessary work.
“Customers feel really comfortable and confident,” Lee said. Salespeople “never exaggerate a need, and they're happy to say if work doesn't need to be done.”
Typically the work takes about a day and costs about $1 per square foot. Costs can go up and down based on several variables, Lee said.
“It just depends on the size of the job,” she said.
Right now there's added incentive from local utilities and the federal government to have crawl spaces and attics checked out.
Snohomish Public Utility District and Puget Sound Energy have rebate programs to encourage homeowners to seal drafts and ducts, and to add insulation.
The federal government also offers homeowners 30 percent back on their taxes, up to $1,500, if work is completed by Dec. 31.
In addition to insulation cleanup and installation, American Crawlspace Cleanouts also wraps pipes, seals up drafts and makes sure critters can't make their way inside homes.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3447; jholtz@heraldnet.com.
American Crawlspace Cleanouts: 425-353-0354; www.americancrawl.com
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