Where the water is coming from
Grading against the house, gutter discharge, a plumbing leak or a genuinely high water table are four different problems with four different answers.
Under the floor
Crawl Space Encapsulation in North Georgia and North Alabama
A crawl space problem almost always starts with water. We find where it is coming from before we seal anything, because sealing a wet space just hides the problem somewhere you cannot see it.
15+ years Family owned and operated7 days Open 7 days, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PMFree Estimates
Free Insulation Estimate
Family ownedOperating since 2010
Spray foam specialistsNot a general insulation reseller
Two crews, two statesNorth Georgia and North Alabama
Lawrenceville based1891 Prospect Church Road
How this usually starts
What people notice before they look under the house.
Very few people go into their own crawl space. The signs usually show up on the floor above it.
01
Tell us what you are noticing →Floors are cold underfootEspecially in winter, and especially in rooms over the middle of the crawl space.
02A musty smell you cannot placeAir moves upward through a house. What is under the floor ends up in the rooms above it.
03Standing water or damp groundThis is a drainage question before it is an insulation question. It gets solved first.
04Sagging or damp insulation hanging downBatts between the joists have given up. They usually come out rather than get replaced like for like.
Before we quote01 02 03
Three things that decide whether encapsulation is even the right answer.
Encapsulation works well when the space is dry or can be made dry. When it cannot, sealing it is the wrong move and we will tell you.
The condition of the framing
Joists, sills and subfloor get looked at for rot and for anything that needs a carpenter before we seal the space.
Vents, access and equipment
What happens to the existing vents, how the space is entered afterwards and whether any mechanical equipment lives down there.
The material decision
What actually goes into a crawl space.
Encapsulation is a system, not a single product. The parts below get specified against the space, and not every space needs every part.
Walls and rim joist
Closed-cell spray foam
- Usually fits
- Foundation walls and the rim joist, where density and moisture resistance both matter.
- We check first
- Substrate condition, required thickness and clearance for any inspection the space needs.
Across the floor
Ground vapour barrier
- Usually fits
- Sealing the earth floor so ground moisture stops entering the space in the first place.
- We check first
- How the ground sits, where it is seamed and how it terminates against the walls.
Before anything gets sealed
Fixing the source first
- Usually fits
- Any space with standing water, failed drainage or a plumbing problem.
- We check first
- Whether this is our work or a job for a drainage contractor. We will say which.
How the job runs
From a look under the house to a sealed space.
The order matters here more than on any other job we do. Water first, then seal.
- 01We go under the house
The whole space, not the hatch. Ground condition, framing, vents, plumbing and any standing water.
- 02We trace the moisture
If the water has an external cause, that gets identified and named before we quote the encapsulation.
- 03You get the scope in writing
What is sealed, what is removed, what is excluded and anything that needs another trade first.
- 04We install it and stand behind it
The crew that quoted the work is the crew responsible for it.
Crawl space encapsulation FAQs
The things owners usually want settled before they book an estimate.
Will encapsulation fix my moisture problem?
It can, but only if the water source has been dealt with. If rainwater is running toward the house because of grading or gutters, or if there is a plumbing leak, sealing the space traps the moisture instead of removing it. We look for the source first, and if the fix belongs to a drainage contractor rather than to us, we will tell you that.
Should the crawl space vents be closed?
In a sealed crawl space, yes, that is the point of the system. In our climate, outside air brought into a cool crawl space in summer often adds moisture rather than removing it. It is part of the same decision as the encapsulation, not a separate one.
Do you remove the old insulation between the joists?
Usually. Batts hanging between floor joists in a damp crawl space have normally absorbed moisture and lost most of their value. In an encapsulated space the insulation moves to the foundation walls anyway, so the old material comes out as part of the work.
Will my floors feel warmer?
Most people do notice a difference, because the space under the floor is no longer being fed by outside air. We will not put a number on it. Comfort depends on the whole house, not on one part of it.
Can I still get under the house afterwards?
Yes. Access is part of the design. Plumbers, electricians and inspectors still need to get in, and the scope says how.
How much does crawl space encapsulation cost?
It depends on the size of the space, the condition of the ground, how much removal is involved, the access and whether drainage work is needed first. We do not quote it by the square foot before seeing the space, because the condition down there changes the job more than the size does.
Related work
Other parts of the building worth checking.
Insulation problems rarely stay in one place. These are the areas that most often come up alongside this one.
North Georgia · North Alabama
Start under the house. Find the water before you seal anything.
Tell us what you are noticing on the floor above and where the property is.