When equipment fails: blue-and-white title beside flooded HVAC unit in a damaged building interior
By Stetson Howard April 24, 2026
I was back in a crawlspace yesterday that we finished three years ago. Not because there was a problem with our work. Because the dehumidifier compressor went bad. Equipment fails sometimes - even good equipment. That's just reality.
By Stetson Howard April 20, 2026
Found a Snake Skin by This Crawlspace Door
Crawlspace with wooden beams and white insulation, overlaid text: “Why You Should Never Encapsulate Over Wood Structure”
By Stetson Howard April 20, 2026
I'm down in a crawlspace in Ooltewah today, and I want to show you something I see other contractors do wrong all the time. This house has a basement on one side and a crawlspace on the other. There's wood structure separating the two spaces. And some companies will just wrap their vapor barrier right over that wood b
Title slide: “Why DIY Sump Pumps Fail (And What to Do Instead)” over a sump pump pit
By Stetson Howard April 20, 2026
I was out in Ooltewah today, just north of Chattanooga, looking at a crawlspace with standing water. The homeowner had tried to fix it themselves. They bought a sump pump from Home Depot, stuck it in a bucket, and dropped it in the crawlspace.
Text overlay on crawlspace photo: “The hidden problems with budget crawlspace work.”
By Stetson Howard April 20, 2026
Got a call from a homeowner in Vonore last week. Seemed like a simple issue at first. He'd had his crawlspace encapsulated by another company. Now he was trying to get termite service, and the pest control company wouldn't warranty it. Why? The encapsulation was installed so high on the foundation wall that it covered
Text: “Why your crawlspace needs more than just encapsulation” beside a crawlspace with white vapor barrier and equipment
By Stetson Howard April 19, 2026
I was out in Seymour yesterday checking on a job we finished about six weeks ago. This is something I like to do - go back and see how the work is holding up. Most companies install and disappear. I want to know if my customer's problems are actually solved. When I got there, the homeowner was excited to show me how
Crawlspace with wooden beams and concrete floor beside text: “How crawlspace wood treatment actually works”
By Stetson Howard April 17, 2026
I'm out in Seymour today checking on a crawlspace we finished about a month and a half ago. This isn't a warranty call. Nothing's wrong. This is just part of the job. Anytime we install jacks in a crawlspace, we come back 30 to 60 days later and tighten everything up. Most homeowners don't even know this needs to hap
By Stetson Howard April 15, 2026
I'm in a crawlspace right now treating wood for a home inspector. The house is going up for sale, and the inspector found fungal growth on the floor joists. Watch what happens when the treatment hits that wood. It suds up. Turns white. That's the oxidation process working.
Close-up of a large crack in concrete with the text
By Stetson Howard April 13, 2026
I'm out in Knoxville today installing helical piers on a house that's been standing for over a hundred years. This foundation has been patched multiple times. You can see at least six cracks just on this one section where someone tried to fix them with concrete. But the cracks kept coming back.
More Posts