Crawl Space Mold Removal in Kirkland, WA

Kirkland conditions

Kirkland stretches along the east shore of Lake Washington about 8 miles from Seattle, with downtown on Moss Bay and Juanita Bay to the north, and neighborhoods such as Finn Hill, Kingsgate, Totem Lake, Rose Hill and Houghton climbing the slopes behind. The city says flooding here is most likely from heavy rainfall or anything else that overwhelms its drainage system, which is a crawl space problem as much as a street problem: runoff that can't get away from a house ends up against its foundation. Uphill walls on sloped lots can seep after long storms. The city's median home was built in 1980, so many crawl spaces are working with older plastic, insulation and gutters. Kirkland notes that flood damage is rarely covered by homeowners or renters policies, points residents to the National Flood Insurance Program, and refers them to King County's floodplain maps to check whether a property is in a 100-year floodplain.

DIY or hire it out

Signs to take seriously

• A smell that fills the house when the heat runs
• Water standing on the ground cover after storms
• Dark stains spreading from the sill plate up the subfloor
• Batts that have fallen or turned gray

Seasonal notes

Most Kirkland homeowners notice crawl space mold between October and April, when the heat comes on and the rooms close up. That's also when drying takes longest, so expect a company to run fans or a dehumidifier and confirm the wood is dry before new insulation goes in. Use the dry summer for outside fixes such as regrading, downspout extensions and gutter repairs. For framing or plumbing repairs, start at the city's Development Services Center, the shared permit desk for Planning and Building, Public Works and Fire.