At the surface
A musty hallway, a soft spot in the floor, a spring swarm at a window.
None of that starts upstairs. It starts under the house.
What the inspection checks: framing, piers, sills, and moisture readings.
Most of what damages a house is under it
We go into the crawl space, find the moisture, the insects, and the damaged wood, explain what is causing it, and correct all three.
The inspection goes down through the same four layers every time
Each layer explains the one above it. Follow the line down: what you notice, what is actually happening, and what corrects it.
Below the floor
Wood moisture climbs past the twenty percent line in vented crawl spaces.
Ground water evaporates through bare soil, all summer, every summer.
Correction: sealed vapor barrier, drainage, dehumidification.
At the piers
Mud tubes climb the block, pencil wide, sometimes rebuilt overnight.
Eastern subterranean termites nest in soil and commute up to softened wood.
Correction: a continuous treated soil zone at the foundation.
In the framing
Joists that give under a screwdriver, subfloor that flexes underfoot.
Decay fungi and insect galleries working wood the moisture already softened.
Correction: our own carpenters replace sills, joists, and subfloor.
One structure, drawn as we inspect it: grade, crawl space, piers, floor framing, and the treated soil zone that breaks the route in.
“So thorough. I greatly appreciate the time and consideration put into our home inspection. Both gentlemen were patient, kind, and detail oriented.”
Grade level
Everything below is what we inspect
Twenty-four to thirty-six inches of clearance, bare soil, and framing you cannot see from any room in the house.
Start where you actually are
Inspection confirms activity and maps the entry route, then a liquid soil treatment breaks the colony line. Damaged framing gets repaired by the same crew.
“Enjoyed working with James and Mike. Knowledgeable and thorough, and willing to take the time to educate me and show me what they discovered.”
We meter the framing first. If readings sit high, the fix ladder runs from vapor barrier to drainage correction to a fully sealed, dehumidified space.
“So thorough. I greatly appreciate the time and consideration put into our home inspection. Both gentlemen were patient, kind, and detail oriented.”
Soft floors are read from below. We find whether it is decay, insect damage, or a failed support, then price the carpentry against what we actually found.
“Very good company to use. James Maready and his assistant were polite and friendly while remaining professional, and made the inspection process easy.”
The NPMA-33 report, scheduled around your contract date. If a finding needs clearing, treatment and repair happen in house so the file closes on time.
“I could not ask for a better company to call upon as part of my team for my clients and for personal use. Top notch and highly recommended.”
Identification decides the treatment. Roaches, ants, rodents, and spiders each get a different program, and the crawl space usually explains why they are here.
“Enjoyed working with James and Mike. Knowledgeable and thorough, and willing to take the time to educate me and show me what they discovered.”
That is the normal call. A licensed inspector goes under the house and tells you what is active, what is old, and what needs nothing. Free when you suspect a problem.
“So thorough. I greatly appreciate the time and consideration put into our home inspection. Both gentlemen were patient, kind, and detail oriented.”
The same job, photographed from the street down to the sill
Hampton Roads, sorted by what the ground does
Tidal ground and high water tables
Crawl spaces stay damp for most of the year, so moisture correction leads the work.
Swamp margin and slow-draining soil
Ground holds water after rain, which keeps subterranean termite pressure constant.
Aging housing stock and failed barriers
Original crawl space details from the 1900s through the 1980s are at end of life.
What you have at the end of it
A licensed inspector has been through the whole crawl space, not the hatch.
You know what is active, what is old, and what needs nothing.
The moisture source, the insects, and the damaged wood each have a correction and a price.
One company did the finding and the fixing, and put it all in writing.
Schedule an inspection
Or call 757-583-4444. Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, Norfolk. Homeowner inspections are free when you suspect a problem.