Crawl Space Encapsulation for Kathleen homeowners
Kathleen lots are big and almost none of them have storm drainage. Rain that falls on the property soaks in and stays in the upper soil, because the clay below will not take it. Under a house that means ground that is releasing moisture into the crawl space for most of the year.
The housing is split between older farmhouses with tall open crawl spaces and newer subdivision homes with shallow ones. Both have bare earth and vents, which is the combination that causes trouble here. The tall ones hold more air and take longer to go bad. The shallow ones put damp ground within inches of the subfloor.
Encapsulation handles it the same way in both. A heavy reinforced liner across the ground and up the piers and walls, taped at every seam, vents sealed shut, and a dehumidifier sized to the space. Outside, we make sure roof water is piped away from the foundation, because on a lot with no drainage that is where much of the moisture starts.
The scope is fixed before we start on a Kathleen home, so nothing gets added once the crew is underneath.
- Heavy-duty reinforced vapor barrier
- Sealed vents, seams, and foundation walls
- Lower humidity and energy bills
- Healthier air in the living space above
