Benefits of Encapsulating Your Crawlspace
Many homes built on a crawl space foundation suffer from moisture problems. Encapsulating your crawlspace is a popular solution for these moisture issues. A heavy-duty polyethylene barrier is added to completely cover your crawl space and is then sealed to help regulate the moisture levels.
Encapsulating your crawl space has many benefits:
- Improves air quality: Unsealed, or vented, crawlspaces have a negative impact on indoor air quality. Encapsulating your crawl space promotes clean air circulation throughout your home, making it easier and healthier to breathe for you and your family.
- Reduce the chances of costly floor repairs: Moisture causes wood to rot and over time will cause floors to begin sagging or buckling. Encapsulation your crawl space helps with controlling direct contact with moisture and makes it easier to control moisture levels.
- Enhance comfort: When you encapsulate your crawlspace, the temperature of your home’s wood or tile floors will be more comfortable to walk on- specifically in the winter months when they won’t be as cold. Encapsulation also keeps your home from feeling hot and humid during the summer months.
- Increases energy efficiency: Encapsulation allows your heating and cooling equipment to operate more efficiently (which allows them to last longer also). When you’re heating and air conditioning unit are not fighting with damp air created by a moist crawl space, it functions with less energy (which in return decreases your monthly utility bills).
- Qualify for rebates and tax incentives– Some utilities offer rebates once your crawlspace is encapsulated. The federal government has tax incentives for home performance improvements. Some state and local governments offer these incentives as well.
- Storage: Once your crawlspace is encapsulated, you can safely store valuables and other items without having to worry about them being ruined.
- An attractive selling feature: If you think you may want to sell at some point, an encapsulated crawlspace is an attractive selling feature for potential buyers. When comparing two similar houses, research finds the one with the encapsulated crawlspace tends to be more appealing to the potential buyer (for all of the reasons listed above!)
If you have any questions about your crawlspace or want to learn more about how B-Level can help, contact our office today and we can schedule a free appointment for any homeowner or property manager!