Here's the uncomfortable truth about crawl space insulation in Tennessee: the pink fiberglass batts stuffed between your floor joists are probably making things worse. In a vented, humid crawl space, fiberglass absorbs moisture like a sponge, sags away from the subfloor it was meant to protect, grows mold, and ends up as soggy decoration. It's the first thing we remove on most encapsulation jobs, and homeowners are consistently shocked at what it looks like after a few Chattanooga summers.
The modern approach insulates the crawl space's perimeter, not its ceiling. Rigid foam board or closed-cell spray foam on the foundation walls and rim joist brings the crawl space inside your home's thermal envelope — so the space stays near house temperature, floors stay warm, pipes can't freeze, and your HVAC stops fighting a losing battle against the ground. Done alongside encapsulation, wall insulation is what delivers the famous ~15% energy savings. And unlike fiberglass, rigid foam and spray foam can't absorb moisture, can't sag, and don't feed mold.
Moisture readings, photos, and a written report — no obligation.
The free inspection tells you exactly what's going on — with photos and moisture readings, not a sales pitch.
In our climate, walls — almost always. Insulating the perimeter brings the crawl space inside the home's thermal envelope, keeping it dry-tolerant and temperate. Ceiling batts in a vented crawl space absorb moisture and fail.
Not with more fiberglass. Sagging batts tell you the crawl space is too humid for that material. The right move is moisture control plus perimeter insulation — we remove the old material as part of the job.
Yes — encapsulation with perimeter insulation typically cuts heating and cooling costs around 15%, and the comfort difference (warm floors, even temperatures) is immediate.
Both work; spray foam seals and insulates in one pass and excels at rim joists and irregular surfaces, while rigid board is cost-effective on straight runs of wall. We spec based on your foundation's construction.