Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

This homeowner was worried about the area under their home because it had a strange smell and seemed wetter in this area. It was a problem that they had been experiencing for awhile, but finally decided to give us a call when they learned about the problems that could come along with the high humidity level. Our System Design Specialist was able to head out to the home and figure out exactly what to do to solve the problems they were having.

The "before" photo shows the area that the homeowner was worried about. As you can see, someone had laid out some plastic over the the dirt to try to keep the moisture in, but because nothing was sealed, the plastic did not do much to keep the moisture in. Another big issue that can be seen in the picture is the open vents at the top of the wall. Open vents allow outside air into the crawlspace, which is not something we want, especially with an encapsulation.

The "after" photo shows a much different place than before, it looks completely different! Our crew installed CleanSpace Liner that covered the entire area, covering all of the floor and the majority of the walls of the crawlspace. Every part of the CleanSpace is sealed up along the walls, which prevents water and moisture from getting through. We also installed a dehumidifier to make sure that the humidity level stays lower than 55%, so that mold in not able to grow. 

Water intrusion is often an issue that people will put off before other home improvement projects. Since the crawlspace is under the home, people aren't always thinking about it and would rather stain the deck or get a new roof and fix their crawlspace. Or sometimes people aren't in the best financial situation and can't afford to have the problems taken care of. However water intrusion issues are not something that should be put off because the crawlspace affects the entire home because the air cycles from crawlspace to attic, which can be explained by the "stack effect". 

This homeowner had actually called us to take a look at their home a few years back in 2014. For one reason or another the homeowner decided not to get the work done, but knew the dangers of not taking care of the issue. The bad thing about water intrusion issues is that hardly ever do they get better, they tend to just get worse and worse. This was unfortunately the case for this homeowner and close to four years later they called us back to their home to take a look and figure out what we could do to fix the problems that they had been having.

Our System Design Specialist was able to go out and revisit the home to see if anything had changed and what exactly they were going to need to finally get this problem under control. The second quote was very close to the initial quote, with a few minor changes. The main part of the quote was the CleanSpace liner that was going to be installed in the crawlspace. The CleanSpace helps to seal off and separate the crawlspace from the ground, and along with the SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier that was installed in this crawlspace, the homeowner had a much cleaner and healthier area. 

Many people will lay down some type of plastic in their crawlspace to help keep the humidity level down. However, this usually just means that a thin sheet is laid out throughout the crawlspace and that is the end of the story. This misses one of the most important parts of encapsulation, sealing the liner. Sealing the liner is one of the most important parts because it prevents any water vapor from getting into the crawlspace.

Although this sounds like a simple task, it isn't as easy as it sounds. As you can see this homeowner tried to tape these sheets together and then to the top of the wall. This is similar to our process, but because of the quality and lack of experience this homeowner had with waterproofing, this "do-it-yourself" option did not work out nearly as well. As you can see, the corner of the plastic has fallen down.

Our installers are well-versed and have extensive training in the installation of all of our systems. Many of our employees have been working with us for several years, with a few of them having around 15 years of experience here! Needless to say, our crews know exactly how to install all of our products. Not only do we have several methods of securing and sealing the liner, but the crews also try to follow every curve of the area so that the liner won't be pulled away from the wall.

There are several different ways to tell if a crawlspace is having a problem with moisture, such as falling insulation, "sweating" pipes, and having standing water on the ground. One very obvious sign that can often be overlooked is the smell of the area. Often people just think that this is just how the crawlspace normally smells, however this musty/old smell can actually be mold beginning to grow.

This happened to be the case for this homeowner, who had ignored the smells coming from their crawlspace for quite awhile before finally trying to fix the moisture problem by installing a dehumidifier. Unfortunately this dehumidifier was not enough to take care of the moisture in this crawlspace. Once the homeowner noticed this, they decided to have the professionals come out to the home and see what All-Dry of the Carolinas could do for them. 

Our System Design Specialist was able to explain our system and why it worked so well to the homeowner, who was excited to have this system installed.  The three main products that were installed in this crawlspace were drainage matting, CleanSpace, and a SmartSump. The sump pump is installed first and helps to pump out any water in the crawlspace. Then the drainage matting is laid out over the floor of the crawlspace and helps to move water along the ground to the sump pump. To finish it up, the CleanSpace is laid out over the entire crawlspace floor and walls in order to seal everything up. This helps to keep water and moisture out of the crawlspace. 

Falling insulation and debris decorated liners are a tell-tale sign that your crawlspace may have a high humidity level. It’s also a high indicator that something must be done down there. This Easley, South Carolina crawlspace faces that main problem here in the “before” photo. The insulation is falling down in piles. What’s more is that the insulation that is still in place is no better. Once the insulation fills with water, it’s as good as done. It’s useless.

In the “before” photo, we’ve made a big change. We’ve removed all debris from the dirt floor and fixed in place a beautiful CleanSpace liner. The liner itself operates as a barrier from the earth and keeps many things—as well as water vapor—from disrupting the newly dried atmosphere. It also opens up the crawlspace and makes crawling in there a lot easier. So, if there is a problem, residents won’t feel so hesitant to travel down and explore it.

We’ve received nothing but praise from the owners of this crawlspace. They absolutely love the CleanSpace and we loved being able to give them this.