Your Dependable Florence, OR Basement Repair & Crawl Space Encapsulation Experts

This homes basement had an issue.  Mineral deposits had been developing along the foundation walls and the space smelled damp most of the year.  To make the space dry and healthy, the homeowners called up John's Waterproofing and scheduled their free inspection.  Afterwards the design specialist and owners says down and discussed options and crafted a solution for this space.  

To begin we dug a trench around the interior perimeter of the space.  In this we installed a bed of gravel with our WaterGuard drain system.  Ground water will enter this and grade to the lowest point of the basement where it will enter the new TripleSafe Sump Pump and be pumped away from the home to a LawnScape outlet.  Along the walls we installed our BrightWall panels.  This will not mold or root.  It provides a semi finished look for the space and ensures any water from the walls is safely guided down the walls to the drains. We then installed a SaniDry dehumidifier to keep the moisture in the air controlled and the homeowners chose to purchase an Aspen Air Purifier to keep the air in the living space clean.  

When the home was purchased a few years back the inspection had dictated that there was some moisture issues in the crawl space. As time slipped by, the homeowner had forgotten to have this looked into and now they the living spaces of the home were smelling damp. Worried that some long term damage had happened over the years, they called up John's Waterproofing for their free inspection. We went out, assessed the damage and found a mold issue. It was beyond what we could help with, but we referred them to a local mold remediation company. We also informed them that once treated, the mold would stay away from a few years, but without addressing the moisture issue, it would come back. For a full solution, an encapsulation should be done after the mold has been properly dealt with. The homeowners didn't want to deal with mold coming back so they agreed. They had the mold dealt with and then called us to schedule an encapsulation. 

To begin we pulled out the old vapor barrier and general debris that was still evident. A SuperSump was installed in the low point, this will collect the minimal groundwater present and send it away from the home. We then laid in TerraBlock insulation over the dirt floor and sealed the vents shut. CleanSpace was then installed. This is installed under the wooden posts, anchors along the rim joists and is sealed into place with a special four inch wide waterproof tape. Spray Foam insulation was applied to the foundation, and a SaniDry dehumidifier was installed. This system will keep the space dry and healthy, creating an environment where mold will not be able to grow. 

This daylight basement had water coming in, causing a musty odor and damp spots along the foundation floor. The homeowner enjoyed using the space and wanted to keep making use of it, so they needed to address the water problem. They called up John's Waterproofing to get a full inspection and talk about options to have the space waterproofing and refinishing the space. 

To begin work, our crew pulled up the old flooring, and removed the below-grade portions of the walls that had water seeping in behind it from the foundation walls. We then dug a trench along the interior perimeter, laying a bed of gravel and a WaterGuard drainage system in. Since there was water coming up through the foundation floor, we also installed some leech lines to collect water from through the space and guide it to the WaterGuard drains. From there the water is graded to a low point where we installed a TripleSafe sump pump which pushes the water safely out and away from the foundation. To waterproof the walls we installed our ThermalDry radiant vapor barrier. This will provide a thermal break, and will not mold or mildew, just acting as a vapor barrier of moisture to be guided to the drain system. To keep the moisture content healthy, we also installed a SaniDry dehumidifier. Once the waterproofing system was completed, our finished crew came in and refinished the walls. 

Just prior to buying this home, the previous owner had hired John's Waterproofing to take care of their wet crawlspace and make the minimum necessary repairs to bring it up to code. A year later while performing an annual service for the new owner, the Service Technician noticed that the old fiberglass insulation was failing and that mold was beginning to grow on the wood surfaces. He took photos to show the homeowner and shared how CleanSpace encapsulation could fix the problem and help clean the air in her home while lowering utility bills. The new homeowner was really interested, she liked all the benefits of encapsulation, including the idea of cleaner air as she suffered from allergies. 

Some weeks later one of our Installation crews came out to do the work. They removed all the dirty, falling insulation and the vapor barrier. John's Waterproofing had previously installed a perforated pipe drainage system and SuperSump Pump with a discharge line which was all in good shape. They then laid TerraBlock, a high-density foam barrier that aids in insulation and protecting the CleanSpace vapor barrier, over the entire dirt floor. After isolating all the posts with CleanSpace fabric, they proceeded to cover the crawlspace floor with our CleanSpace, a 20mil nylon reinforced,  micro bacterial fabric vapor barrier over the TerraBlock and up the foundation walls, securing it just under the rim joist. All the seams were sealed with special CleanSpace heavy-duty tape. A SaniDry dehumidifier was also installed to keep the moisture down to a level where mold couldn't survive and the air could be continuously filtered. The vents were all sealed and then a single cell Spray Foam was applied to the foundation walls to complete the isolation of the space as well as insulate the crawlspace to the R factor as required per code. The homeowner was thrilled with the finished product and has even called to inform us her allergies seem to have lessoned and she was thrilled!

Homeowners get interested in encapsulation for a variety of reasons. This homeowner was looking for more storage space in her home and she got very excited when she learned her large crawlspace could be transformed for more storage. Our System Designer came out and inspected the crawlspace and the homeowner was surprised to learn she also had water in her crawlspace and four posts that needed replacing. 

The crew started with a complete cleaning of the crawlspace including debris, old vapor barrier, and fiberglass insulation. Next, a 3" perforated pipe drain system was installed and terminated at a SuperSump Plus pump and discharge line was sent out to a rain drain. That done, they laid TerraBlock, a high-density foam product over the dirt floor. This aids in insulating the crawlspace protecting the new CleanSpace, 20mil, nylon-reinforced barrier. This is used to isolate each wooden post and all seams are sealed and then anchored to the foundation walls. The sagging wood posts were replaced with Smart Jacks, which are high-capacity adjustable steel piers designed to stop settling and even raise sagging floors. Lastly, a SaniDry dehumidifier was installed to ensure this home stayed dry and everything stored would be safe from mold/mildew. With all the vents sealed, Spray Foam insulation was applied to the full wall of the foundation to keep the home insulated. 

This home had us do a crawlspace encapsulation a few years back, but had opted out of upgrading their access well. It was large, and easy to use, water wasn't entering the crawlspace through it, so it was still in relatively good condition, however it was made of wood.  As the years went by, this wood did end up seeing a lot of water,  and was starting to show wood rot and was deteriorating. Upon one of the homes annual service checks, we were able to spot a portion of this access well, that was getting a but squishy to the touch. To keep water from breaking through this point and getting under the home, the homeowners decided it was time for an upgrade. Our crew removed the old access well and doorway and installed an EverLast Access Well and EverLast Door. These will work to protect this dry crawlspace, and is all made out of inorganic materials, so it wont succumb to water issues.