Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

This home had a hillside crawlspace, that included some poured flat spaces. The homeowners wanted to utilize this for storage space, but they knew any water intrusion could cause damage, so they called up John's Waterproofing for encapsulation! 

Having the entrance to the crawl space outside can be a good and bad thing. Good so that you don't have to worry about smells crawling up into your closet. But, it can also be a bad thing if its outside and it isn't tightly sealed. These entrances are optimal spots for rodents to get under your home and tear up your vapor barrier. It also can cause water to have easy access into the crawl space and cause mold to grow and the wooden posts to rot. Luckily, at John's Waterproofing one of our products that we offer is the Turtl. This is a crawl space entry system that helps to keep it dry, clean, and healthy. It is made of materials that are resistant to the outdoor elements so that mold and rot can't occur on it. The system offers an airtight seal that prevents water or debris from getting inside. A lot of homeowners feel safer with the Turtl because it can lock and offer a sense of security that a normal crawl space entrance can't. So, when your thinking about upgrading your crawl space in the future, be sure it will stay healthy by installing the Turtl entry system.

There are many benefits to having your crawl space encapsulated by John's Waterproofing. Lowering the cost of energy bills, creating a clean dry environment that will deter pests and rodents away, and substantial improvement in air quality, just to name a few.  For this encapsulation, we start by drying out the crawl space, then we remove any debris along with the old vapor barrier and fiberglass insulation. Once the crawl space is cleared, the next step is to dig a trench and install drainage around the interior perimeter. Within this we then lay down a perforated pipe in a silt sock to secure a safe passage way to the SuperSump Sump pump at the lowest point. This sump pump allows for the  water to be directed away from the homes foundation. The Turtl, which is our crawl space access system, was then installed to provide convenient access to the below grade crawl space. It is made from plastic so it will never rot, rust, corrode or need paint. It is built to last and looks great on the home. Vent covers are installed to fully seal outside air from coming into the crawl space. Next, we install our DrainMatt which is a dimpled mat to help with drainage, our TerraBlock is then installed on top. It is a foam insulation that is puncture resistant, that will keep moisture from making its way up through the crawl space flooring and creates a barrier from the earth and home. Our CleanSpace system is installed on top of the TerraBlock and up the foundation and between the wooden posts and footing, this protects from water damage. We seal with waterproof tape and then install our SaniDry Sedona, which is our dehumidifier that eliminates damp musty odors by drying and filtering the air. This dehumidifier will keep the home below 55% relative humidity and promotes healthier air in the home. Lastly we spray foam along the foundation walls which insulates and air seals to make sure this crawl space is completely dry and protected for years to come.

These homeowners needed to address some issues they were having in their crawl space and gave us a call to find them a proper solution. We went out and thoroughly inspected their crawl space and went over the findings while discussing the right solutions for them.  First we remove all of the debris and old vapor barrier from the crawl space. Next, there were wooden posts that was no longer offering stable support so we replaced each one with one of our SmartJack systems. These adjustable steel piers are made to stop settling and offer strong stable support for years to come. We then dig a trench around the interior perimeter of the crawl space and in it we install a 3 inch perforated pipe into a silt sock to create a proper drainage system for water to collect at the lowest point. At the low point we the install our SmartDrain. This system is installed to alert the homeowner of a possible plumbing leak with an audible alarm and will drain the leak into a drywell underneath the CleanSpace until it can be addressed. All the vents are then covered to make sure no outside factors enters. We then install our TerraBlock system onto the dirt floor to block out moisture and create an insulated barrier between the home and the earth. Over top of the TerraBlock goes our CleanSpace 20 barrier and it is also anchored into the foundation walls up to the rim joists. The CleanSpace is inserted between each wooden post and footing, as well as sealed along each seam with a four inch wide waterproof tape. SilverGlo is anchored to the foundation walls to complete the spaces insulation. The final step is a dehumidifier. This machine ensures the spaces relative humidity is properly maintained, keeping the air within the crawl space dry and healthy all year round. Now this crawl space is no longer plagued with issues and the owners can enjoy peace of mind. 

This tall crawl space was used for general storage space. As the years went by, the area began to emit a musty odor. While no major mold issues were found, it did need to be spot treated and to prevent mold issues, we encapsulated the area.