PMPs: Ideal Installers for Closed Crawlspaces

There are a wide variety of pro-fessionals who are looking to get into the closed crawlspace market, from HVAC and plumbing companies to those focused on providing windows, doors, and air quality services. But pest control companies are the ideal type of company to perform these installations.

In addition to already being in the home on a regular basis, PMPs have an existing relationship with the customers and are familiar with the minute details that are so important to an installation.

For example, a building professional may leave a small gap installing a liner or barrier, but pest management professionals understand just how small an opening needs to be to prevent rodents and crawling insects.

Kevin Rollins of Ace Exterminating, Joelton, Tennessee, says his firm performs about 20-25 percent of its business in closed crawlspace work. PMPs are the ideal professionals for handling these installations, he adds. “We have been completing closed crawlspace work about 11 years now,” Rollins says. “We got started in an effort to take care of our current customers. Being a pest control company, it goes hand in hand. We’re not only able to help the air quality of the home but also help with protecting the home from general pests as well. Less moisture and humidity means less bug problems as well.

“We are a pest control company; closed crawlspaces line up with the pest management side. It allows you to help improve the air quality of a person’s home and also takes away that environment in the crawl that so many different bugs like, thus making it a better all-around service for our customers.”

According to Chad Highley, A.C.E., it’s critical to get a pest professional for a closed crawlspace installation for a number of reasons. “We are absolutely [the right profession] because we look at things down to almost microscopic detail,” Highley says. “We are finely tuned on what you’re doing. A lot of construction contractors, even in new construction, they leave [the crawlspace] wide open because this is not their focus. We realize the width of a few sheets of paper is too much point of entry for termites, ants, etc. Also, if you get a moist crawlspace you get wood-destroying [fungi]. You need to be really detail oriented to control the environment and the pests.”

Billy Tesh says the average home can cost a few thousand dollars at a minimum to close the crawlspace. “The average home can be upwards of a few thousand dollars. Home inspectors are finding that these sweaty crawls are getting mold and the problems need to be solved before they have a client buy the house. The real estate and the pest control contracts are very related.

“I see this expanding between our technicians and our existing customers as we tell them how to identify the problem or they can pass along to another service advisory. But we’re in crawls three to four times a year where other industries aren’t in there as routine inspections.”