A more comfortable home starts in the crawlspace.
Schedule your crawlspace upgrades today.
July 24, 2018
Homeowners in Pennsylvania and Maryland know this scenario all too well: You’ve just spent an afternoon out in the summer heat and humidity, and you head indoors for some welcome relief. Your home feels cooler and more comfortable when you first step inside, but after a few minutes you realize it is still uncomfortably humid, even indoors. Is there really no relief from the summer humidity?
You don’t have to put up with humidity, frizzy hair, and sweat all summer. With the right crawlspace upgrades, you can transform your home from a sticky swamp to a cool oasis.
Why Focus on the Crawlspace?
Most homeowners in the York, PA and Bel Air, MD areas think that the key to greater home comfort in the summer is a great air conditioner. And while that is important, it’s not the only piece of the puzzle. If you don’t take the time to improve key areas of your home, like the crawlspace with air sealing and insulation, your air conditioning system is going to work much harder than it needs to all summer.
The crawlspace is one of the most overlooked areas of the home, yet it is perhaps the most important. Crawlspaces are notorious for harboring excess moisture and mold. They can also be the main source of poor indoor air quality in a home, introducing mold, musty smells, and dampness. By making crawlspace upgrades that keep out the moisture and extreme temperatures, you’ll make your entire home more healthy and comfortable all year long.
Start with Crawlspace Encapsulation
Upgrading your crawlspace starts with crawlspace encapsulation by the professionals at York Home Performance. The first step of encapsulation is to clean out any belongings (junk and old appliances), and then remove the remaining insulation and debris from the crawlspace. Then, we’ll smooth out the floor and install a 6-mil heavy gauge plastic vapor barrier along the floor and walls to keep out moisture. We’ll finish by sealing all seams and applying spray foam to gaps and cracks in the ceiling to separate the space from the living space above.
Finish with Crawlspace Insulation
In order to truly complete the crawlspace encapsulation process, it’s important to install new insulation in key areas. At York Home Performance, we apply Tyvek sheets to the floor joists and blow dense pack fiberglass insulation into the cavities between the floor joists. This will create a thermal barrier between your crawlspace and living area and keep temperatures inside your home more consistent, no matter how hot or cold it is outside.