The Business Case is Convincing

Pest management professionals who have been providing closed crawlspace services report solid revenues and optimism about the coming year. Seventy-two percent of respondents to the 2023 PCT Closed Crawlspace survey said their revenues either increased (23 percent) or held steady (49 percent) last year. Nearly all — 95 percent — said they expect their revenues to increase (41 percent) or hold steady (54 percent) in the coming year.

In part, that’s because demand is strong. But it also reflects the stronger support system that’s in place for PMPs today. Sam Makhani of GreenMind Pest Consulting, who has provided crawlspace services for 38 years and now advises businesses looking to create their own add-on services and programs, had to make the best of the limited products and technologies available in the early years. “I would create a crawlspace service plan and use whatever materials were available to get the job done. Nowadays, we have deeper knowledge plus new technologies and products that help us do a better job,” he explained.

Billy Tesh, Crawlspace Depot, couldn’t agree more about the depth and breadth of products, and the availability of resources. “Our processes have become more refined in recent years, because we’ve been able to improve upon not only the products but also the tools for installation. For example, tapes and tools for fastening are better than they have been in the past; liners are available in various types and thicknesses; and foam insulation board is easier to install,” he said. “In addition, training opportunities and materials are more accessible, so PMPs have a lot of support as they enter into this new service area.”

WHY SOME HOLD OUT. Still, some PMPs are hesitant to take the plunge into closed crawlspace work. Reasons cited through the PCT survey included lack of demand in their region (35 percent), no time for investigating the market (30 percent), the need for specialized service technician skills (26 percent) and liability concerns (15 percent), along with financial and other concerns.

With the exception of geographic demand — a region either has homes with crawlspaces or doesn’t — Makhani believes PMPs can make a go of it. “Like any other business, the owner or business leader needs to do their research, train their team, maintain quality control throughout the service process, and then make any needed adjustments to services and training,” he said. “If they are successful in the pest control business, then creating and executing this new program shouldn’t be hard. Any time you take care of your employees and your clients, profit will follow.”

Tesh advises PMPs to start out slowly, building competence and confidence among their team as they go. “That’s what we did when we started out. We took on one or two crawlspaces a month using our termite technicians, because they were already familiar with working in crawlspaces, doing vapor barriers,” he shared. “The major differentiator here is that these jobs take two or three days, depending on the size of the house and the components you’re installing.”

WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED. Jon Statom, who has turned closed crawlspace work into a lucrative business line for Palmetto Exterminators, offered this insight: “If you put in the time and effort, and you’re willing to make the investment into doing a good job and charging an appropriate price, you can build a successful closed crawlspace business. At the same time, you need to go into this type of work understanding that it’s going to be harder than you think it is.

“I had a lot of experience in crawlspaces and it still turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be. Every job you go to, there will be a problem you haven’t seen before. The situations are always changing and always challenging. You have to estimate with those potential issues in mind. Think about it: You might spend 20 minutes looking around the crawlspace to quote the job. But then your service technicians are in there for two or three days; they are inevitably going to find problems you didn’t see. You need to be prepared for anything at any time.”