Crawlspace Medic Treats What Ails Dark, Unseen – Important – Spaces In Homes

When was the last time you took a look at your crawl space – from inside your crawl space?

Rick Bunge and his team specialize in those dark, often-ignored spaces. They believe the crawl space or basement is the most important room in a house.

“If your crawl space has gone unchecked, you may not know, for example, that you have a foot of water under your house every time it rains,” says Bunge, a structural engineer and co-owner of Crawlspace Medic of the Upstate.

The rainwater may drain after a day or two. “But you might not know that you have holes in your foundation wall, and you've got critters living under your house. You may not know that termites have started to eat through the floor. You might be on the verge of major structural damage,” Bunge says.

High humidity and moisture could be degrading or rusting the HVAC unit and other equipment located in the basement or crawlspace, he says.

But homeowners cannot see those issues. And Bunge does not expect them to take his findings at face value.

The team takes pictures throughout the crawl space and shoots videos of specific problems.

“We share that with the homeowner as if we – virtually – took you on a tour under your house so that you can see everything we saw. ‘Here's what it looks like under the kitchen. Here's where the leak in the sink leak caused damage,’" Bunge explains.

“We’re not trying to manipulate or be deceptive. We're trying to be straightforward. That's a big deal to us for this space under your home, which is sometimes a dark scary box that's unseen. We just want to bring full transparency and solve your problem.”

Bunge says Crawlspace Medic may receive calls from homeowners who have received expensive quotes for repairs from other companies. “We get there, and we can often solve the same problems without the same big ticket.”

Conversely, he says he encourages his customers to seek second or third opinions.

“We want homeowners to get the full breadth of understanding, opinions and perspectives. That's what I would want as a homeowner.”

Bunge says he has always been intrigued by how and why things work. He earned a degree in civil engineering at Clemson University.

“I am fascinated by building science and how buildings are constructed,” he says.

After graduation, he took a job at an engineering firm in downtown Greenville and stayed until 2020, when he had the opportunity to leave his desk and venture into the field – and business ownership.

Crawlspace Medic of the Upstate is a franchise of a national brand with about 25 locations. The local company is owned and operated by Bunge and his business partner, Jeff Wilson. The 11 staff members do not receive commissions for the work they recommend. And the company does not have its own products to sell and promote.

“We've seen year-over-year growth. This whole industry of home services has a lot of potential to grow, but also to be improved and done well,” Bunge says. “To me, that’s an opportunity to deliver a refreshing experience through the way that we engage with customers and the services we deliver.”

The Crawlspace Medic staff doesn’t just identify problems. They also create ways to remediate problems and make structural repairs.

“Every house is different. That’s the benefit of our evaluation or inspection process. One of our inspectors will look at all the specific factors for your specific property and tailor our recommendations,” Bunge says.

Most often, the root of the problem is the climate in Greenville.

“Water and moisture, those are the great enemies of the home. The reason that people in our region battle with moisture control under homes is largely because of the outdoor humidity,” says Bunge, who lives in Greenville with his wife, Kaitlin.

The humidity under a home that has a vented basement or crawl space will be the same as the humidity outside.

“Take a house with a vented crawl space and plop it down in Colorado. A vented crawl space will work perfectly fine because they’re not battling outdoor humidity like we are here,” he says. “It’s a perfect storm in our area. We're trying to battle water and moisture and it’s trying to have its way. We're trying to help keep homes healthier for longer.”

In addition to causing mold and mildew, poor air quality, and damage to metal supports and mechanical systems, moisture can take a toll on a home’s structure.

“If moisture levels are high enough for long enough, it will start to promote dry rot. The wood structure, your floor joists and your sub-floor will weaken so much that we've seen joists start to crack and fall because humidity has been slowly eating away at the wood,” Bunge says.

“That's not every house. But if moisture has already had an impact on the structure, then we can repair, reinforce or replace the damaged wood. Whether it’s wood rot or termite damage, we can provide proper structural repairs so you can sleep soundly, knowing your foundation is secure beneath you.”

Controlling moisture can depend on the severity of the issues and a homeowner’s budget. The team might put a moisture barrier on the ground; install a drain and sump pump; or encapsulate the entire space, seal off the vents and install a dehumidifier.

“Our team is solutions-minded,” Bunge says.

“There's a problem to solve, and we're going to solve it creatively, we're going to do it cost-effectively, and we're going to do it with transparency and honesty that doesn't involve commission-based sales. We want to have a very tailored approach.”

Bunge is challenged and fulfilled by the work of Crawlspace Medic.

“I love what we do,” he says. “We take a space that is often out of sight and out of mind, but central to the health of your home. We educate people about what we believe is the most important room in your house and propose ways to improve it. That’s a great thing to do.”

Visit Crawlspace Medic's Website

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Crawlspace Medic Treats What Ails Dark, Unseen – Important – Spaces In Homes