After the crews are done with their rough-in and before the insulation and drywall teams cover things up inside, I make sure to squeeze in the soil treatment for pest control.
We live on the fringes of South Carolina's Lowcountry. Not only are we miles from the Atlantic, but we have areas that are near or below sea level. Basements are rare here and most of our houses are built on slabs, crawl spaces, or above drive under garages. The homes I've taken on have been on crawl spaces 18" - three feet high or a combination of slab and crawl space. So, as I talk about soil treatment and pest control, keep this in mind. Where ever you are, you should still be mindful of treating your property for bug infestation, but you may just knock this out at the end, when the rest of the work is complete.
I call for the soil treatment after the rough-in because at this stage, the R/I crews will be done with any necessary digging. My pest control guy has periodically reminded me that it's best to treat the ground after it's done being disturbed, so that's why we have this work done after the rough-in crews have moved on.
Pest control is another example of a scope in which you have to do your work ahead of time so that when R/I is done all you need to do is make a phone call, stay out of the way, and then pay up. Now, when I don't know anything about something, I start talking to people who do. Then I ask plenty of questions so I can make a wise decision. Like with other trades on a renovation, you may just need to work the phone (and the mouse) to get smart on what you need to do regarding soil treatment and pest control. That doesn't mean just getting multiple prices from contractors, but understanding what you need and what you're responsibilities are before it's time to make a decision and enter into an agreement.
After the soil treatment, a vapor barrier (6 mil plastic) goes down in homes in which the crawl space has been treated. This really doesn't have to be done until the very end, but I like to do it after the pest control and before insulation. The insulation crew will appreciate it and it makes things easier for me when I check behind them. Just like soil treatment is a necessity in our area, this plastic is not for comfort. It's integral in Lowcountry buildings because it helps control moisture under the home.
After the soil treatment we're ready for Step 22 - Insulation
We live on the fringes of South Carolina's Lowcountry. Not only are we miles from the Atlantic, but we have areas that are near or below sea level. Basements are rare here and most of our houses are built on slabs, crawl spaces, or above drive under garages. The homes I've taken on have been on crawl spaces 18" - three feet high or a combination of slab and crawl space. So, as I talk about soil treatment and pest control, keep this in mind. Where ever you are, you should still be mindful of treating your property for bug infestation, but you may just knock this out at the end, when the rest of the work is complete.
I call for the soil treatment after the rough-in because at this stage, the R/I crews will be done with any necessary digging. My pest control guy has periodically reminded me that it's best to treat the ground after it's done being disturbed, so that's why we have this work done after the rough-in crews have moved on.
Pest control is another example of a scope in which you have to do your work ahead of time so that when R/I is done all you need to do is make a phone call, stay out of the way, and then pay up. Now, when I don't know anything about something, I start talking to people who do. Then I ask plenty of questions so I can make a wise decision. Like with other trades on a renovation, you may just need to work the phone (and the mouse) to get smart on what you need to do regarding soil treatment and pest control. That doesn't mean just getting multiple prices from contractors, but understanding what you need and what you're responsibilities are before it's time to make a decision and enter into an agreement.
After the soil treatment, a vapor barrier (6 mil plastic) goes down in homes in which the crawl space has been treated. This really doesn't have to be done until the very end, but I like to do it after the pest control and before insulation. The insulation crew will appreciate it and it makes things easier for me when I check behind them. Just like soil treatment is a necessity in our area, this plastic is not for comfort. It's integral in Lowcountry buildings because it helps control moisture under the home.
After the soil treatment we're ready for Step 22 - Insulation
