Crawl Space Ninja Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Crawl Space Ninja is a home services franchise providing crawl space encapsulation, moisture control, and insulation. Franchisees run local operations, managing consultations, crews, and installation within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Crawl Space Ninja franchise requires a total initial investment of $211K – $457K, including a $59K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $211K – $457K
- 78th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 18
- 28th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $211K – $457K including a $59K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAudited statements (A&G, LLP, dated April 25, 2025) for fiscal years ended Dec 31, 2024/2023/2022. 2024 total revenues $3,303,435 comprised of franchise fee $172,946, royalty $830,133, product $2,033,573, brand development fund $139,510, other $127,273. Total liabilities = current liabilities $122,478 + long-term deferred revenue $325,975.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 64/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports gross sales tiers rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Crawlspace Ninja Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- HTI Intermediate, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- HT Investors, LLC
- CEO title
- Managing Member
- Michael Church
- Incorporated in
- TN
- HQ
- 6011 Ridan Drive, Knoxville, TN 37909
- Auditor
- A&G, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.3M
- vs $3.7M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Midwest Diversified Technologies U
- Crawlspace Ninja IP
- IAQS Operations
- Indoor Air Quality Specialists
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Church
- Headquarters
- TN
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 5
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 48% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $59K | $59K | |
| Design and Architectural Fees | $0 | $3K | |
| Construction, Leasehold Improvements | $0 | $20K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $3K | $10K | |
| Equipment (Including Vehicle) | $60K | $223K | |
| Technology Hardware/Software, Office Equipment, and Supplies | $4K | $8K | |
| Initial Inventory Package | $20K | $30K | |
| Utility and Security Deposits | $500 | $2K | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums | $2K | $8K | |
| Pre-opening Travel and Training Expense | $5K | $10K | |
| Initial Launch Marketing | $15K | $15K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $8K | |
| Business Permits and Licenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Additional Operating Funds - 3 Months | $40K | $60K | |
| Total initial investment | $211K | $457K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $211K – $457K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $40K – $60K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $59K – $59K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 7% of Gross Revenue or Minimum Performance Req…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $20K – $30K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Crawl Space Ninja did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Crawl Space Ninja unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
23%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Audited statements (A&G, LLP, dated April 25, 2025) for fiscal years ended Dec 31, 2024/2023/2022. 2024 total revenues $3,303,435 comprised of franchise fee $172,946, royalty $830,133, product $2,033,573, brand development fund $139,510, other $127,273. Total liabilities = current liabilities $122,478 + long-term deferred revenue $325,975.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales tiers
- Sample size
- 12
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $233K→$3.3M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 321 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Home Services average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales tiers rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System contracting at -5.9% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services averages
How Crawl Space Ninja Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 18
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 2
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.5%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 89%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -5.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -5.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 5 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
5
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $676K
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (5 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise system with opaque financial representations and aggressive royalty structure creates material risk despite solid unit-level economics.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · A&G, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 64 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit count declined 11.1% YoY (22 units) indicating system contraction and potential franchisee struggles
- 02MEDNo Item 19 (Financial Performance Representations) disclosed — cannot verify if average revenue/net income figures are achievable for typical franchisees
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($210k-$457k) paired with declining unit count suggests ROI challenges and franchisee attrition
- 04MINORMinimum Performance Requirement royalty structure is vague — unclear what threshold triggers this and how it impacts cash flow
- 05MINOR5-year term is relatively short; rebuilding customer base takes time in service businesses, creating renewal risk
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 5 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Knoxville, TN |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | TN |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 110 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 72 hrs
- Training location
- Knoxville, TN and franchisee's location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- MarketSharp
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: MarketSharp
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
10 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Crawl Space Ninja · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Crawl Space Ninja franchise?
The total investment to open a Crawl Space Ninja franchise ranges from $211K – $457K, with an initial franchise fee of $59K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Crawl Space Ninja franchise owners earn?
Crawl Space Ninja does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Crawl Space Ninja FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Crawl Space Ninja FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Crawl Space Ninja's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Crawl Space Ninja (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Crawl Space Ninja franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Crawl Space Ninja has 18 total units in the United States, including 16 franchised units and 2 company-owned units.
Is Crawl Space Ninja a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Crawl Space Ninja as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 64 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Crawl Space Ninja, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.