Crawlspace Encapsulation

What Is Crawlspace Encapsulation? Encapsulation is the process of sealing your crawlspace to keep out moisture. The goal isn’t to make the area airtight, but to block as many entry points for moisture as possible. Water vapor can seep through brick, concrete, and even rise up from the dirt. Encapsulation creates a barrier that keeps moisture from entering, helping protect the structure of your home. Why Encapsulate? The main goal is to take control of the crawlspace air so a dehumidifier can regulate humidity effectively. It’s not about keeping air out, it’s about managing [...]

By |2025-05-27T14:08:14-04:00May 27, 2025|Uncategorized|

Common Crawlspace Issues and What can be done Part 3.

The final part in this little series (for now at least) We’ve talked about some of the big ones already, like termite damage, dry rot and water damage, which are actually destroying the structure of the home and require repair. However, this only makes up about half of the structural repairs that we make.  So what other problems need to be solved?  Sometimes, people do things to the house that damage or modify the framing, which leads to needed repairs. These modifications are commonly made to make space for something or to pass something through [...]

By |2024-03-19T09:27:54-04:00March 19, 2024|Uncategorized|

Common Crawlspace Issues and what can be done Pt. 2

Repairs that can be made from underneath the house.  Many of the most common crawlspace problems can be addressed from inside the crawlspace.  If you recall from our parts of the framing discussion, bands, girders, and joists can all be repaired from within the crawlspace. Assuming there is enough space in the crawlspace to move people, materials, tools, and temporary supports around, then work can be done from underneath. In most situations, that would be a 2-foot-tall or taller crawlspace.   The subfloor is one thing that cannot be replaced from underneath the house, nor can [...]

By |2024-02-26T14:56:54-05:00February 26, 2024|Uncategorized|

Common Crawlspace issues and what can be done pt1

Part 1 Humidity Lets stick with the humidity issue we discussed last week and start there.  If the crawlspace is not supposed to be humid, what can be done about it?  The ideal solution for a crawlspace is to take things all the way to one extreme, either be as open as possible with as much air movement as possible or be as closed off as possible and mechanically control the moisture.  Option one: wide open.         Some of the best “crawlspaces” we see are on older farm homes that have never been [...]

By |2025-06-18T12:14:26-04:00February 19, 2024|Uncategorized|

About Pressure-Treated Lumber

All About Pressure-Treated Lumber Do you use pressure-treated lumber for a crawlspace? Crawlspaces are known for being high-moisture environments (a huge problem, see our post on crawlspace humidity). Pressure-treated lumber is built to withstand moisture and water contact. So that's what you should use for your crawlspace, right? Ignoring the fact that your crawlspace should not be high humidity, it likely is at least more so in the interior of your home. If you have had moisture damage in your crawlspace due to humidity, it makes sense that you would want to use pressure-treated lumber. [...]

By |2025-06-20T12:46:25-04:00January 22, 2024|Uncategorized|

Why Engineered Lumber?

Why Use Engineered Lumber? The benefits A lot of engineered products came about for two reasons: they are easier to install, and they do more. In just about any industry, a product that can do more, easier, and faster will quickly find a use. For example, compared to a floor joist, a web truss won't tip over easily when you set it down and can be quickly nailed down. That big flat surface is also much easier to put a floor on. You don’t need to drill because all the openings are already in place [...]

By |2025-06-19T17:38:34-04:00January 15, 2024|Uncategorized|

What is Engineered Lumber

What is engineered lumber? Engineered lumber has changed the way we build and what can be built. A simple definition is anything made with wood that has been modified beyond simply removing other wood to make a board. It is everything that is not dimensional lumber, which is the standard building material you see lining the racks of big box stores. Here is a list of some of the more common and known engineered lumber. Pressure-treated lumber This dimensional lumber has been treated with chemicals to make it more resistant to mold and fungi that [...]

By |2025-06-19T16:42:51-04:00January 8, 2024|Uncategorized|

Is There Better Wood?

Is there better wood to frame your house with? In many areas of our lives, there are varying degrees of quality for the things we use. You can find high-quality coffee, cars, clothes, and more. But what about the wood in your house's frame? Can you get better stuff? Do the fancier homes in town have better wood in their bones? Let's look for starters just at regular old dimensional lumber. That's the term used for lumber off the shelf at the big box stores and lumber yards. Types of Wood In our region, [...]

By |2025-06-19T22:26:25-04:00December 18, 2023|Uncategorized|

What is a Joist?

And here you thought you were walking on sunshine. The joist is the last part of our series on house framing terms. There are both floor joists and ceiling joists. In the absence of flooring and drywall, they will look similar. Joists make up the bulk of the framing in the floors and ceilings. They transfer the load from the floors or ceiling to the walls, girders, and bands. Floor joists are what the subfloor and flooring attach to. They are what hold up the floors and what we walk around on. In the ceiling, [...]

By |2023-10-30T13:41:04-04:00October 30, 2023|Uncategorized|

What is a girder

In our quest to cover all the major framing members under the house, we have come to the girder. In wooden framing, the girders are larger framing members that support the joists. Masonry piers, steel columns, or the foundation wall will support the girder. The girder should have a sill between it and any supporting masonry. The girders support the weight of the flooring or walls and transfer it to the ground using piers/columns. A girder is usually made of several boards or an engineered product for longer spans or heavier loads. The girder works [...]

By |2023-10-23T11:07:34-04:00October 23, 2023|Uncategorized|
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