All-Dry of the Carolinas Before & After Photos

Foundation settlement is one of the most common causes of foundation problems that we see. The settlement is caused by the soil under and around the home shifting, because it is not packed down nearly as much as the undisturbed ground around it. The severity of settlement really depends on a couple of factors; one being, how tightly packed the soil was after the foundation of the home was built, and how long the homeowner has gone without addressing the problem.

Unfortunately, this homeowner had been living with this problem for awhile without getting it taken care of. As you can see from the before photo, the crack in this chimney is not just a small crack, but rather a huge gap. This is very dangerous, because you never know when something could happen and the entire chimney could come down. This is definitely something that you do not want to wait on, but rather get taken care of sooner, rather than later.

While the after photo is not the completely finished product, it does show the difference between the chimney before the push piers were installed and afterwards. As you can see, the gap has been almost completely closed through the raising of the piers. You can also see the difference that the piers made in the duct tape on the chimney, especially the piece on the right. 

Water getting into the basement of a home can cause more problems than people realize. The water can start to damage the floors and wall where it is coming through into the basement, but that is not where the damage stops. Having water in the basement of a home means there is more moisture and more moisture means the possibility for mold growth. It may seem insignificant, but if this isn't taken care of in a timely manner the mold spores can be circulated throughout the home and begin causing health issues with occupants of the home. 

This homeowner started to worry about their basement after they began to notice water stains on their basement walls. However this was only part of the problems with this basement. After awhile, the homeowners also began to see mold growth in the basement. This was the point that they knew this wasn't just a small issue, but that they needed to have a professional come out and see what could be done to take care of these issues.

Fortunately we knew we would be able to help out this homeowner because we've fixed similar problems hundreds, if not thousands of times before. While this was a serious issue, it had a relatively simple fix. Our crew installed our WaterGuard drain along the perimeter of the basement in order to catch the water coming into the area. The crew also installed a SuperSump pump system in order to pump the water away from the home. With just these two products we were able to keep this homeowner from having to worry about water getting into their basement. 

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a thousand times: a dirt crawlspace is only as good as its vapor barrier. And this vapor barrier in this Lincolnton, Georgia crawlspace was not good at all. What was the barrier’s sin? Well, for starters, it’s barely a liner let alone a “barrier.” It sits on the dirt mounds without any real rhyme or reason. It isn’t being held down or tapped to the ground by any means. It’s—quite literally—just there. This is no good.

The difference between our vapor barrier and this one is plain. Not only is ours more secure, but its thicker. It isn’t made from some flimsy material. What’s more is that ours is mold resistant.  It’s sealed using a variety of methods but all of them are designed to keep the CleanSpace in place.

When it comes to your crawlspace, protecting it from moister is very important. In this Campobello, SC home the crawlspace was taking on large amounts of moister. Not only was moister the problem, but the crawlspace was littered with debris, trash, and an old liner.  To solve this problem, our All-Dry of the Carolinas team encapsulated the entire crawlspace.

                Our All-Dry crew was able to install a series of our waterproofing technology that would take care of the water issue in the crawlspace. Our crew installed a CleanSpace liner, sump pump, and dehumidifier. When encapsulating the crawlspace with CleanSpace, it seals the area to keep moisture from creeping up from the ground and causing damage to your foundation.   A dehumidifier was placed in the crawlspace as a solution to the humidity that is produced from the pipes under your house. A SumpPump is to flush out entering water and excess water from the dehumidifer from the crawlspace. Together with all these tools, the crawlspace is completely protected from moisture.

Having a crawlspace door, or entrance, is a very important part of a healthy crawlspace. A lot of crawlspace entrances/doors have problems with them, whether it be that they don't shut all the way or because there are large gaps around the entrance. The product that was installed for this homeowner helps to solve all of these problems, and is called the Turtl Crawlspace Entrance.

The "before" photo shows off what the entrance to the crawlspace looked like before the Turtl was installed. As you can see, the homeowner actually had a pretty nice looking entrance, but an aesthetically pleasing entrance, does not mean it is a functional one. When these doors close, they leave huge  gaps for air to flow into the crawlspace. This allows moisture to accumulate in the crawlspace, especially during "wet" times when humidity levels are high.

The "after" picture shows a much different story than the previous picture. The solution in this photo is the Turtl, which does a much better job at keeping air out. It is hard plastic, so not only is it sturdy, but it won't absorb or let water into the crawlspace. One of the cool features that the Turtl has is that it has a built in area for a lock. While you probably won't have many people breaking into your crawlspace, this will help keep pests and children from getting into the crawlspace.