Over 25 million existing homes have crawl spaces instead of a full basement. Crawl space encapsulation may help to manage moisture in a crawl space. Moisture and humidity in this area beneath your home can lead to mold growth, musty odors, and structural damage and can also attract insects and small animals. Moisture here can affect your entire home because your home continually draws in air from your crawl space circulating it throughout your living area. This is the air you and your family are breathing in all day and it could cause health problems -- from simple allergies to severe infections. A damp crawl space can increase your heating and cooling costs as well as affect your day-to-day comfort level with cold floors, drafts, and high humidity levels.

If moisture and humidity continue to build-up in your home, the following are other problems that can result:

• Radon gas exposure
• Damage to inside exterior walls, possibly causing paint to peel
• Airborne allergens that may cause health problems
• Musty odors throughout the house and crawl space
• Damage to roofing materials or underside of roof
• Moisture in insulation and wood
• Warping or buckling of floor

We can create a moisture- and humidity-controlled environment in your crawl space using a vapor barrier to encapsulate the ground. We then place a layer of insulation on top of the vapor barrier which prevents it from absorbing moisture. Sealing a crawl space from ground soil and outside air will not only help stop moisture, dampness from entering the home, but also insects and possibly other small animals. Adding or installing insulation helps with energy efficiency and lowering energy bills.

Benefits of installing crawl space encapsulation:

• Greatly improves air quality throughout your entire home
• Prevents intrusion of exterior moisture
• Minimizes humidity and condensation
• Reduces the #1 source for entry of natural radon gases
• Lower energy bills
• Reduces allergens such as mold and dust mites throughout your home
• Helps seal out bugs, spiders, rodents and termites
• Antimicrobial so it doesn’t support mold growth
• It has a fire retardant coating rated Class A / Class 1
• Tax credit – you may qualify in your state; ask your tax preparer for information
• Increase the resale value of your home