Do You Need Crawl Space Encapsulation or Crawl Space Repair?

You probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about your crawl space. This is an ideal state of affairs—when everything’s fine with your crawl space, there’s nothing to think about. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen, not thinking about your crawl space is a function of not wanting to think about it.

As crawl space repair experts, we can help. We know that it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to thinking about what might be wrong with your crawl space, and we’d like to make it easier for you.

You may have heard about crawl space encapsulation, but what exactly is it? How does it differ from crawl space repair (or does it)? Let’s take a look at crawl space encapsulation and the role it plays in crawl space repair.

Crawl Space Encapsulation

It’s best to think of your crawl space as an extension of and a conduit into your home. The air in your crawl space ends up in your lungs—indeed, up to half of the air in your home can seep up from beneath your home. And the moisture in your crawl space can impact far more than the crawl space itself.

Michigan’s climate is not often dry. Our weather presents moisture challenges in the form of heavy snows and torrential rains. Without protection, this moisture seeps into your crawl space, causing a number of problems. Moist conditions can quickly lead to mold that can damage both your home and your health.

Furthermore, an unprotected crawl space can be a haven for pests. Rodents can access the space and nest, and other pests, such as wasps and ants, can colonize under the floor and in the beams. All of these can impact your health.

Encapsulating your crawl space prevents the invasion of moisture and pests. With crawl space encapsulation you completely seal every element of your crawl space, from ceiling to floor. A thick polyethylene sheet covers every inch of the space, including the floor (which is compacted soil in most cases) and foundation walls. It’s sealed with construction-grade sealing tape, and when the process is complete your crawl space is its own protected environment.

Backup: Dehumidifiers

Another aspect of crawl space encapsulation is continuing to address latent moisture from sweating pipes and other sources of dripping water. As such, one often-employed additional aspect of the job is to install a crawl space dehumidifier system to ensure the air stays dry.

Crawl space encapsulation is part of crawl space repair, but there are other aspects of repair that address more serious problems.

Crawl Space Repair

Crawl space encapsulation can solve a lot of the problems you’ll find in your crawl space, but there could be foundational problems as well. This is why it’s important to contact crawl space repair experts to assess the issue and provide solutions.

If your crawl space’s walls are cracked, you can’t just throw polyethylene over them and call it good. It’s like putting a band-aid on a broken arm—the problem is only going to grow larger and more serious.  You need to have the foundation repaired before encapsulation can be effective. Crawl space repair can be far more extensive, and you need a trusted professional to diagnose issues and let you know what will work.

Have you noticed sagging floors? Do your floors dip? Do they creak when you walk on them? Further, are you seeing cracks in your drywall? All these can be signs that your home isn’t properly supported.

Backup: Power Posts

Part of our crawl space repair services include the sales and placement of crawl space power posts. Power posts are a permanent solution to a problem some people try to fix with jacks from the local hardware store. 

Power posts won’t rot, and we install power posts on concrete pads so there’s no chance of settling. They’re there for the life of your home.

Call Michigan’s Crawl Space Repair Experts

When you suspect you need crawl space repair, you’re probably right. But don’t diagnose the problem on your own. Whether you need crawl space encapsulation or more intensive crawl space repair, Foundation Solutions 360 can help.

Let Foundation Solutions 360 Think About Your Crawl Space for You

Chances are you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about your crawl space, but we do! Whether you need crawl space encapsulation or more extensive crawl space repair, Foundation Solutions 360 can help. Put our more than 20 years of experience in Michigan to work for you – contact us today!