Perfect Moisture Readings? Why We Walked Away from Today's Job
Crawl Logic Lowcountry
Sometimes the Best Service Is Telling You "No"
WHEN HONESTY MATTERS MORE THAN MAKING THE SALE
Got a call today that started like many others - someone looking to get their crawl space encapsulated.
When I told him that's all we do, he invited me out to take a look.
The property was way out there, but beautiful.
Had these awesome little dwarf goats running around (including a baby one that almost made me forget why I was there).
As a crawl space guy, I couldn't help but get excited when I first looked under the house.
It was practically perfect for an encapsulation job - tall, square, clear unobstructed views.
I was already thinking about how impressive the before and after pictures would look.
You know those transformations that make you say "wow"?
This would've been one of them.
Welcome to Crawl Logic Lowcountry!
The Surprise Discovery
But here's where things got interesting. I pulled out my moisture reader and started checking the joists. Now, keep in mind, we're in the height of summer in the Lowcountry. Everything's about as wet and humid as it gets right now. Most crawl spaces I check are showing serious moisture issues.
But not this one. The highest reading I got was 18%, with most sitting around 16.7%. For those who don't speak moisture readings, that's actually really good. The house was only two years old, and there wasn't a spot of mold anywhere. I checked and double-checked because honestly, in the Lowcountry, this is about as rare as finding a penguin on Folly Beach.
The Hard (But Right) Decision
So there I was, faced with a choice. I could have easily sold this homeowner an encapsulation. The crawl space was perfect for it, and let's be honest - we do great work. But instead, I called him and said something that probably surprised both of us: "Hey dude, you don't need an encapsulation."
There was that moment of silence on the phone, followed by a confused "What?" I explained that while we're the best at what we do, and I'd be happy to take his money if he really wanted it done, he simply didn't need it. This isn't as unusual as you might think - I've had to have this same conversation maybe 15 or 20 times in the last year and a half. Not every crawl space in the Lowcountry needs fixing, even though most do.
The Unexpected Response
Here's where this story gets even better. Usually when I do free inspections and tell people they don't need our services, I ask if they'd mind leaving us a Google review. Most say they will, but let's be real - they rarely do. Can't blame them - life gets busy.
But this customer, Michael (whose last name has too many awesome consonants for me to pronounce), didn't just say he would - he created a Google account specifically to leave us a review. And he didn't just say "good service." He wrote about how we saved him thousands by being honest. That's only happened one other time in my career, and even then, the customer didn't mention the specific details.
What This Means for Homeowners
Listen, there's something important here that every homeowner needs to understand: not every crawl space needs work. Yes, in the Lowcountry, most do - that's just the reality of where we live. But a good contractor should be checking actual moisture readings, not just assuming there's a problem.
When someone tells you that every crawl space needs encapsulation, that should be a red flag. Every house is different. Every situation is unique. And sometimes, like in Michael's case, everything is actually working just fine. A honest contractor will tell you that, even if it means losing a sale.
We Don’t Sell You What You Don’t Need
You know what? We're not the biggest crawl space company in Charleston. We don't have a fleet of branded trucks rolling around town or ten crews working at once. We're just a small team - me, my partners, and a few good employees. And sometimes I even curse in my videos (sorry about that).
But here's what we are: we're honest. Dead honest. Whether that means telling you about serious problems we find or walking away from a perfectly good job because you don't need it, we're going to give it to you straight. Every single time.
That's why I'm sharing this story. Because I want you to know that when you call Crawl Logic, you're not just getting another contractor looking to make a quick buck. You're getting someone who'll drive out to your property, give you the honest truth about what's going on under your house, and only recommend work that actually needs to be done.
Need someone to tell you how it really is with your crawl space? That's exactly what we do. Give us a call. If you need work, we'll tell you. And if you don't? Well, maybe you'll be our next "thanks for being honest" Google review.
