AuntieGen Crawl Space Encapsulation
Protect Your Home From the Ground Up
Most homeowners rarely think about what’s beneath their home, yet the crawl space can have a significant impact on indoor air quality, structural integrity, energy efficiency, and moisture control.
Warm, humid air, standing water, soil gases, and elevated moisture levels can create conditions that promote mold growth, wood deterioration, unpleasant odors, and increased humidity throughout the living space. In many homes, a significant portion of the air you breathe on the first floor originates in the crawl space.
At AuntieGen, we believe protecting your home begins below it. Our crawl space encapsulation systems are designed to create a clean, dry, controlled environment that helps protect both your property and the people living inside it. It’s all part of our commitment to Protection From What You Can’t See.
Every project begins with a comprehensive inspection to identify moisture sources, drainage concerns, ventilation issues, structural conditions, and any existing microbial growth. If contamination is present, it is properly remediated before encapsulation begins because covering a problem is never the same as solving it.
Preparation is one of the most important parts of a successful encapsulation system. Before a vapor barrier is ever installed, we remove debris, organic material, and wood scraps that can retain moisture and attract termites and other insects. The crawl space floor is then carefully graded by removing high areas and filling low areas to create a smooth, stable foundation for the encapsulation system.
If the crawl space includes a daylight drain, the soil is gently sloped so water naturally flows to that location. If a deep sump pump is installed, the floor is graded toward the sump basin to direct moisture where it can be safely collected and removed. Proper drainage is built into the system from the very beginning.
Every crawl space is different. Some are level, while others may be three feet high at one end and six feet high at the other. Rather than forcing the liner to follow every rise and dip in the foundation, we install it much like a custom swimming pool liner, maintaining a consistent height around the perimeter for a clean, professional appearance.
Whenever foundation walls extend above grade, the vapor barrier is intentionally terminated approximately eight inches below the sill plate. This exposed masonry inspection strip allows the foundation wall to breathe naturally while also providing an area where future termite or insect activity can be more easily identified. The same practice is followed around support piers and structural columns whenever appropriate.
The quality of an encapsulation system depends just as much on how it is installed as it does on the material itself. At AuntieGen, we don’t simply staple plastic to foundation walls. Instead, we use a commercial-grade double-sided sealing tape that bonds the vapor barrier securely to the masonry, creating a continuous seal around the entire perimeter.
After the vapor barrier has been bonded in place, a mechanical termination strip is installed over the sealed edge and Hilti-fastened into the foundation wall. This combination of adhesive sealing and mechanical fastening helps ensure the liner remains securely attached for years to come.
We use only commercial-grade virgin polyethylene vapor barrier material. Because it is manufactured from new resin rather than recycled plastics, it helps minimize odors while providing a cleaner, more consistent product beneath your home.
Every seam, overlap, transition, support column, and penetration is sealed using four-inch seam tape, creating one continuous moisture barrier instead of a collection of individual sheets. These installation details may never be seen after the project is complete, but they play a critical role in the long-term performance of the encapsulation system.
Depending on the home’s needs, dehumidification, moisture control, and ventilation improvements may also be incorporated to help maintain a consistently dry crawl space and improve indoor air quality throughout the home.
At AuntieGen, we don’t simply install a vapor barrier. We design and build a complete crawl space moisture management system that helps protect your home’s structure, improve indoor air quality, and safeguard your investment for years to come.
That’s The AuntieGen Way.