You may not have a basement in your home, so waterproofing may not seem like a big deal. But crawl space waterproofing in New Jersey is essential. Most people don't realize all of the problems that can be caused by moisture build-up in that area of the house.
First of all, you should consider that a large percentage of the air you breathe in your house comes up from below. Whether it's a basement or a crawl space, the air down there is going to have a huge influence on your home's air quality. If it's damp and musty, you'll be breathing that in your living room.
This is not only unpleasant but can actually be dangerous. Crawl spaces are full of allergens that will irritate your nose, lungs and throat. If your crawl space has a high level of moisture, you may also have a mold infestation. Airborne mold spores can drift up into your house and cause fatigue, headaches, mood problems and pose serious health risks.
If you still don't think crawl space waterproofing in New Jersey is important, consider the critters who are taking up residence down there. Humid crawl spaces are great vacation spots for ants, spiders, cockroaches and other bugs. It's just a short migration from there to your kitchen sink, bathtub or drywall. Keeping bugs out of the crawl space keeps them from getting into the house.
People used to think that crawl spaces should be open so that they would get plenty of fresh air. The idea was that if it was properly ventilated, this would keep moisture from accumulating. However, these days the trend is crawl space encapsulation. This means installing a vapor barrier to totally separate the inside from the outside. A vapor barrier is a polyethylene sheet that keeps out the elements, and it makes it possible to completely seal up the crawl space.
Crawl space encapsulation helps with waterproofing, getting rid of bugs and controlling your home's humidity level, and it also helps you save money. A lot of air leaves the house through the crawl space and this means that you're wasting energy. Crawl space encapsulation cuts down on this and can help lower your monthly utility bills.
Having a well encapsulated and waterproofed crawl space can also add value to your home. It can help by keeping your house's support beams from rotting. Also, because it saves energy, this naturally increases the value of your home.
Finally, once in a while you may find yourself having to crawl down in there for some reason. It's much more pleasant to get into a crawl space that is climate controlled and protected by the elements than one that's full of soggy dirt, bugs and who knows what else.