8 Ways Crawl Space Encapsulation Will Boost Your Home’s Value
When it comes to upgrading a home, many property owners invest in home improvements like kitchen remodels, room additions, or a fresh coat of paint. But one of the most overlooked improvements is crawl space encapsulation.
Today’s homebuyer not only looks at the aesthetics of a home, but also the durability of the property, comfort, and energy efficiency. Crawl space encapsulation is an incredibly valuable activity that offers all these benefits and more.
What is Crawl Space Encapsulation?
Encapsulation is the process of sealing up the crawl space with a variety of solutions including a vapor barrier, insulation, vent covers, and dehumidifiers. This helps prevent moisture from seeping into your crawl space, which can cause wood rot, mold growth, and pest infestation.
Benefits of Encapsulating Your Crawl Space
Crawl space encapsulation provides an attractive selling feature. Here are some of the benefits of investing in crawl space encapsulation and the effects it can have on your home’s value:
1. Better Storage Space
Luckily, encapsulating your crawl space can eliminate all these issues. Sealing air leaks and adding a thick and durable vapor barrier to your dirt crawl space prevents dampness and stops water retention and seepage. This helps keep the humidity in your crawl space at a safe level and prevent wood rot, condensation buildup, and mold growth. As a result, you are left with a stronger, more durable foundation and a healthier home.
2. Additional Storage Space
Extra storage space is a key selling feature in the St. Louis, MO, real estate market. Encapsulating your crawl space adds valuable and usable square footage to a property, which can be used as additional storage.
3. Energy Savings
Did you know that the crawl space is a significant part of any home’s overall energy use profile? According to surveys, the average American home spends approximately $2,200 on energy bills yearly, with half of this amount going to heating and cooling.
Crawl space encapsulation helps to stabilize temperatures in the crawl space. Ultimately, this helps reduce the burden on your heating and cooling equipment, lowering your energy costs by 15 to 20%.
4. Healthier Air Quality
A vented crawl space usually harbors bacteria, mold, and other contaminants that can pollute your indoor air and negatively impact its quality. Since a large portion of the air you breathe—about 50%—comes from the crawl space, you must encapsulate your crawl space with a substantial barrier to improve the overall air quality of your home. This eliminates the threat of mold and mold-related issues that affect the quality of air in your property.
5. Pest Deterrence
Encapsulating your crawl space reduces moisture and humidity, making it an unwelcoming area for pests such as ants and termites. This process eliminates the damp conditions that attract these pests, thereby preventing them from invading and causing damage to your home, including to wiring, wood, and insulation. By creating a dry environment, encapsulation stops pests and mold from becoming a problem in your home.
6. High Returns on Your Home
According to various surveys, adding a high-performance energy-saving feature like crawl space encapsulation can offer an average 10% return on investment when a house sells.
7. Less Home Repairs
Another essential benefit to consider is that crawl space encapsulation eliminates the need for costly home improvements in the future. It provides excellent protection against pests and moisture, which means you are less likely to need mold remediation, pest extermination, and crawl space repair services.
8. Higher Home Appeal
Other than fortifying your structure, crawl space encapsulation also increases your home’s overall appeal to potential buyers in St. Louis, MO. You can put any price and still attract serious buyers.
Encapsulate Your Crawl Space With Foundation Recovery Systems
Now that you’re aware of the significant benefits encapsulation brings to your property, seizing the moment to act is crucial. A dry, well-maintained crawl space not only enhances your home’s value but also contributes to a healthier living environment.
Don’t let another day pass by with potential damage lurking beneath your feet. Contact the professionals at Foundation Recovery Systems today for a complimentary crawl space inspection and repair quote, and start the journey toward a safer, more efficient home.
FAQs
The duration of the encapsulation process depends on the size of the crawl space, the extent of existing damage, and the specific solutions implemented. Most jobs take 1-3 days for full installation, including moisture control, insulation, and sealing. Our teams at Foundation Recovery Systems work efficiently to ensure timely and thorough protection. Contact us for more details and to schedule a free inspection.
Comprehensive crawl space encapsulation, which includes waterproofing, insulation, and dehumidification, prevents external water and air from entering and raising humidity levels. This results in reduced humidity when these external moisture sources are blocked. Contact Foundation Recovery Systems to learn more and to schedule a free inspection.
We do not recommend that you try to undertake the process of crawl space encapsulation alone for a number of reasons. While this process is fairly straightforward and simple, it does require a certain number of specialist tools and products that can be hard for non-professionals to acquire and deploy effectively. If this process goes wrong, then it can have many impacts on the property in question, and they are not likely to be positive.
Why DIY isn’t a Good Idea
DIY has its place, of course, and we understand that many homeowners find it both useful and enjoyable. Nonetheless, there are some things that we recommend you never try to do alone. We do not recommend that you attempt to undertake any structural work alone, and while it may not seem like it, this includes crawl space encapsulation. This is because the structure of your property may need repairs before encapsulation can be properly undertaken but also because improper encapsulation can lead to structural damage in a number of ways.
If you use poor quality products, install products improperly, or trap moisture in your home, then there is a high chance that you will increase the humidity in the space and allow substances like mold and wood rot to grow at an accelerated rate. This can cause huge issues for your home in the long term and also could impact your health and wellbeing over time. It is best to let a professional deal with this for you; the benefits are many!
The Benefits of Professional Services
As well as the benefits of safety and efficiency, professional crawl space encapsulation offers an increased level of cost-effectiveness. Not only do professionals have all the tools and equipment they might need on hand, but they also can buy products from professional supply stores or manufacturers directly. This means that they can offer better quality at comparable prices.
Higher levels of effectiveness, quality, durability, and generally better value for money. When you consider all this, it just makes sense to let a professional handle your crawl space encapsulation. So, why not give your home the best and call Foundation Recovery Systems to discuss crawl space encapsulation and waterproofing?
Leah Leitow
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