Crawl Space Encapsulation For
Northern VA, Central VA & DC
Our Exclusive Process Prevents Moisture Buildup,
Rot & Mold Growth In Your Crawl Space.
Is your crawl space damp, musty, and prone to moisture? Our crawl space encapsulation for Northern VA, Central VA, and Washington DC is the solution.
Moisture-laden crawl spaces are host to all kinds of problems: mold, bacteria, spiders, snakes, crickets, rotting wood, and more. To make matters worse, half of the air in your home comes from your crawl space. That means serious potential health hazards for you and your family if your crawl space has mold.
But don’t worry. We’ve developed a waterproof, leakproof, encapsulation process that keeps your crawl space bone-dry… and the air in your home clean.
Our Exclusive 9-Step Crawl Space Encapsulation
Take A Look At Our State-Of-The-Art Process.
Remove the sharp, rocky material in the dirt. This prevents the plastic liners we install from tearing.
Seal off the crawl space vents with special plastic covers.
If your crawl space has ground water problems, then we’ll dig a hole at the lowest point, install a plastic sump pump well with an air-tight lid, and install a Zoeller sump pump.
Go around the entire crawl space with expanding foam and seal up the hundreds of small gaps around the band joist that, altogether, form a huge air leak. Most companies don’t bother with this step because it’s hard and awkward, but it’s extremely important to sealing up the crawl space.
Install special insulation on the walls that is custom-made for crawl spaces.
Install reinforced 12mil plastic to the walls with special screws.
Install a special reinforced 20mil plastic. Both the dimple board and plastic are held in place with spikes we insert into the ground.
Seal the plastic on the floor to the plastic on the walls with special tape, making one continuous moisture barrier from wall to wall.
Install a custom dehumidifier made for crawl spaces. Steps 1-9 will keep out most of the moisture. But for the little bit that still gets in, the dehumidifier takes care of it.
Why The Internet Is Wrong About Crawl Space Encapsulation
Ventilation Is The Last Thing Your Crawl Space Needs.
If you believe the internet, all you need to encapsulate your crawl space properly is a 6mil plastic vapor barrier on the ground. As long as your crawl space has plenty of crawl space vents, you’re good to go.
That’s not just wrong. It’s dangerously wrong.
First, 6mil plastic is too thin. It tears easily so, over time, the barrier will rip and let the damp earth evaporate moisture into your crawl space (which raises the humidity and grows mold).
Second, and more importantly, crawl space vents were a misguided idea from 70 years ago. If you have a steamy bathroom, then the quickest way to clear it is an open a window… right? Well, turns out that’s the worst thing in a crawl space in our region of the country.
Why?
In the summer, all that warm, moist outside air cools down when it enters your cool crawl space. Cool air holds less moisture than warm air, so that moisture has to go somewhere… but where? It condenses (forms water droplets) on your floor joists. Those water droplets equal mold, rot, and bacteria on the joists that hold up your entire house.
Only recently has building science discovered the best way to moisture-proof a crawl space is to A) install a dehumidifier in the space and B) seal the space off. Sealing off the space prevents outside moisture from getting in, while the dehumidifier gobbles up any moisture that does try to form.
If you have questions encapsulating your crawl space in the Northern VA, Central VA, Southern MD, or Washington DC area, we’d be honored to speak with you. Get in touch today!
Why Choose Us
We remove mold the right way… and it would be an honor to hear from you.
96% Success Rate
Your home is in the best hands—our chemical-free remediation has the highest success rate in the industry.
Instant Mold Testing
You get the answers you need—our special mold testing provides 99% accurate results on the spot.
300+ Happy Clients
You can trust our process—we’ve performed over 300 successful projects since we opened in 2006.
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