Crawl Space Encapsulation in
Midlothian, VA

How We Approach Crawl Space Encapsulation Here

Humid southern air plus open vents plus bare soil is the recipe for everything you do not want under a house.

Encapsulation seals a crawl space off from the ground and the outside air. A heavy vapor barrier is run across the soil and up the foundation walls and piers, vents are sealed, and humidity is managed mechanically instead of by ventilation. In a humid climate like ours the traditional approach of venting a crawl space frequently makes the problem worse: warm, moist summer air enters through the vents, meets cooler surfaces underneath the house, and condenses on joists, ducts and insulation. Encapsulation ends that cycle. The result is drier framing, less mold and rot risk, fewer pests drawn to damp conditions, and a home that is easier and cheaper to condition because the air being drawn up through the floor is no longer damp. A full encapsulation runs in a set order, because each step depends on the one before it. We start with the structure, assessing the floor joists, the sill plate, the band board and the girders, because moisture damaged wood has to be repaired or sistered before anything gets sealed over it. Where water is actively entering the space, a drain system and sump pump go in at that stage, since a barrier laid over standing water hides a problem rather than solving it. Then the foundation walls are insulated, a 20 mil vapor barrier is laid across the soil and run up the walls and piers, the vents are sealed, and a new crawl space door is built so the access closes properly. The last step is a dehumidifier sized at 70 pints per day per 1,000 square feet, which is what holds the space stable once the ventilation is gone by design.