If your home has a crawl space in it, you might be wondering about the proper maintenance and care of that area of your home. The answer is different depending on your crawl space, your property, and your home. Understanding how to care for your crawl space begins with understanding why it’s there to begin with.

Popularity of the basement crawl space underneath homes begins around the time industrialization also occurs, around the 1950s. Homes built around this time often have crawl spaces if they don’t have a full-blown basement space. They are also used when a full basement would be too expensive or impractical given the geographic area. Many of the original crawl spaces were between three and five feet tall, had open-air access, and were often used as mini versions of a basement.

We now know, however, that humid air tends to build up in crawlspaces. This humidity and the damp earth create an environment ripe for all sorts of potential problems for a home and its residents. It’s important to maintain and keep this area clear and clean for the health and safety of the home’s residents.

As with any type of basement, moisture can become a problem and seep into the crawl space via the soil. And as with any type of water problem, the best way to avoid crawl space moisture issues is to focus on the source. If you have a dirt crawl space encapsulation is likely your best option. For a bigger space, or a bigger crawl space, you might want a different solution. If you do encapsulate, don’t do so without a fully sealable space – it won’t fully work if there are large air gaps. Also be sure to account for drainage.

Encapsulating your crawlspace provides a moisture and vapor barrier between your home and the earth. The area in and around your crawl space is critically important to the structural integrity of your home. Ensuring a proper level of moisture in the space is key. This is also a good time to determine if you need to insulate the upper level of your crawl space and provide some added energy efficiency benefits to your home.

If you decide to encapsulate your crawl space, be sure to get in touch with a professionals at RCS in Santa Rosa to help you.