Spaces located beneath a building to allow the installation of pipes and other substructures are known as crawl spaces. They are low in height and for this reason; these spaces are normally used for storage purposes. This is not to mean that you neglect them as they can play a very important function in ensuring the comfort ability of your home. In the event that you ignore them, insects, moisture, mildew and mold will make it their home and this will cause a myriad of problems. The simplest and best way to make sure this does not happen is through crawl space encapsulation. How does crawl space encapsulation help?
It contributes to cleaner air
Science teaches us that once air starts becoming warm, it rises up. As the air moves up, more is sucked out of the crawl space in order to fill the gap left by the rising air. Should it be that you have not encapsulated the crawl spaces in your basement, moisture, other harmful materials may have collected therein, and these are sucked up with air. These can create serious health issues for you and your family. The only way to avoid this is by carrying crawl space encapsulation in the basement. Once done, the air entering your home from the basement will always be dry and devoid of any harmful substances that may have been in the crawl spaces.
Keeps insects away
You are well aware that insects and other crawling creatures thrive well in cold, dark and moist spaces in the home. Should the crawl spaces in your basement have no encapsulation, these insects make it their home. Once settled, they must feed and they will therefore move about your basement apartment looking for food. The insects will make the apartment untidy and they leave an odor behind that is unpleasant to the olfactory cells. Should the insects decide to make wood their stable food, they weaken the whole foundation of the home and this will leave you in serious trouble. All this can be avoided through the process of basement crawl space encapsulation.
Basement crawl space encapsulation increases your home’s value
Basement crawl space encapsulation goes a long way in increasing the resale value of the home. Once you tell potential buyers that you went through the trouble of carrying out crawl space encapsulation, they will see you as a person that carefully maintained your home and this will give you negotiating power. You will be able to prove that the internal home atmosphere is healthy and pleasant because of the encapsulation and this nets you a higher price. It is important for you to encapsulate the crawl spaces early enough to make sure that no damage is caused to the basement and this will further help to increase your home’s value and safety.
Increase the strength of your home
One of the most popular methods of basement crawl encapsulation is by using heavy sheets of polyethylene on the foundation walls. In some cases, several layers of these sheets are used and this means that both moisture and crawling insects have a very hard time finding access to the basement apartment. The result is that the soil that supports the foundation of your home is kept dry and this gives good support to your home. Therefore, you are able to avoid a lot of damage to your basement by carrying out the encapsulation. Should the damage take place, the costs to repair it are humongous and need to be avoided.
Hiring the right crawl space encapsulation specialists
Once you decide to carry out basement crawl space encapsulation, it is important you hire a well-qualified and experienced professional to carry out the project. The expert will know the best material to use to ensure high quality of work at the most competitive cost. In addition, they will make sure that the encapsulation inhibits the blocks’ access to moisture and insects and this is a benefit. If all the homes in your locality have basements, chances are that most homeowners have encapsulated the crawl spaces in the basements and hence they can refer a good expert for you to work with. A referral is always best as you can rely on the services to be provided.
As you can see from the pointers above, basement crawl space encapsulation is not something that you should put off to another date. It will increase the value of your property, protect and strengthen your house, keep insects at bay and make the internal atmosphere of your home comfortable. These are all reasons that you cannot ignore if you care about your home. It is important to note that there are various methods of crawl space encapsulation and a good professional should be able to advice on the best one to use.
If you are still hesitant to part with some dollars to perform this task for your house, you are being unjust to yourself. The fact is crawl space encapsulation prevents costly damage to your home, such as floor, wall and foundation damages, not to mention the risk caused to your family’s health and well-being. Anyway, you will eventually end up paying the painful costs of not taking this preventive measure.