Been doing a bit of research on getting my crawl space encapsulated, meaning, closed off completely with a thick plastic covering and installing a ventilation fan. The reasons to do this are to stop moisture/mold and reduce energy costs.

In doing the research it appears new building codes that will be put forward will require completely enclosing all crawl spaces. Studies have shown that the vented crawl spaces, for a variety of reasons, are not effective in eliminating mold/moisture.

I have minor moisture problems like all crawl spaces. The big issue for me is energy. When you pop off the hatch to the crawl space the cool air just rushes into the house, so I am sure that cool air is finding its way in through other open places. Encapsulating the crawl space is supposed to stop that.

Any of you builder types ever heard of this? Looking for thoughts and opinions as to whether this is worth doing. Another question is home inspection. When I sell the house someday, would a home inspector be suspicious or unaccepting of crawl space that has been completely enclosed?

Thanks.

M