Is Crawl Space Encapsulation Worth It?
Crawl space encapsulation is the process of cleaning and sanitizing your crawl space to protect your home from moisture, insects, and other contaminants. The benefits you’ll receive from encapsulation are well worth the cost.
The High Cost of NOT Encapsulating Your Crawl Space
To understand why crawl space encapsulation is such a great investment, let’s look at what can happen if you don’t take this important step:
- Your health can suffer – your HVAC system draws air from your crawl space to circulate throughout your residence. Air that is contaminated can trigger asthma, allergies, and other serious health conditions.
- Your belongings are put at risk – products made of wood, paper, or other porous materials are vulnerable to high moisture levels. Humid air from your crawl space can cause them to warp, stain, or develop a strong mildew odor.
- Your utility bills can skyrocket – caused by your heating and cooling unit clogging up and becoming less efficient. This can even cause premature failure of the entire system, saddling you with an enormous repair bill.
- Your floor joists can split or buckle – causing the floor to creak, shift out of level, or fail entirely.
- You may have trouble selling your home – potential buyers are wary of unusual odors and creaking floors. Plus, home inspectors always check out the crawl space. You can be sure that they’ll spot areas of concern right away.
Crawl Space Encapsulation to the Rescue
Crawl space encapsulation services prevent these problems by transforming the crawl space itself into a clean, sanitary environment. Here’s how the process works:
- The crawl space receives a thorough cleaning – to remove clutter, contaminated water, hazardous materials, and pests such as insects or rats. An underground drain line may be installed at this stage of the job.
- Necessary repairs are completed – these can include new wiring, new insulation, or new floor joists. Mold and mildew are eliminated, and the ground is tamped down and made level.
- Vents, holes, and gaps are sealed off – both to regulate the interior temperature and to prevent contaminants from entering the crawl space.
- A waterproof vapor barrier and membrane is installed – this is what keeps the crawl space clean and dry over the long term. The membrane covers the entire floor as well as the walls and the lower portions of the pillars.
- Water management solutions are installed – typically a commercial-grade dehumidifier and, quite often, a sump pump.
- A new access point is added – this is usually a hinged door seal tightly along its edges. This enables the homeowner to use the space for storage while keeping it clean and sanitary.
The end result is a completely transformed crawl space that will be a worthy addition to your home.
Get in Touch With Us Today
At Align Foundation Repair, we cover a wide range of Dallas crawl space encapsulation service locations. We offer fair rates, free estimates, and guaranteed results.
Contact us today to learn more about crawl space encapsulation and our other foundation repair services. We will be glad to help you put your crawl space problems in the past!
