Stabilizing Your Home From the Crawl Space - Beaverton, OR
Challenge
This homeowner reached out to John's Waterproofing after noticing the doors in their home couldn't shut properly. We informed them that this is a sign that the home is settling. This happens when a home's foundation gradually begins to shift from the soil, thus causing shifts in the building materials. Over time, the home loses its support and can't be properly stabilized. We suggested that by installing SmartJacks to restabilize the home. This is the perfect option as they are made of steel that can't rot or mold, but can reset the homes foundation to keep it standing. Part of the reason a home can settle is from water seeping into the soil and loosens it. They agreed that a Pipe Pump Plastic method would be a good option for them to add a moisture barrier beneath their home, while also having the SmartJacks to stabilize it.
Solution
The Pipe Pump Plastic method for waterproofing a crawl space is a more budget friendly option until the homeowner is ready to do a full encapsulation. This process involves installing a drainage system so that water has a safe passageway to flow through without flooding over the vapor barrier. This is done by installing a perforated pipe along the interior perimeter of the crawl space. It is connected to a SuperSump Plus sump pump. This sump pump is able to collect all the water from the drainage pipe and safely push that water away from the homes foundation. The goal is to preserve the homes foundation by controlling water so it can't flood in which leads to mold growth or rotting wood. We then install a 6 mil vapor barrier. Each seam of the vapor barrier is overlapped along the edge to prevent any groundwater from seeping through it. While these help protect against moisture and add a safe passageway for water, it's the SmartJacks that restabilize the home. These are adjustable steel piers designed to stop settling and raise sagging floors. For this home, we removed 5 of the wooden posts that were separating from the homes foundation and replaced them with SmartJacks. Now, this home is protected against moisture damage and was able to be restabilized so that it is sturdy and safe for its occupants.
