Serving Rochester and nearby areas
Crawl space repair in Rochester for sagging floors and damp crawl spaces, with a free inspection and a written price.
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We connect property owners in Rochester and nearby areas, including Corn Hill, South Wedge, Park Avenue, 19th Ward, Greece and Irondequoit, with one independent local foundation repair specialist.
Typical published ranges for Rochester. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.
| Work | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Inspection and written estimate | Free |
| Crawl space repair, most jobs | $500 to $7,500 |
| Repair one floor joist | $100 to $300per joist |
| Replace a support beam | $1,500 to $5,000per beam |
| Vapor barrier | $1,500 to $4,000 |
| Crawl space encapsulation | $2,000 to $15,000 |
| Crawl space dehumidifier | $750 to $1,700 |
Maybe the floor in the back room feels bouncy. Maybe the sunroom floor slopes toward the yard. Maybe there is a musty smell coming up through the floor. These can all start in the crawl space under the house.
Crawl space problems are easy to miss because nobody goes down there. The free inspection sends someone under the floor to see what is really going on.
These are the problems Rochester homeowners call about most:
"The floor in one room sags or feels soft."
"The kitchen floor bounces when you walk across it."
"The back addition is pulling away from the house."
"There is a musty smell, and it is worse in summer."
"There is standing water in the crawl space after a melt."
"I see mold or wet wood under the house."
"The posts under the house are leaning or sinking."
"Cracks show up in the walls above a sagging floor."
Most Rochester homes sit on full basements. Crawl spaces are still common in a few places:
Additions
Back rooms, kitchens and sunrooms added later often sit over a shallow crawl space.
Porches
Enclosed porches turned into living space are often built on piers with a crawl space below.
Older homes and cottages
Some older homes and lake cottages sit partly or fully over a crawl space.
Split basements
Some homes have a full basement under part of the house and a crawl space under the rest.
Where the addition meets the main house is a common trouble spot. The two parts may sit on different footings, so they can move apart.
Moisture. A dirt floor lets ground moisture rise into the crawl space. Snow melt and rain can pool there. Damp air makes wood soft and lets mold grow.
Frost. A shallow footing under an addition or porch may not reach below the frost. Frost can lift it in winter and drop it in spring. That opens cracks where the addition meets the house.
Sinking posts. Posts that sit on small pads or bare soil can sink over time. The beam they hold sinks with them.
Weak or damaged wood. Joists that are too far apart, cut for pipes, or damaged by water can sag.
Steel posts or screw jacks go under the beam on solid footings. The crew raises the floor a little at a time. This is the most common fix for a sagging floor.
A weak joist can be sistered. A new joist is fastened alongside the old one to make it strong again. Badly damaged joists are replaced.
A sagging or rotted beam can be replaced or doubled. New posts often go in at the same time.
A heavy plastic liner goes over the dirt floor. For a full encapsulation, it also runs up the walls, the vents are sealed, and a dehumidifier controls the air. This keeps wood dry and stops musty smells.
If water pools in the crawl space, a drain and a small sump pump can move it out. Fixing gutters and grading outside helps too. See basement waterproofing.
If an addition or porch footing is too shallow or has sunk, it can be supported with piers or a new footing. See foundation repair.
The price table on this page shows typical ranges from Fixr and HomeAdvisor. These are typical ranges, not a quote. A few new posts is a small job. A new beam, new joists or a full encapsulation costs more. See the cost guide for more detail.
Most Rochester homes have full basements. Crawl spaces are common under add-ons like back rooms, sunrooms and porches, and under some older homes and cottages. Those floors can sag or get damp just like a full crawl space home.
The joists or beam under that floor may be weak, wet or too far apart. A post may have sunk or rotted. The inspector will go under the floor and find the cause.
It means sealing the crawl space with a heavy plastic liner on the floor and walls, closing the vents, and controlling the air with a dehumidifier. It keeps moisture and musty smells out of the house.
If your crawl space has a bare dirt floor, a vapor barrier is a good idea. It stops ground moisture from rising into the space and into your floors.
Often yes. The crew adds new steel posts or jacks under the beam and raises it a little at a time. Raising it too fast can crack walls upstairs, so it is done slowly.
Adding a few support posts can take a day. New joists, a beam, or a full encapsulation can take a few days. Your estimate should list the schedule.
Call (585) 449-9661 or send the short form. A local crew will call you back, usually the same day. The inspection is free, and you get the plan and price in writing.