Crawl Space Encapsulated in Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ

Homes that were built with dirt floor crawl space foundations became very popular after World War II when there was a huge demand for new and more affordable homes. Crawl spaces could be built faster and much cheaper than basements. However, no one could foresee the major issues that dirt floor crawl spaces can have on a home. For instance, this homeowner in Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ was experiencing incredibly high humidity levels and abundant moisture buildup in his crawl space. If left untreated any longer, this could lead to mold and mildew growth and structural damage. Fortunately, the homeowner decided to have Cowleys encapsulate his crawl space.

The benefits of crawl space encapsulation are dramatic. Relative humidity will stay below 70% even if the outdoor humidity is higher. You’ll save on your utility bills, have better air quality in the crawl space, and not only keep out moisture, but also keep out unwanted pests!

First, we cleared out all the debris and installed a drainage matting. A drainage matting is a dimpled plastic mat that allows water to work its way over to the sump pump. Next, we replaced the old, broken sump pump with a smart drain sump pump to allow any water that gets on top of the liner to flow down underneath the ground. 

Then, we installed a clean space liner covering the ground of the entire crawl space. A clean space liner is a super-durable, 20mil plastic sheet material designed to permanently prevent moisture, outside air, and pests from getting into your crawl space. The vapor barrier is installed over the foundation walls and floor to create a continuous air and moisture barrier. Finally, to control the humidity levels we installed a Sani-Dry dehumidifier. These machines are a powerful energy-efficient dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run. The SaniDry XP directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump. 

Now the humidity levels will be at a comfortable level, the value of the home has increased, and there will be no more moisture buildup in the crawl space.