The Crawlspace Encapsulation Experts
Solve crawlspace moisture issues for a healthier, more energy efficient home.
Creating a Healthier Home
Crawlspaces have always been a challenge for homeowners. These shallow spaces under your home often develop major problems that are caused by excess moisture.
It isn’t only leaking water that causes problems in crawlspaces. It’s also higher humidity levels caused from dirt floors, open vents and other air leakages.
This excess moisture creates the ideal condition for mold and wood rot. To compound this problem, because air moves from the bottom of your house to the top, all the nasty odors, moisture, gasses, and mold spores in your crawlspace drift up into your living space.
Let us reduce the moisture in your crawlspace and make your entire home healthier with our ’58 Foundations Crawlspace – the leading crawlspace encapsulation and controlled climate system.
Why Choose Us
Strongest Crawlspace Warranty
Our warranty offers the highest level of protection available. Our crawlspace encapsulation system is protected for 30 years.*
Money-back Guarantee
If we can't fix it, we'll return your money.* That's how confident we are that our crawlspace waterproofing system will solve your problem.
Hundreds of Thousands of Satisfied Customers
Since 1958, we've been delivering on our promise of healthier crawlspaces with integrity, deep industry knowledge, and fair pricing.
More Affordable than Ever
Financing to fit your budget.* Crawlspace solutions designed with your needs and budget in mind. No high-pressure sales.
The Problems Created by Crawlspaces
Many crawlspace problems occur because of the way a crawlspace is built.
If the crawlspace has a dirt floor or a thin layer of concrete poured over the dirt, moisture from the soil can easily make its way into the crawlspace. Moisture also enters the crawlspace through porous concrete or block walls, and of course moist air can enter through crawlspace vents.
Why Moisture and High Humidity are Bad for a Crawlspace
The fact that the crawlspace can interact with the outdoors and the surrounding soil leads to a number of problems:
Crawlspace mold – A musty smell in a crawlspace is a sure sign of mold. Mold can be a serious problem because of the potential for a wide range of adverse health effects in humans. Many people are allergic to mold. Mold also degrades building materials; it can lead to wood rot that damages your home’s structural elements.
Insect and rodent pests – A crawlspace that isn’t sealed from the exterior, and has high high moisture content can become a haven for termites, ants, bees, and rodents.
Poor indoor air quality – Bad smells and microscopic airborne mold spores can make their way into your living space from the crawlspace below. This is especially true if you have ductwork in the crawlspace. High moisture content helps dust mites thrive as well as they absorb moisture from the air to live. The fecal matter of dust mites can become air born and is a top cause of indoor allergens.
Moisture damage – Do you have equipment in your crawlspace – like a water heater, ductwork, or furnace? If so, high moisture content in the crawlspace can cause rust and corrosion that damages these items and shortens their service life. Crawlspace moisture will also degrade insulation that is installed between crawlspace floor joists.
Energy loss – Air with higher moisture content is more difficult – and thus more costly – to heat or cool.
Advanced Energy’s study of crawlspaces shows all the detriments of vented, unsealed and unconditioned crawlspaces.
Crawlspace solutions – first remove the water
Crawlspace water problems can be solved using proven waterproofing methods. Crawlspace waterproofing can be performed on its own, or it can be part of the crawlspace encapsulation process. Either way, the waterproofing materials and techniques are the same.
The first step in any crawlspace waterproofing project is to identify where and how water is coming into the crawlspace. A specialized crawlspace repair contractor, such as we are at ’58 Foundations, will be able to determine these details during a crawlspace inspection. The most common waterproofing strategy involves a few key elements.
In most cases, the contractor will install an interior drainage channel (often referred to as a French drain system) around the inside of the crawlspace foundation. This drainage system captures water that leaks into the crawlspace and drains it to a sump pit, where a crawlspace sump pump is installed. The sump pump comes on automatically when water in the sump pit reaches a predetermined level, discharging the water to the exterior of the house.
If the crawlspace foundation walls are leaking into the crawlspace, it’s also necessary to cover the walls with a heavy-duty plastic membrane. This membrane, that will also act as a moisture barrier, will capture wall leakage and direct it into the drainage system, preventing water from collecting on the crawlspace floor.
If you have water in your crawlspace, call or contact us online for a Free crawlspace waterproofing price quote.
The '58 Crawlspace Solution – Encapsulated and Climate Controlled
Crawlspace encapsulation is sometimes referred to as “crawlspace repair” or “crawlspace sealing.” It’s easy to understand why these other terms are used.
Crawlspace problems – such as groundwater leaks or leakage through crawlspace walls – call for repairs to be made as part of the encapsulation process. And the word “sealing” describes the process used to seal out moisture and outside air, so that the crawlspace environment isn’t affected by exterior conditions.
An experienced crawlspace encapsulation contractor should inspect your crawlspace for free, and provide you with a free estimate to complete the encapsulation process. At ’58 Foundations, if you own the home or building, we will do a free inspection and price estimate.
One of the details that an inspection will reveal is the structural integrity of your crawlspace, including walls, joists, posts, and beams. If the main floor of the house has settled, or if the floor shows signs of unevenness, this can be due to inadequate structural support in the crawlspace.
Before the encapsulation process can begin, ’58 Foundations will suggest correcting such problems, usually be installing new posts or crawlspace jacks.
’58 Foundations crawlspace encapsulation process involves sealing all crawlspace vents to keep moisture out, and then sealing the floor and walls with a 20-mil thick vapor barrier that is nearly impervious to rips or tears. We mechanically fasten our liners to the walls to keep them firmly in place. We then caulk around the top edge to prevent moisture from rising up behind the vapor barrier and into the crawlspace. We will also wrap concrete or block columns and seal obvious air gaps to the outside with foam insulation.
Crawlspace Sump Pump
A crawlspace sump pump is one of the most important components in a crawlspace waterproofing system. The sump pump is installed in the sump pit that serves as the collection point for an interior drainage system.
A ’58 Foundations crawlspace sump pump can be installed as part of our crawlspace encapsulation system. In this case, the 20-mil liner is tucked into the sump lid to make as air-tight a connection as possible. Our crawlspace sump pump systems discharge water out the side of the basin and up a pipe at the wall to keep a nice clean finish.
A sump pump can remain idle for days or weeks. But when wet weather arrives, the waterproofing system needs to do its work. The drainage channel (also referred to as a French drain) installed along the crawlspace perimeter walls captures water before it can reach the crawlspace floor. This helps to reduce the water pressure that bears against the foundation. As water flows through the drainage system, the sump pit fills up and the sump pump expels the water to the exterior.
The bottom line with any sump pump is easy to understand: It pays to have a premium-quality sump pump with a no-nonsense warranty. This gives you the confidence that your crawlspace waterproofing system will always function as it should.
Lastly, if keeping your crawlspace dry all the time is important to you, then a battery backup pumping system should be important to you as well. Ask our foundation specialist about our battery backup pump systems.
Call or contact us online today for a Free crawlspace repair inspection and price estimate.
Controlling moisture with a crawlspace dehumidifier
If your crawlspace has had moisture problems for an extended period of time, or if mold is found during a crawlspace inspection, your ’58 Foundations’ specialist will recommend installing a crawlspace dehumidifier.
Our crawlspace dehumidifier is a heavy-duty commercial appliance that will dry out the moisture that has collected in wood framing (joists, subflooring, posts) and other porous materials, stopping further rot and mold growth. This type of dehumidifier is equipped with a humidistat that enables you to set a target level of dryness in the crawlspace air. Once this level is reached, the unit turns off automatically. Connecting the dehumidifier to the drainage system, or a condensation pump, eliminates the need to empty the appliance.
When a crawlspace is encapsulated, the moisture sources mentioned above are eliminated, but the moisture remains in the wood and in other porous materials. Running a crawlspace dehumidifier is the best way to remove this moisture and keep the crawlspace dry enough to discourage mold growth.
It’s not practical to run a crawlspace dehumidifier if the crawlspace hasn’t been properly sealed. If moisture is still leaking into the crawlspace – through wall or floor surfaces – it will be difficult or impossible for a dehumidifier to keep the space dry. The same is true if vents remain open, allowing moist outside air to enter the crawlspace. To effectively dry out a crawlspace and keep it that way, the crawlspace should be sealed (encapsulated), prior to running a crawlspace dehumidifier.
The cost of crawlspace repair
The free crawlspace repair estimate will include an itemized breakdown of all the repairs and improvements that need to be done. Crawlspace waterproofing costs depend largely on the linear feet of drain lines that need to be installed, plus the cost of installing a sump pit and sump pump. Our crawlspace encapsulation system is priced based on square feet, and number of vents and columns. The cost of our specially designed crawlspace dehumidifier will depend on cubic feet to determine the size and model needed.
