You don’t see it.
You probably don’t even think about it, but it affects every breath you take.
Half of the air you inhale comes from your crawl space.
This area beneath your house is easily overlooked—out of sight, out of mind—but it is an important factor in determining your air quality. In fact, crawl space encapsulation is the best way to improve your indoor air and maintain an energy-efficient home.
What Is Crawl Space Encapsulation?
During this process, we create a heavy-duty barrier, usually made polyethylene plastic to keep the moisture out of your crawl space. This eliminates potential mold problems. This is also great for keeping out pests such as termites.
When you eliminate mold problems, you’re ensuring the structural integrity of your home. Encapsulation means you’ll avoid such issues as wood rot.
And don’t be surprised if your power bill goes down. Encapsulation makes your home more insulated, meaning lower power costs. Crawl space encapsulation companies like First Call are experts in making your home as energy-efficient as possible.
How to Encapsulate a Crawl Space
Examine, measure and clean the crawl space.
First, the crawl space has to be cleaned. That means we remove rocks or items that could tear the barrier. We’ll take careful measurements of the area, paying close attention to any supporting structures and foundation walls.
Carefully measure and cut the barrier material.
We typically use polyethylene but may use something else if we feel it is more appropriate. It’s important that all measurements be exact—one small misstep could mean that moisture could creep in. This is why it’s best to leave crawl space encapsulation to a professional and don’t take it on as a DIY project.
Install the barrier material on the walls of the crawl space.
We add double-sided seal tape under the floor joists and attach it along all of the foundation walls.
Cover the floor surface.
The key is to be sure that every inch of the crawl space is covered and sealed. It’s important to hold off on covering the floor space until all the walls are taken care of.
Use a crawl space dehumidifier.
This is a useful tool for keeping the crawl space humidity to the ideal measurement between 45 and 50 percent
Is It Good to Encapsulate Crawl Space? Is it Worth It?
How much is it worth to you to avoid more serious problems later?
Removing mold can be a time-consuming process. Crawl space encapsulation can save you a lot of headaches later because it prevents such problems from occurring.
It’s an investment. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t hesitate to replace your roof before it causes problems, would you?
Likewise, look at your crawl space encapsulation as preventing serious problems before they start.
Can You Do Crawl Space Encapsulation Yourself?
This is a major project that can be difficult for even the well-versed DIY experts. One false move and you’ve got a major problem waiting to erupt.
It’s better to leave the hard work to a crawl space encapsulation company near you like First Call.
For more than 25 years, we’ve been providing the best crawl space repair services in Wake County, Alamance County and the surrounding areas of Raleigh, Burlington, Greensboro and the Triangle.
What Are Other Advantages of Crawl Space Encapsulation?
We’ve already mentioned how it improves air quality, prevents mold and helps energy efficiency, but did you realize it will make your floors more comfortable? Or that it can deter termites? We’ll look at a few advantages of crawl space encapsulation service.
It makes your floors much more comfortable
This is especially true if you have hardwood and tile floors. This not only keeps the floor less humid during the summer, but it makes it warmer in the winter.
It gets rid of pests.
All insects—including dreaded termites—need moisture to survive. When you eliminate their water source, you make your crawl space an unwelcome habitat for them.
It keeps your structural integrity.
Your home needs a strong foundation. A key part of this is to prevent any moisture from gathering in your crawl space where it can rot wood or damage the basic structure of your home.
Why Trust First Call?
First Call is always the right call. Why?
It’s about more than our decades of experience. It’s not even our extensive service area that incorporates Burlington, Raleigh, Greensboro and the surrounding locations.
It’s about a dedication to customer service. We’re not happy unless we exceed your expectations.
Contact us today for an estimate and see why First Call is the right call.
