Encapsulation and Radon Mitigation
![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d0aa245a89108b99c0e9c5ddd7882ea6?s=52&d=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.greenbuildingadvisor.com%2Fapp%2Favatars%2F200x200%2Fs.png&r=g)
I am renovating a home in WNC which needs to be encapsulate for mold and mildew abatement. It also has been tested positively for Radon. Does a proper encapsulation take care of the radon issues? If not, can you prescribe the proper steps to take?
GBA Detail Library
A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part
![](https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/app/themes/greenbuildingadvisor/dist/img/modules/detail-library/thumb1.png)
![](https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/app/themes/greenbuildingadvisor/dist/img/modules/detail-library/thumb2.png)
Replies
Can you clarify what is being encapsulated? Where is the mold and mildew located?
I am doing a thorough encapsulation of the crawl space to include a 12 mil barrier, taped at all seams, covering all of the masonry walls, and installing a whole house crawl space de-humidifier.
If you have elevated radon levels, a good first step would be to hire a certified radon contractor. See Martin Holladay's article, "All About Radon" (https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/all-about-radon) for additional information.
If you have high humidity in your crawlspace, it would make sense to convert it to an unvented space. There a quite a few articles and discussion threads on this site that address crawl space isuues. A good place to start is another Martin Holladay article: "Building an Unvented Crawl Space" (https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/building-unvented-crawl-space).
Stello,
The two articles that Steve Knapp linked to are a good place to start.
If you know that you have elevated radon levels, it makes sense to get a radon mitigation contractor involved. I would not depend on the contractor who has agreed to insulate your crawl space for these details. A crawl space contractor may or may not have a good understanding of radon issues.