Crawl Space Encapsulation & Conditioned Crawl Space

Most Popular Thickness

12 Mil DrySpace™

The 12 Mil DrySpace™ is by far our most popular crawl space vapor barrier due to the all around versatility for light storage and superior moisture protection.

Spray Foam Insulation

Where NOT to use it -

Closed cell spray foam is a great product for sealing out every little air leak. But, it will hinder your ability to inspect the structure if it is installed in the rim (band) joist area of the crawl space. This issue will come into play when selling a home or getting a termite inspection.

Mold and Mildew

Quick Facts -

• Mold can only be identified under a microscope
• There are more than 100,000 different kinds of Mold
• Bleach is NOT recommended to kill Mold on porous surfaces like wood

Encapsulated Crawl Space

Crawl space encapsulation is a generic term used to describe a crawl space that is protected from moisture by using a vapor barrier on the floor and walls.

This term was widely market by different basement waterproofing franchises in the early part of the century. The term has become directly associated with a white vapor barrier installed in the crawl space to cover the floor and walls.

Improvement over a "closed" crawl space

An encapsulated crawl space uses all of the features applied to a closed crawl space with a few exceptions. To be an encapsulated crawl space the vapor barrier is continued up the foundation wall and sealed (taped) to the floor vapor barrier. All supports, as well as plumbing that comes through the dirt and walls are also sealed. A polyurethane caulk or two sided foundation tape (like the Foundation Seal Tape™) is applied between the foundation wall and the crawl space vapor barrier to seal the moisture under the  barrier. In most cases the vapor barrier that is used is made of high quality polyethylene with a polyester mesh reinforcement. Although some companies offer a clear visqueen plastic purchased from a local hardware as a solution to keep their costs down.

Environmental Control

The purpose of the encapsulated crawl space is to create an environment that can be controlled. The reason the open crawl space is so bad is because the environment is allowed to change daily, sometimes hourly.

It's Just Plastic

Not all crawl space vapor barriers are created equal, but the truth is all will help in some way. A quality vapor barrier like DrySpace™ brand will last for 25 years or more, while a 6  or 10 mil clear plastic from the hardware store might last 3 to 5 years. The real investment is in the time and effort it takes to do it right, so for a little bit more money up front your efforts will have a lasting result. If odor is a concern make sure the vapor barrier that is installed is made of polyethylene and not PVC. PVC liners will off gas and smell like a pool liner. If a PVC liner off gasses in the crawl space you will smell it in your home.

Radon

Radon gas is a concern for all homes and all foundation types. It is a smart move to test for Radon (we offer free radon test kits with every DrySpace™ order) before having any crawl space vapor barrier installed. The DrySpace™ vapor barrier stops 98.6% of radon gas migration, but if there is a Radon gas problem there are other steps that need to be taken in order to protect your family. If you do not properly test and investigate the proper ways to mitigate Radon gas you could make the problem much worse. A Radon gas problem is very serious and very possibly life threatening. Click here to see a US map of Radon gas concentrations.

Conditioned Crawl Space

The Best Solution

This type of crawl space uses all of the positive parts of the other crawl space designs and leaves out the negative ones. A conditioned crawl space is part of the home, finally leaving the outside out and taking the final steps beyond the other options to create a healthy comfortable home.

Energy Efficient

Adding conditioned air (either heated or cooled) to the crawl space will help maintain the desired temperature inside the homes envelope. The new clean, dry, insulated and conditioned space will make the floors in the home warmer in the winter and eliminate foul smells in the warmer months. The ductwork in the crawl space will no longer be exposed to the dramatic temperature changes that it once was in the open crawl space. This improvement alone will shorten the heating cycle of the furnace and warm your home faster. In the summer the home can take advantage if the free cool air that is in the crawl space to take a load off the Air Conditioner.

Cleaner Air

When the crawl space is cleaned up and finished, your home will not be subject to the contaminated air that once seeped into your home. By circulating the air on all levels of the home the wood structure will be protected as if it were in a basement. There will no longer be an incubator under the floor to aggravate allergies or asthma.

DIY Project

The larger franchise companies would like you to believe that this "science" is far to complicated for a homeowner to do, that it must be done by a professional. If fact that is absolutely not true. In the past few years our DrySpace™ products have been installed by husband and wife teams, single parents and even homeowners as young a 71. We are here to help in all phases of the project; design, layout, material estimates, answering questions, technical support and problem solving- we're just a phone call away.

Cost

Most homes can have a conditioned crawl space for less than $1500 if they do it themselves. Having a professional install one might range from $4000 to $20,000 depending on the professional and the size of the crawl space. The difference is you will save basically a family vacations worth of money as well as knowing it was done just the way you wanted.

Doing this yourself may not be your cup of coffee (or tea if your from Europe) and we can help there too. We have nearly 50 contractors in the US that install our DrySpace™  vapor barrier products and we would be happy to introduce you. Even if we do not have one in your area we will work with and train a contractor that you already know and trust to do the work for you. We are at your service, just let us know how we can help.