The term “encapsulation” can be daunting for many homeowners. What does it mean? What does it do? Who needs it? And perhaps most importantly, how much does encapsulating a crawl space cost?
Crawl Space Encapsulation in Virginia, Maryland, and DC
These are all great questions. Crawl space encapsulation can be a must-have for many homeowners with dirt crawl spaces. Dirt crawl spaces inherently leech moisture into the air, which can seriously impact the foundation and crawl space as a whole. If you want to make sure you aren’t creating moisture perfect for mold, mildew, and bugs, you should definitely encapsulate your crawl space.
However, it can be expensive to perform any home repair including crawl space encapsulation. Some home repair costs can be relatively simple, but how much does it cost to encapsulate a crawl space?
If you’re a homeowner trying to work out your potential crawl space repair costs, don’t worry. JES can help you encapsulate your crawl space at an affordable cost by providing high-quality work at a reasonable rate.
What You Need to Know About Crawl Space Encapsulation
Many homeowners are concerned about the cost of crawl space encapsulation. Learn about what factors go into the cost of this kind of project and why it is essential for your home.
A crawl space encapsulation cost estimator has to start with an average. However, as you start looking around, you’ll learn that the cost to encapsulate a crawl space can vary dramatically depending on a variety of factors.
In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5,000 on the low end to $15,000 or more for crawl space encapsulation. That’s clearly a huge variance in encapsulated crawl space costs. It also doesn’t give a great starting point for a homeowner trying to budget.
That’s why you instead need to get an estimate. The best way to start budgeting for an encapsulated crawl space cost is to make an appointment for a free inspection from a JES expert.
The reason the cost to encapsulate a crawl space varies so wildly is because many different factors influence the cost. If you’re trying to build some form of crawl space encapsulation cost calculator, you’ll need to take these factors into account for your home.
When considering your encapsulation, make sure you think about these extremely important factors first.
Location
The location of your home will actually have a pretty sizable impact on the amount you end up paying. Waterproofing crawl space cost varies a pretty substantial amount between different locations, largely because of the weather conditions in these locations.
This is a main reason that, for example, crawl space encapsulation in Richmond, VA, will cost a different amount than the cost to waterproof a crawl space in San Diego, CA. The average humidity is immensely different, meaning it’s going to cost a different amount.
If you live in a more humid city or state, it’s a good idea to invest money into encapsulation in general. However, be aware that it might also be more expensive.
Home Size
Of course, if there’s more home to encapsulate, your cost will ultimately rise. It’s probably more accurate to think of crawl space encapsulation cost per square foot, rather than the average cost to encapsulate a crawl space in general.
Homeowners with larger homes should likely set aside more money for repairs and upkeep every year anyway. This may be a good starting point for you to begin setting aside that money.
If you have a larger house, or you have a more sprawling house with only one story, it’s probably going to be more expensive to encapsulate the crawl space. However, because it’s so expansive, it’s also extremely important to do so as soon as you can.
Condition of the Crawl Space
If your crawl space already has water damage, you may be in a position where you actually need to consider wet crawl space repair costs before you consider the cost of crawl space encapsulation. An expert can only encapsulate the space once it’s in optimal condition; the encapsulation aims to maintain that condition.
Crawl spaces and basements with serious water damage or existing standing water should deal with those problems first. You need a foundation repair expert who can make sure your foundation doesn’t have lasting problems.
Once you’ve dealt with the wet crawl space repair cost, then you can start considering the encapsulation cost. Although they’re very much interconnected, these are still two separate costs you should consider.
Quality
It’s true: a lower-quality job done by less-invested professionals will be less expensive. You could choose poor construction to save money. However, do you really want to cut costs when it comes to something that could seriously impact your safety and your family’s safety?
Crawl space encapsulation ensures that you don’t have constant moisture in your crawl space. That moisture can lead to mold, mildew, foundation problems and other issues that can plague your home not only now but also years in the future.
You always want to budget for the highest-quality encapsulation options. It’s not enough to just have your crawl space encapsulated. You want to make sure you get a quality crawl space encapsulation that will fix your problems.
Most professionals suggest that all homeowners with dirt crawl spaces pursue crawl space encapsulation. However, if you don’t think you have issues in your crawl space, you might not understand why it’s so important to dedicate your time, energy and money to.
There are actually a number of reasons to pursue crawl space encapsulation. Here are a few reasons to consider.
Avoid Crawl Space Water
Moisture is your crawl space’s number one enemy. Unfortunately, dirt crawl spaces make it much easier for you to experience moisture in your crawl space. Even if you think the dirt is dry, you only have to dig a few inches to find moist soil.
When you have an overly humid crawl space or even a crawl space with standing water, you can start to experience mildew, mold and wood rot. These are all very dangerous issues that can plague your home for a very long time.
With crawl space encapsulation, you no longer have to worry about condensation, humidity, moisture and other types of crawl space water. That’s always a relief, and it can bring you peace of mind.
Preserve Your Foundation
Crawl space moisture wreaks havoc on your foundation. Regardless of your foundation’s material, moisture can seriously injure it. It can also cause problems with your floor joists, which play an integral part in how stable your home is.
Avoiding crawl space moisture will make sure your foundation stays safer. Plus, if your foundation starts to have cracks and leaks that allow moisture in, you’ll be much more able to note this moisture and contact JES for an inspection.
Your foundation is, as the name would imply, what ensures that your home stays solid. It’s important that you consider the crawl space encapsulation cost, but remember that you’re putting that money toward keeping your home stable.
Raise Your Home Value
Even if you’re not planning to sell your home anytime soon, it’s never a bad thing to plan for the day when you might. Crawl space encapsulation raises the value of your home. That makes the cost of crawl space encapsulation a great investment.
Sure, it might not directly show up as a higher number on home valuation. However, many homebuyers will be more likely to purchase a home that’s undergone crawl space encapsulation over one that hasn’t.
You’re investing in not only your own home experience but also whatever comes next. It’s a good idea to incorporate the crawl space encapsulation cost into that concept. If you ever want to sell your house, you’ll already have this complete.
Lower Your Energy Bills
You may actually be paying up to 15% more than you should on your home’s energy consumption. When your crawl space has too much humidity, that humidity comes up into your home. Air with higher levels of humidity feels warmer, so you may be turning the air conditioner up higher than it needs to be.
This is another reason that the cost of encapsulating your crawl space is actually a great investment. You may be spending money through the cost of crawl space encapsulation, but how much money might you end up saving in energy bills?
When you get a free inspection from a JES expert, that expert can let you know if it seems like you might be using more electricity than necessary because you don’t have an encapsulated crawl space. You may even be able to get an estimate of how much money you could save.
Without a doubt, the cost of encapsulation is a top concern homeowners have. And that’s natural. Money matters, and so does your home. You want to make sure you’re using quality, cost-effective solutions to protect it. When weighing the cost of crawl space encapsulation, it is important to consider the benefits you, your family, and your home will gain from this investment. Crawl space encapsulation is worth the cost for many reasons including your home’s protected safety and structural integrity, your family’s improved health and quality of life, better energy efficiency in your home, gaining additional storage space, and your home’s enhanced real estate value.
Protected Safety and Structural Integrity
A healthy crawl space is more likely to lead to a healthy home in general. Crawl space problems, if left alone for a very long time, can lead to such drastic things as having your floor literally collapse underneath you.
It’s important that you maintain your crawl space if you want to maintain the safety of your home as a whole. After all, your crawl space and your foundation are often very closely entwined, and taking care of your crawl space may also mean taking care of your foundation.
Moisture especially tends to attack all parts of your home, including parts that have nothing to do with the crawl space. When you invest in a crawl space encapsulation, you’re improving your whole home’s safety, not just the crawl space.
Improved Health and Quality of Life
You and your family deserve to live in a healthy home. But crawl space problems can lead to serious health concerns for anyone in your home. When air circulates through the structure, it does so through your whole home, including your crawl space.
This means that if your crawl space has a moisture problem, mold, or a fungal infestation, the spores are traveling throughout your home. It’s common for this to lead to worsening asthma or allergies and to make people feel unwell overall. Plus, what happens if the floor collapses while a family member’s walking through it?
Your family’s health should be paramount. Can you really put a price on that? That’s why it’s so vital to pay attention to your crawl space and have it properly encapsulated to keep mold, allergens, and sickness at bay.
More Functional Space and Better Energy Efficiency
Homeowners these days are longing for more room in their homes, whether it be to spread out or to use for storage. While a crawl space generally doesn’t meet codes and requirements to be used for living space, it can be used to stow away unneeded items or precious keepsakes. But why would you want to keep anything of value in a damp, wet, moldy space?
Once you properly encapsulate your crawl space, you’ll be able to use this clean, dry, and healthy area for storage without worrying about anything being damaged by nuisances like water, mold, or pests.
The cost of crawl space encapsulation is also worth it because it can save you money in the long run. A vented, unencapsulated crawl space allows outside air into your home and causes your HVAC system to work harder to temperature control the rest of your house. This results in higher energy bills. But an encapsulated and insulated crawl space can help you save 15-20% on your home’s energy use and reduce monthly bills.
Enhanced Real Estate Value
No matter when you intend to sell your home, it’s going to be on the market at some point. And you need to make sure it’s ready. Staying on top of crawl space issues is an important part of maintaining resale value for when you start thinking about it. Otherwise, you might find that when you go to sell, it’s an extensive and costly problem to fix. Why not think about the cost to encapsulate your crawl space now before it falls into even more disrepair?
The Real Estate Seller Disclosure Act requires that sellers in some states tell buyers about existing problems, which includes the crawl space. Realtors tend to discover that if you have crawl space or other problems that have been part of your home for a long time, you’ll have to reduce the price by 10%-20% to sell it.
Resale value might not be an important component of your life now, but why not prepare for the day that it will be? Crawl space encapsulation and repair allow you to make life healthier for your family right now and increase your home’s resale value in the future.
Of course, even if you know how important it is to encapsulate a crawl space, you’re probably not super excited about spending money to go through the process. The good news is, there are ways to lower your crawl space encapsulation cost.
If you’re looking to make sure you get work that allows you to spend less money, here are a few things you should pay attention to.
Encapsulate Early
One of the most important things you can do is essentially encapsulate your crawl space as soon as you learn you have a dirt crawl space. That may mean encapsulating your crawl space within the first few months of owning your home.
Remember, crawl space repair costs can dramatically outweigh crawl space encapsulation costs. Even if it means paying up front, choosing to take on the waterproofing crawl space cost will make sure you don’t end up with water damage.
When you encapsulate early, you’re putting time and effort into making sure you don’t have an issue in the future. That’s a great investment.
Opt for High-Quality Work
Sure, it might be cheaper in the short term to go with people who will produce shoddy work with low-quality materials. However, what you might not realize is that you could actually end up with more costs in the long term with this strategy.
What happens if the crawl space encapsulation didn’t work properly? You’ll have to pay for crawl space encapsulation again, you may need to pay for crawl space repair costs if something went wrong, and you’ve essentially wasted your money.
Instead of going with low-quality work, choose JES crawl space experts for your crawl space encapsulation needs. These experts will make sure the job’s done right the first time. Plus, JES crawl space experts will never try to upsell you. You’ll get the job you need and the job you deserve.
Use Experts With Experience
Your best bet will always be to choose a company that only employs experienced professionals. You’re dealing with your home’s foundation, which is an integral part of making sure your family stays safe. You want only the best dealing with your crawl space and foundation.
This is a big reason you should never try to DIY crawl space encapsulation. It causes the same problem as low-quality work. Even if you’re trying to put your best foot forward with it, you may not know all the same tips and tricks as an expert does.
Instead of trying to do it yourself or hiring from an unproven company, hire a crawl space expert from JES. You can book your free inspection today so you know exactly what’s wrong with your crawl space and exactly how much your crawl space encapsulation will cost.
Let JES Crawl Space Experts Help You With Your Crawl Space Encapsulation
Clearly, encapsulation is a shining example of something that basically pays for itself. You need to encapsulate your crawl space; otherwise, you’re just going to end up paying for a lot of crawl space repair costs down the line.
No matter what your crawl space looks like right now, a JES crawl space expert can help you determine what’s wrong and how you can fix it. Contact JES today to schedule your free inspection and learn more about the current state of your crawl space.
