Crawlspaces are a menace. They're dark, dirty, and humid. Bugs like to live in there. They're vented to the outside air in the summer (and in the winter if you neglect to close your vents) which can be very humid and this defeats the purpose of venting. Mold loves a dark humid environment with plenty of wood to eat. Today, with the help of my lackey friend Sunkicked, I'm going to show you how to put an end to this menace under our feet.
If you've never heard of crawlspace encapsulation a quick internet search will enlighten you... quickly. The basic principle is to completely cover the ground of the crawlspace with a heavy vapor barrier and even run it up the walls to block any moisture that might come in through the concrete blocks.
If you've never heard of crawlspace encapsulation a quick internet search will enlighten you... quickly. The basic principle is to completely cover the ground of the crawlspace with a heavy vapor barrier and even run it up the walls to block any moisture that might come in through the concrete blocks.
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I was in my crawlspace insulating pipes when I noticed mold on some of the floor joists. Being someone that watches Holmes on Holmes and Holmes Inspection I was immediate scared sh*tless. If you haven't watched one of those shows you can't begin to imagine how much they drill the fear of mold into you. You'll have nightmares. Moldy nightmares. Night mares about mold is what I'm trying to say. So I called a professional cleaning company to come out and have a look. They said it wasn't worth my money to pay them to clean it and that I could deal with it with a little cleaner and a sponge... and a proper mask.
I wanted to make sure there were no future problems and that's when I first read about encapsulation. I didn't know what it might cost though. To give you some idea why I chose to do it myself:
After a woman I work with heard about this she had someone come and do it for her and paid $8,000.
I paid about $300 to do this 30' x 25' space. That's a savings of nearly 97%. Boo. Ya.
I think I made the right choice.
I wanted to make sure there were no future problems and that's when I first read about encapsulation. I didn't know what it might cost though. To give you some idea why I chose to do it myself:
After a woman I work with heard about this she had someone come and do it for her and paid $8,000.
I paid about $300 to do this 30' x 25' space. That's a savings of nearly 97%. Boo. Ya.
I think I made the right choice.
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Also, I've heard different things about how to encapsulate the wall. Some say do it your way, putting the plastic up the entire length of the wall and screw with the firring strips. Others say to screw directly to the sill plate, with others saying, "DON'T YOU DARE!!" saying you could get wicking into the sill plate. Aaaannnndddd others still, saying to only bring the plastic to grade level and then put hard foam board on the walls. What is your take on these methods?
I never did seal the seams and it's perfectly fine. Just leave a lot of overlap. At least a foot, two if your budget permits. That way you could easily pull it up and mess with incoming water lines or drains or sumps if the need arises.
I wouldn't screw to the sill plate. I actually couldn't because there's about a 3 inch piece of galvanized metal sticking out all along the perimeter. I wouldn't be worried about the moisture getting to the sill, but termites. Moisture + Wood = Good Termite Time. Do the furring strip a few inches below your sill. Or glue it up with silicone. I did that in a few small areas and it's still hanging in there perfectly fine.
If I'd not been such a cheapskate at the time I'd have put the 2" thick foam board all around and then covered it over as well. But the foam should be as good as keeping out moisture as the vinyl. It's your choice.