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This is a complicated issue and does not have a simple answer. What makes matters worse is the amount of readily available wrong and misleading information on the internet. When it comes to installing insulation, ask yourself- Am I trying to keep something in or am I trying to keep something out? They seem like the same question, but they’re not. For example, with a vapor barrier you are trying to keep something out, the moisture. With insulation, you are trying to keep something in, your conditioned air. Knowing this helps the process to move forward in the right order. With insulation and a vapor barrier like DrySpace properly installed in your crawl space you can now begin to control the environment under your home. Now your crawl space is part of your home and you should protect it from the outside as such. The days of separating your home from the crawl space is over, mostly because it is impossible to do. It is far more reasonable to accomplish a plan to protect your crawl space from the outside than it is to protect your home from the crawl space and the outside.
The floor joist area, or the crawl space ceiling, is the most commonly insulated area. This area is usually insulated with fiberglass and held in place with metal wire or staples. The fiberglass insulation in nearly half of the homes that have insulation in this area has it installed wrong. The fiberglass insulation should be installed with the paper vapor barrier on the heated or conditioned side of the space. This means the paper should be closest to the floor boards and not exposed to the crawl space. Until 2003 insulating your floor joist was the only option if you wanted to have any hope of keeping the winter air from entering your home. Today there is a better and more efficient way to make your home more comfortable and energy efficient.
The rim joist area is the part of the wood structure under your floor. Like the floor joists, the rim joist’s job is to help hold up the floor and walls of the home. The rim joist goes around the perimeter, or the rim, of the home and its primary job is to support the exterior walls as well as giving the floor joist an adjacent surface to be attached. Other names for this area are band joist, sill box and bond.
Insulating the foundation walls is a complete waste of money IF you have an open crawl space. A crawl space with foundation vents that can be opened and closed is considered and open crawl space. It is considered open because the vents, even while closed, offer little protection from the elements outside the home. An open crawlspace with rigid insulation on the foundation walls is like having the walls of your home insulated and opening the windows. It neutralizes the usefulness of the insulation by having the open vents/windows.
Why wait to find out if you have a problem? Or if you already feel you might have a problem - then simply contact us for your free crawl space inspection.
"We were thrilled to find the Crawlspace Company (after interviewing 8, or so companies). We felt that they gave us an honest and reasonable assessment of our crawlspace needs. They performed an encapsulation with a dehumidifier in March 2016. They did a beautiful job. They were professional and reliable...came when they said they would...did the job in the time they said they would. Great customer service, returned our calls, and sent a tech out to check our dehumidifier when we had (unfounded) concerns. We are pleased to give them our recommendation."
Aleta & Al Starzyk, Williamsburg Va..
“Thank you so much for the work you did on my crawl space! You saved, my home, my family and my pets from dirty things that come in from the outside. I will recommend you to all my friends and other family! Thank you!”
Sam Smith
“We had our crawlspace encapsulated after several issues with water and mold growth under the home. There was always an odor and they house smelled like mildew for most of the summer. Within 2 days of the encapsulation, the odor was gone! Thanks!”
J. MacDonald