What is crawl space encapsulation?

It is a sealed ground cover, usually with vents closed and a plan for humidity, so the dirt stops loading the joists with moisture. It works when the soil is the source. It fails when there is still a plumbing leak or surface water pouring in.

Plastic over a puddle is not encapsulation. Clean colonized joists first. Then cover the soil. Then keep the air under 60 percent. We quote covers after we see the piers and the access, not from a satellite photo.