Crawl Space Encapsulation Before & After Photos

After noticing some water pooling in his dirt floor crawl space, this homeowner in Sea Girt, NJ, called our Crawl Space Division to determine the cause and discuss possibly encapsulating his crawl space. Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture and once the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise and can lead to mold and mildew issues (fortunately, there was no mold or mildew in the crawl space). After speaking the owner, he decided that he wanted to encapsulate his crawl space!

First, we removed all the debris and old insulation, leveled the ground for proper draining, and installed drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the sump pump. Next, we installed a SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump. The SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump protects vulnerable crawl spaces by combining an intelligent WaterWatch® alarm system with a sump pump that's specifically designed for crawl spaces. Additionally, both the lid and floor drain are specially designed to prevent collected water from evaporating back out into your crawl space. Any water from a plumbing leak or sump failure must first pass by the alarm and will then drain down into the sump. The alarm will sound immediately if this happens, so you'll know you have a leak in your crawl space.

We also cleaned off all the beams in the crawl space and installed SilverGlo™ on the walls of the crawl space. SilverGlo™ is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity. Next, we installed a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. By encapsulating the crawl space & installing the vapor barrier over the foundation walls and floor will create a continuous air and moisture barrier. The vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold. 

Lastly, to control the humidity levels in the crawl space, we installed a Sedona dehumidifier. This is a powerful, energy-efficient, commercial-grade dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run. Now the homeowners have a clean and healthy crawl space as well as an additional area in their home for storage.

After moving into their new home in Rumson, NJ, the first thing these new homeowners wanted to do was encapsulate their dirt floor crawl space. So they gave our Crawl Space Division a call and we were sent out! Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture and once the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise and can lead to mold and mildew issues (fortunately, there was no mold or mildew in the crawl space).

First, we removed all the debris and old insulation, leveled the ground for proper draining and installed drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the sump pump. Afterward, we installed a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. By encapsulating the crawl space & installing the vapor barrier over the foundation walls and floor will create a continuous air and moisture barrier.

The vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold. We also cleaned off all the beams in the crawl space and installed SilverGlo™ on the walls of the crawl space. SilverGlo™ is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity. Lastly, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier. The Sedona directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump and will control the humidity levels in the crawl space.

The new homeowner, who as a realtor was quite knowledgable about proper home design and preventative maintenance, wanted the crawl space encapsulated to avoid potential moisture and pest problems and contacted Cowleys Crawl Space Solutions Division.

After purchasing her new home, this resident in Montgomery, NJ wanted to add some much-needed storage space in her crawl space. The issue was that her crawl space had a dirt floor and was filthy. She contacted our Contracting division and wanted us to encapsulated her crawl space.

First, we leveled the ground for proper draining and installed drainage matting. This material is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the new sump pump we installed. Next, we installed a vapor barrier, which is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. It's extremely durable, treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold, and is installed over the foundation walls and floor to create a continuous air and moisture barrier.

Afterward, we installed SilverGlo™ on the walls of the crawl space, which is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity. Lastly, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier. The Sedona directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump and will control the humidity levels in the crawl space.

Recently, homeowners in Lawrence Township, NJ in Mercer County contacted Cowleys to upgrade their dirty, dusty crawl space. Crawl spaces are perhaps the most ignored areas of a home. They can also be fraught with problems that can affect the living spaces above. Dirty crawl space air circulates throughout the home, so even if you don’t see what’s going on down there, the crawl space in a very real way is visiting you on a daily basis. Crawl spaces are also notorious for high indoor humidity levels, for mold growth, and their damp, dark environment attracts insects. Many homeowners deal with pungent smells and poor indoor air quality because of problem crawl spaces.

This homeowner was bothered that there was a filthy area right below their first floor and decided it was time to do something about it. Cowleys has an experienced contractor crew that can improve crawl spaces in a variety of ways, up to and including the installation of a full CleanSpace encapsulation system. Crawl space encapsulation seals off the outdoor elements that can trigger all sorts of problems. Even if you don’t see puddles of water in your crawl space, ground soil is naturally saturated with water. By definition, any crawl space with a soil floor is damp and filled with moisture most of the time. 

For this homeowner, we installed thick mold-resistant drainage matting to create a barrier between crawlspace and floor, a primary entry point of unwanted groundwater.  We wrapped the walls with SilverGlo wall insulation, an Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS) product coated in a mold-resistant aluminum and put protective warping on the crawl space pillars as well. Finally, we put in a heavy-duty 20-mil CleanSpace vapor barrier. Our vapor barrier is much thicker and sturdier than a regular liner, and we mechanically fasten it to the walls. When, on occasion, you or a repair person need to access your crawl space, the barrier will not pull off or tear.

Once we completed the installation, these homeowners now benefitted from a home with a clean, improved crawl space. This home improvement will make their home more comfortable for the family, improve the indoor air quality, and reduce the risk of crawl space mold growth. For these homeowner, an added benefit was that their crawl space could now be used as a much-needed clean and dry storage area.