Crawl space under a Bellingham home sealed with a white liner and kept dry

Crawl Space Encapsulation and Waterproofing in Bellingham, WA

Something in your inspection report worried you, or the floor smells musty when the heat comes on. We go under the house, find where the water is coming from and fix that first. Then we tell you honestly whether you need a vapor barrier, a sealed crawl space, a sump pump or nothing more than a longer downspout.

Find the water first

Call (360) 555-0163Book a Free Crawl Space Inspection
  • Free crawl space and wet basement inspections
  • The water source fixed before any liner goes down
  • A straight answer when the fix is small
Older Bellingham craftsman home on a wet autumn day

Not every crawl space needs sealing. Every one needs to stay dry.

You may have been told your crawl space needs encapsulating. Some do. But the research done closest to home is more careful than the sales pitch. A small Washington State University study of new homes in the state's marine and cold climates concluded that, with proper site water management, both sealed and vented crawl spaces can be built successfully in the Northwest. The EPA's Indoor airPLUS program, which otherwise recommends sealed and conditioned crawl spaces, lists marine climates like ours among its exceptions.

What every crawl space does need is a dry floor. Bare soil releases moisture into the air above it, which is why the Department of Energy says a crawl space must always have a ground cover. And water has to be kept from running under the house in the first place. Bellingham gets about 35 inches of rain a year at the airport, and about half of it falls between October and January. That is when a crawl space that looked fine in August can show its problems.

So we start with the water. Downspouts that empty against the foundation, ground that slopes toward the house, runoff coming down a hillside lot, a leaking pipe under the floor. Fix those, lay a proper vapor barrier, and a vented crawl space can be in good shape. Where sealing the crawl space really is the right call, we will explain why, and what Washington's code expects to come with it.

Crawl Space and Waterproofing Services We Offer

Encapsulated crawl space with sealed white liner

Crawl Space Encapsulation

Ground and walls lined and sealed, with the moisture source fixed first, for crawl spaces that should be part of the house.

New plastic vapor barrier laid over crawl space ground

Crawl Space Vapor Barriers

New ground cover, lapped, taped and run to the walls. Can be all a well-drained vented crawl space needs.

Damp concrete basement wall with water staining

Basement Waterproofing

Seeping walls and wet floors traced to the source, then fixed outside, inside or both.

Insulation fitted between crawl space floor joists

Crawl Space Insulation

Floor or wall insulation, chosen to suit whether the crawl space is vented or sealed.

Dehumidifier on a sealed crawl space floor

Crawl Space Dehumidifiers

Sized for the space and drained properly, for sealed crawl spaces that still run damp.

Shallow standing water on a basement floor

Wet Basement Cleanup

Standing water pumped out and wet materials removed after a seep or a failed pump.

See all services

What you get when you call us

The smallest fix that works

If a downspout extension and a new vapor barrier will do it, that is what we recommend. A full encapsulation is a bigger job, and it should be chosen for a reason, not by default.

No scare stories

We will not tell you a vented crawl space is a health hazard or that sealing it will cut your energy bill by some percentage. The research closest to our climate does not support either claim, and we would rather you trusted the rest of what we say.

We stay in our lane

Structural foundation repair, house lifting, mold remediation, pest extermination and radon mitigation are other specialists' work. If that is what your house needs, you hear it on the first visit, along with the kind of company to call.

Technician photographing a crawl space during an inspection

How a free inspection works

  1. Tell us what is going on

    Call, use the form, or send photos or the crawl space section of your home inspection report.

  2. We go under the house

    We look at the soil, the ground cover, the insulation, the framing, the vents and any standing water.

  3. We walk the outside

    Downspouts, grading and slope, because crawl space water can start outside the house.

  4. You get a plan

    What we found, what is causing it, and what we would do about it, smallest fix first.

  5. You decide

    We explain what we found and what we recommend. Nothing starts until you say yes.

  6. We do the work

    The source fixed first, then the crawl space work.

What our customers say

We are only just starting to collect customer reviews. As they come in, each one will be shown in full, exactly as written.

Where we work

We work under houses across Whatcom County: Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and Blaine, plus Everson, Sudden Valley, Birch Bay, Sumas, Deming, Custer and the rural roads in between.

That means older homes in Fairhaven, Columbia and the Lettered Streets, hillside lots in Sudden Valley and around Bellingham where runoff comes down toward the house, flat valley ground near the Nooksack in Ferndale and Everson, and second homes in Blaine and Birch Bay that sit closed up for weeks at a time.

Areas we serve

Common crawl space questions

Should you encapsulate a crawlspace?

Sometimes. Fix the water source first, then decide. For a vented crawl space on a site that drains well, a small Washington study of new homes found vented crawl spaces can perform adequately. One building scientist argues a crawl space works best either fully outside the house or fully inside it, as part of the house. A Washington study found the energy effect of sealing was minimal unless supply ducts in the crawl space were quite leaky. Closing your crawl space vents in Washington means a sealed vapor barrier, a radon system and a fan that runs all the time, not just a liner. Your local building department has the final say on how these rules apply to your home.

Does a crawl space have to be encapsulated?

No. Washington's code requires a ground cover over the soil in a crawl space, but it allows vented crawl spaces. The EPA's Indoor airPLUS program exempts marine climates like ours from its sealed crawl space recommendation. What a crawl space has to be is dry, with the soil covered and water kept out.

What does a crawl space inspection consist of?

Ours means going under the house and looking at the soil and ground cover, the insulation, the framing, the vents, any standing water and any signs of rodents, then walking the outside to see where the roof and surface water goes. A Washington home inspection covers some of the same ground: licensed inspectors must enter crawl spaces where readily and safely accessible, look for signs of flooding and moisture, probe wood where deterioration is suspected, and report wood rot. If you have a report, send it and we can start from there. Our guide to crawl space notes in a home inspection report explains the common ones.

How much does it cost to encapsulate a 2000 sq ft crawl space?

Size is only one factor. The price also depends on how easy the crawl space is to get into, how much old insulation and debris has to come out, whether drainage has to be fixed first, and the code items that come with a sealed crawl space in Washington. After a free inspection we can tell you what your crawl space needs and what it does not. Our guide to crawl space encapsulation cost walks through each factor.

Will insurance cover crawl space encapsulation?

Check your own policy before counting on it. Washington's Office of the Insurance Commissioner says homeowner policies do not cover flooding and that coverage varies widely, so read your policy. One state insurance regulator notes that water seeping in through a foundation is often treated as a maintenance issue. Your agent can tell you what yours covers.

Read our crawl space guides

Book a free crawl space inspection

Tell us what is going on under the house and which town you are in. If you have photos or a home inspection report, attach them, and we may be able to give you a first opinion before we visit.

Get in touch

Standing water, a torn vapor barrier, a musty smell, a sump that runs all winter. Mention any deadline from a home sale.

Free and no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call (360) 555-0163.