Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Prevent Sagging Floors by Encapsulating - Canby, OR

This homeowner started noticing that the doors in their home weren't shutting properly. This can happen when the sub-floor of the home begins to sag and causes the doors to become misaligned. Usually, if there's a sagging floor problem, then that indicates there are humidity issues in the crawl space. The homeowner decided to reach out to John's Waterproofing about how they could save their crawl space. They agreed that a full encapsulation would be the best solution in order to save their home. The first thing we needed to do was remove all the falling fiberglass insulation and damaged vapor barrier. Once we cleared everything out, it was time to start installing the drainage system. This crawl space was experiencing significant water puddling with no passage for it to go through. When water just sits puddling in the crawl space, over time it evaporates and causes an increase in humidity. We first dig a trench along the interior perimeter of the crawl space and lay a perforated pipe. This pipe's purpose is to safely collect any water that enters the crawl space and offer it a safe passageway to the sump pump to prevent any more standing water. Then, the SuperSump Plus sump pump can take all that water and securely push it away from the homes foundation. Once the drainage system is installed to control the flow of water, then we can install TerraBlock. This 3/4 in. thick insulation foam is designed to act as a barrier between the earth and the home to help control the environment. Over top of the TerraBlock, a CleanSpace vapor barrier gets installed. This liner is made from 20 mil thick woven fibers and is backed by a 25 year warranty against rips and tears. This helps ensure no moisture will be able to get into the crawl space as it is also placed up along the foundation walls to the rim joists and between the footing and wooden posts. The next crucial step is to install a SaniDry dehumidifier. This is important because it works to constantly pull moisture out of the air and control the environment to maintain the humidity levels. Once the entire process is completed, this crawl space is completely sealed off from the earth and the temperature can maintain at moderate levels, reducing the risk of high humidity that causes sub-floors to sag.