More PMPs Adding Service

Last year, more than a quarter (26 percent) of PMPs surveyed said they offered closed crawlspace services. That’s up 6 percent since 2017.

According to Billy Tesh, president of Crawlspace Depot, closed crawlspaces have grown as a market the last year or so for two very specific reasons:

1. Validation

The more people live with closed crawlspaces, the more it shows how this type of environment is becoming a legitimate way for protecting a home versus utilizing the “vented” method. “I’ve really seen the industry grow because there’s more information out there and because of that, there’s a certain validation of it as a service,” Tesh says.

2. More Efficient Homes

COVID-19 required people to stay home longer, and as such they noticed more “to-do” items around their houses. That has helped the closed crawlspace market.

“I think the environmental aspect of people paying attention to their homes and wanting a more efficient home helped drive it up,” Tesh says. “The consumer sometimes drives this. We spend a lot of time and money driving people to social media and that’s where they learn. I had a lady who contacted me after looking at my Crawlspace Depot videos online, and she needed a contractor and I recommended one in her area.

“Consumers look at what we have and utilize that in making decisions. So from the standpoint of the pest control industry, we have a unique opportunity to drive the business in the whole sector. And we should, since we’re the ones in the crawlspace more, and have the greatest liability. We should be doing systems that are advantageous for proper pest management going forward,” Tesh adds.