Guide
What affects the price of crawl space and waterproofing work
You will not find figures on this page. A price given without seeing the space is a guess. What can be explained is why two houses on the same street get very different numbers.
Under the house
- Size. Liner, labor and drying time all scale with the floor area.
- Headroom. Work in a space where a person can only lie flat takes far longer than work at kneeling height.
- Condition. Standing water, mud, fallen insulation, debris and old plastic have to be dealt with before anything new goes in.
- Piers and obstacles. Every pier, duct and pipe is something to cut and seal around.
- Materials. Liners differ in thickness and strength. Dehumidifiers and pumps differ in capacity and build.
- Water. A space that only needs dry air costs less to put right than one that also needs drains, a basin and a pump with a backup.
- Electrical work. A pump or dehumidifier may need a new outlet and circuit.
In a basement or outdoors
- Length of wall. Interior drains and exterior trenches are priced largely by how many feet are treated.
- Depth. Digging to a deep footing takes more time, more shoring and more backfill.
- What is in the way. Decks, steps, paving, air conditioners, planting and finished interior walls all add work.
- Ground. Rock, roots and buried debris slow a trench.
- Putting things back. Drywall, flooring, sod and paving may or may not be included.
- Permits. Where one is needed, there is a fee and time for inspections.
Comparing proposals fairly
Two totals mean little until the scopes match. Put the proposals side by side and check that each covers the same area, the same liner, the same number of drains and pumps, the same clean-up and the same warranty. Where one leaves something out, ask why. Sometimes it is not needed. Sometimes it has been left for later.
Ask each company to separate the parts: repair, drainage, liner, dehumidifier. That shows what could be done now and what could wait, and it stops a low headline price hiding a thin scope.
Be clear about how you will pay. Tennessee's contractor board advises against paying more than a third up front. If financing is offered, read its terms as carefully as the work contract.
Price questions
Why won't anyone give a price over the phone?
Because the big cost drivers, such as headroom, standing water and the state of the insulation, cannot be seen from a phone call. A company that prices without looking will either pad the figure or revise it later.
Is the inspection charged for?
That is up to each company. Ask when the visit is booked, so there are no surprises.
Does homeowners insurance pay for this?
Policies differ, and many treat long-term seepage and humidity differently from a sudden leak. Your insurer or agent is the one to ask. Flood insurance is a separate policy.
Talk to a crawl space company
Say what you have noticed under the house or in the basement. A short description is enough to get the conversation started.
Call from Murfreesboro or nearby
You will be put through to an independent local company that does this kind of work.
Call (615) 555-0113Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure to see how this service is paid for.