Encapsulations

Water problems in your crawl space can cause moisture problems that often go unnoticed until they become major issues, because for many homeowners, their crawl space is difficult to access. Whenever something is out of sight, it's easier for it to be out of mind.

What starts off as a small moisture problem in your crawl space can turn into a much bigger and costly problem if it's not caught early enough. But when you fully encapsulate your crawl space, fewer of these types of moisture related issues can occur.

When fully encapsulating your crawl space, Dog Gone Waterproofing has a very thorough process that we follow to eliminate any water and moisture related issues.

There are many benefits to crawl space encapsulations. Once you stop the moisture issues in your crawl space, you'll no longer have to deal with mold, wood rot, insects, foul odors, etc.

Anywhere from one-third to one-half of the indoor air in your home comes from the lowest level. If your lowest level is a crawl space that is full of mold caused by excess moisture, then that's what you'll be breathing inside your home.

If there is a high level of humidity in your crawl space, it will rise up and cause issues inside the rest of your home. If there are insects and foul odors in your crawl space, you will smell and breathe what’s happening underneath your home. What happens in your crawl space, does not necessarily stay in your crawl space.

Our Full Crawl Space Encapsulation Process

What is our thorough process that Dog Gone Waterproofing follows for our full crawl space waterproofing encapsulations? Here are the highlights:

First, any standing water will be removed to get your crawl space as dry as possible.

Next, any mold remediation work will be performed if necessary to eliminate any existing mold growth.

Once your crawl space has been properly cleaned, we will install either 12 mil with dimple padding, or 20 mil heavy-duty, polyethylene vapor barrier to cover the entirety of your crawl space floor. We also go up piers and walls to about 3-6 inches from the top. We want to leave those areas exposed for any future termite inspections.

Your crawl space moisture barrier is overlapped and sealed up, so there is no exposed bare ground. Dog Gone Waterproofing only uses the highest quality products known for their durability and thickness.

Any foundation vents in your crawl space are sealed off completely. You will no longer want to introduce outside air into your encapsulated crawl space that could create moisture.

The rim joist/perimeter of your crawl space is sealed with moisture resistant, closed-cell foam insulation. This prevents air seepage and moisture from getting into the crawl space. All other potential entry points are sealed up as well.

A specifically designed crawl space dehumidifier and condensation pump are installed with a drain line routed to the outside of the foundation. This helps regulate air moisture in your newly sealed crawl space.

Additional steps are taken in certain circumstances that require them. Examples would be installing a sump pump with any necessary trenching before the encapsulation process begins and removing and hauling away any fiberglass insulation that was in the crawl space. Fiberglass insulation in a crawl space absorbs moisture and it's a potential breeding ground for moisture related problems.

Dog Gone Waterproofing’s certified inspectors evaluate each individual crawl space before giving an estimate to perform our work, making sure that all the necessary steps for your crawl space are covered.

Those are the main steps that are performed during full crawl space encapsulation, but what are the benefits?

Improved Air Quality

The air quality inside your home will be greatly improved after a full crawl space encapsulation.

With a large portion of the air inside your home is coming from below, if your crawl space is free from mold, insects, moisture, and odors, then the indoor air quality throughout your home will greatly improve.

Eliminate Pests

A moisture free crawl space is not a habitable environment for pests and wood destroying insects. No moisture = no termites, no crickets and no spiders.

Improved Structural Integrity

No more mold issues, no more wood rot issues and no more structural damage. Think of the money you will save without having to worry about mold remediation or floor joist and sub-floor repairs. You'll have a more structurally sound and a healthier home.

Improved Air Quality

A full crawl space encapsulation will create more comfortable living conditions inside your home. You will no longer be breathing dirty, moldy air, with insect feces in it, coming from your crawl space. Only clean air will be rising up now.

Lower Humidity

No more high humidity rising up from the crawl space, causing uncomfortable or dangerous levels inside your home. This also means no more buckling wood floors caused by high humidity. And with less moisture coming up, your floors won’t be as cold in the winter.

Lower Utility Bills

Lower utility bills = more money in your pocket. In the winter, you are paying more to heat the cold air coming up from the crawl space. Damp, cold air will increase your heating bills because damp air takes more energy to heat.

This also is a benefit in the summer. Maintaining a drier environment in your crawl space aids in the cooling down of the entire home.

More Storage Space

Depending on how your crawl space is designed, you can use your newly encapsulated crawl space for extra storage. You wouldn't want to do that in your damp and muddy crawl space, but now you can.

Post Encapsulation Check-Ups

This is a benefit you get when you hire Dog Gone Waterproofing to perform your crawl space encapsulation. Our certified waterproofing inspector does a final inspection as the work is being completed, as well as a 2 week post encapsulation check-up, then every 3 months during your five year full-coverage portion of the limited lifetime warranty.

This is to check humidity levels and to ensure that all your crawl space waterproofing systems are functioning properly and your crawl space is still in great shape. A limited lifetime warranty comes with all of our crawl space encapsulations with the first 5 years being bumper-to-bumper, full-coverage. What's better than having a certified waterproofing and certified mold specialist checking your crawl space every 3 months for you so you don't have to for 5 years!

These are just some of the important benefits that come with crawl space encapsulation in Springfield Missouri.

The upfront cost for encapsulating your crawl space requires an investment, but you’ll make that money back in the long term. Lowering your utility bills and avoiding repairs in your crawl space will be cost beneficial in the long run.

If you want to have your crawl space inspected, call Dog Gone Waterproofing. We can give you all the information you'll need to know what’s right for your home.