Crawl space doors aren’t just crucial for protecting your crawl space. Not having ample protection from the outside elements in this area can lead to many problems in and around your home. Fortunately, getting a new crawl space door is easy and affordable. Here are your options for building a crawl space door.
What Does a Crawl Space Door Do?
Crawl space doors both allow and deny access to a crawl space. While there isn’t always something exciting in these spaces, some are large enough for homeowners to keep items or equipment in safely.
Since crawl spaces also usually provide access to things like pipes or electrical wiring, a door is an easy way to let repair techs enter the space while keeping out those who shouldn’t be there. Without a high-quality crawl space door like the PVC models at Cathmer Crawlspace Doors, these spaces are vulnerable, especially if you can access them through the home’s exterior.
Who Needs a New Crawl Space Door?
You need a crawl space door if you don’t already have a door closing off your crawl space to the outside world. But even if you do, you might have issues with your current door that would merit you building or buying a new one. These issues include:
- Rust on the hinges
- Rotting wood
- No seal or weak seal
- Water damage or evidence of water
- Holes or apparent damage to the door
- Problems with the lock
These issues indicate that your crawl space door isn’t protecting your space as much as it should. This might inspire you to build a crawl space door or purchase a quality crawl space door from Cathmer for a more straightforward approach.
Building a Crawl Space Door: 2 Schools of Thought
If you’ve recently been bitten by the DIY bug, you might consider building a crawl space door rather than buying one and putting it together yourself. Here’s why you might want to pause that YouTube video and buy a door from a reputable retailer instead.
Proper Protection With Quality Materials
Building a door yourself isn’t necessarily tricky; there are only a handful of components, and they aren’t always that intricate to connect. However, there’s no substitute for a well-made door, and that’s not easy for just anyone to create.
Aside from the potential to use the wrong materials or at least materials that aren’t as beneficial, it’s not worth gambling by using a makeshift door, particularly if the door needs to stand up to weather and pests. Durability is essential, and even if you buy the most durable materials, they won’t do much good if they aren’t used properly.
Faster Installation
Buying a crawl space door from a company like Cathmer Crawlspace Doors means you aren’t wasting your afternoon sifting through your toolbox. Installing a pre-made door is a relatively simple task.
Building one isn’t always hard, but it’s almost always more time-consuming. The less familiar you are with DIY projects like this, the more challenging the project can be. Pre-made or custom doors will still require some handiwork, but nowhere near as much as you could expect when building a door from scratch.
Saves Money
Buying your own materials isn’t always cheaper than buying a pre-made door. Additionally, if you make a mistake and need to buy more materials, you’re spending even more.
Purchasing a pre-made door also saves you money because it will be less likely that you’ll need to buy more tools that you don’t have. When you have a high-quality door protecting your crawl space, it won’t get damaged as quickly, so you won’t have to buy or make a new one any time soon.
What if I Can’t Find the Right Fit?
Many people opt for DIY door building because they can’t find a crawl space door that fits their opening. While this is a common issue you could resolve by building a door yourself, you can also purchase and install a custom-made door instead of tackling the project alone.
Cathmer Crawlspace Doors offers custom crawl space door options that fit your measurements exactly. And since they’re made entirely of PVC, there’s no chance of rotting or rusting. Custom doors are perfect for that odd-shaped outdoor opening you’ve given up hope on finding a door for, and we can have one sent to your home within five business days.
Build a Custom Crawl Space Door with Cathmer
The doors at Cathmer Crawlspace Doors are easy to install, so you won't need a lengthy tutorial to get yours up and functioning. If you need a new crawl space door, shop today. Or if you have questions about our quality custom PVC models, contact us.