Tuscaloosa, Northport and Tuscaloosa County
Crawl space encapsulation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Crawl space encapsulation shuts the space under your house off from damp ground and humid outside air. A heavy liner covers the soil, runs up the walls and wraps the piers. The vents are closed and a dehumidifier keeps the air dry.
Call and you will be put through to an independent local waterproofing company that does this work in Tuscaloosa. Tell them what you have noticed and ask them to come and look.
Use this number for damp, leaks and standing water under a house or in a basement. If a room is flooding right now, call a water damage company. If a pipe has burst, call a plumber.
Why it happens here
A vented crawl space pulls a Tuscaloosa summer indoors
Foundation vents were meant to air the crawl space out. From late spring to early fall they do the opposite. Warm, wet air drifts in, touches ducts, pipes and floor joists that are cooler than it is, and leaves water on them. Bare soil gives off more moisture from below. Rain that runs toward the house adds the rest.
Upstairs you may notice it as a musty smell when the air conditioning starts, wood floors that cup at the edges, or a house that feels clammy however low you set the thermostat.
Not sure what you are looking at? Start from what you have noticed.
Pick the job
Crawl space, basement and drainage work
Each page says what the homeowner sees first, how the fix works, and what to ask before agreeing to it.
Before the liner
Find the water first, then seal the space
A liner laid over a puddle hides the puddle. Before encapsulation, a careful company works out where the water comes from: a downspout that empties at the wall, a yard that tilts toward the house, a plumbing drip, or groundwater that rises after long rain. That gets fixed or drained first.
One local point matters before anyone closes your vents. In a mapped flood zone, the City of Tuscaloosa's floodplain code can require foundation openings to stay open as flood vents. Check your flood zone before you agree to have vents sealed.
One phone call
What happens when you call
Say what you see
Smell, damp, puddles, soft floors, a pump that will not stop. Give the address or the nearest cross street so the right company is found.
Speak with a local company
You are put through to an independent waterproofing company that covers your area. They arrange a time to look under the house.
Decide in your own time
Ask for the findings, the scope and the price in writing. Whether you hire them is up to you. More about how this works.
Read before you hire
Short guides for Tuscaloosa homeowners
Where
Tuscaloosa and the towns around it
Homes in Tuscaloosa, across the river in Northport, east in Cottondale and south toward Moundville. The areas page lists the rest.
Quick answers
Three things people ask first
Is this a waterproofing company?
No. Tuscaloosa Crawl Space is a referral site. When you call, you are put through to an independent local waterproofing company, and that company does the looking, the pricing and the work.
Does my house need full encapsulation or something smaller?
It depends on how wet the space is and why. A dry crawl space with a torn ground cover may only need a new vapour barrier. One that drips all summer usually needs the full job. The repair page and the encapsulation page set out the difference.
Do I pay anything to call?
You pay nothing to this site. The company you speak with pays a fee for the introduction. Any charge for a visit or for work is between you and that company, so ask about it on the call.
Tell someone what you are seeing
Call and describe what is going on under the house or in the basement. You will be put through to an independent local waterproofing company that works in your part of Tuscaloosa County.
Calls may be recorded. The company pays this site for the introduction. See the referral disclosure.