The Moisture-Pest Connection: Protecting Your Foundation, Crawl Space, and Home

Have you ever peeked into your crawl space only to feel like you needed a snorkel and a flashlight? In this episode of the Peskies Pest Control Podcast (https://peskiespestcontrolmontgomery....) , hosts Michael Wienecke and Travis McGowin tackle the hidden nightmare happening beneath so many homes: poor lot grading, runaway runoff, and persistent moisture issues. They break down why modern building trends often make drainage worse, the costly risks of planting heavy landscaping right up against your foundation, and how standing water turns your crawl space into an open invitation for termites, camel crickets, and other destructive pests. Tune in to find out why proper water management is your home’s first line of defense against costly structural damage and unwanted intruders. Like Us On Facebook! (  / peskiespestcontrolmontgomery  ) Podcast Transcript: Michael Wienecke: How many houses do you think have poor irrigation—or not irrigation, but um, drainage—in Alabama? Just if you had a number. And I’d like to have like a irrigation, or not—I keep saying irrigation, I’ll probably keep saying that, but drainage specialists, water specialists on on here to tell us, but I I would assume that it’s a lot. Travis McGowin: Well, if you really look at look at the houses that we go to, it seems like more and more these days, you know, they’re they’re trying to sandwich and put houses in in very creative areas. Um— Michael Wienecke: Oh, that’s a good point. Man, I saw one in Bluff Park the other day, and I just shook my head because the house is higher than the neighbor’s house, so all that water is just going to go pouring into that crawl space. Travis McGowin: Right, it’s like uh, “Okay, well, you know, you bought this lot or you own this lot. Yeah, we’ll stick a house here no matter, you know, what the the cause or the cost or the repercussions for any of the other surrounding properties.” And and I I do though, I see they’re they’re sandwiching these houses, they’re sandwiching them on really weird grades and slopes, and I would definitely venture to say that the grading of the lot and the management of runoff is is not always appropriate, and we see that a lot around the outside of houses and then even underneath houses in crawl spaces as well. Michael Wienecke: Oh, I mean, yeah. Well, I mean, they’ve got to put in more more drainage now, and I don’t think that I think they account for so much water, but unfortunately Alabama is uh, you know, it could snow tomorrow, or or it could be 105 degrees. So, we just have so much just change in weather, I I don’t think they account for the amount of water that we actually get, ’cause you’re seeing so many of these new homes with like these—I’m glad you said that about the grade, like these stair-stepper grades, and I mean water is going to go to the path of least resistance, so it’s just going to travel downhill. I’ve never understood that. Travis McGowin: And I can’t even— Michael Wienecke: Elaborate, please. Tell me. Travis McGowin: (Laughs) I am not a contractor, so… Uh, but I can say that I have been underneath quite a few houses and in crawl spaces, and and you’ve been there as well, where you just you stick your head into the access and you’re like, “Oh god,” because— Michael Wienecke: Put a snorkel on. Travis McGowin: Yeah. Uh, if there’s not standing water, then it’s like a mud hole, or you know, you can even see where the water has carved its own pathway underneath some of these houses, and you’re like you’re just waiting because you know that it’s slowly eroding the dirt from underneath the house. Michael Wienecke: Oh, yeah. I’m glad you brought that up. So, I I’d like to bring up something, too. Just um, would you would it is it better to have like bushes right up—like if you have a garden section next to your house or like a flower bed section, front, side, whatever it may be, would you recommend flowers there or like heavy heavy uh bushes, if it’s like right up against the house? Travis McGowin: Mm, neither is mine (laughs). Because— Michael Wienecke: Burn it all down! Burn it all down! Travis McGowin: I I’ll be real honest with you, I’m very lazy when it comes to landscaping because the less that I have to fool with, the less lawn work has to be done, but I’m not a big fan of landscaping near the structure for multiple reasons. Um, I I’ve seen many times where landscaping holds moisture, uh it blocks sunlight, there’s no evaporation against the bottom of the structure, you end up with growth on the side of the bottom of the structure. And then not to mention, it’s a pest harborage area. If it’s not managed properly, it grows up against the side of the structure, it’s a pest pathway. There’s just so many different reasons why I think t...