Charlotte, MI Reliable Basement Waterproofing & Foundation Repair

Vonda had issues with mice and a problematic crawlspace. During our initial inspection, we identified several issues that needed urgent attention within her crawl space to ensure it was dry, and could keep pests out. Vonda's solutions included CleanSpace encapsulation, FrothPak for sealing, Smart Sump for water management, and various fasteners for secure installation. We implemented these solutions, ensuring her crawlspace was clean, dry, and free of mice. Vonda now enjoys a safer, more comfortable home, free from her previous concerns.

Mary recently moved into a new home and realized it didn't have accessible basement windows. For safety reasons, this was concerning, so she researched her options and called Ayers for help. We sent a team of experts to her home to evaluate and recommend a solution. They suggested installing an egress window to provide a safe and quick escape during an emergency. Egress windows are designed to withstand pressure from dirt and water, include stair steps for easy evacuation, and the polycarbonate safety cover reduces surface falls. Mary loves her new plan!

Mrs. Foster has little help when it comes to household management. With a regularly flooding basement, she needed a team that would treat the home with the same care her husband did. After contacting Ayers, our foreman Blade was able to assess the basement and locate the source of the water.

Blade found that one of the sumps pumps out and severe cracking on a brick wall. To remedy the issue Blade prescribed a new TripleSafe pump and a PowerBrace set to stabilize and correct the cracked wall.

The PowerBrace supports are steel beams lined against the problematic wall that are anchored into the foundation floor with concrete and secured to the supportive rim joist at the top with load-bearing joints. This apparatus provides a constant source of pressure that corrects the wall and holds it in place. The broken pump was replaced by TripleSafe pump which has two extra failsafes to ensure the pump never gets overworked. If the main motor is overworked then a reserve motor is on stand-by and back up batteries in case of power outages.

We know how much everyone hates having to go in their crawl space. It's dark, dusty, and even a little bit creepy and there's always a possibilty of those unwanted critters/insects. We think you should be able to enjoy or at least use every part of your home. That's why we will send a system design specialist in your crawl space or basement to take a look and see what we can to waterproof and make your space more liveable. 

This crawl space is not visited often, there's a dirt floor and insulation hanging from the ceiling. I mean let's be honest what would be the point of going down there. We were however, able to revive this space and make it usable to the owners. We have never understood the point of a dirt floor in a crawl space, you wouldn't use dirt for your basement floor so why is your crawl space any different. Also when that fiberglass insulation gets moisture in it, it will become heavy and fall. We can fix all of this with CleanSpace though. 

CleanSpace is a heavy plastic liner used to create the perfect vapor barrier in your crawl space. It is fitted to your crawl space to cover every post, the floor, the walls and anywhere we have to worry about water coming in. The best part for these homeowners now is that they can store stuff in their crawl space since that the floor isn't dirt anymore. It will keep moisture out and any critters. 

This Charlotte, MI home had a foundation basement wall that was tipping and pushing inward. The homeowner was looking for a solution that would save his failing wall and potentially help push it back to its original position.

The Geo-Lock Wall Anchor system was installed to stabilize the failing wall and prevent it from tipping any further. We excavated the soil outside of the wall in order to place steel earth anchors into deep soil. The anchors were then connected to the wall and secured into place with steel wall anchors and steels rods. After they were tightened into place, the wall was immediately stabilized and would no longer shift or crack. The system can also be tightened over time to potentially move the wall back to its original position.

This homeowner called because a section of his basement, furthest from the sump pump location, was constantly wet. The basement had also flooded the year before and he wanted the problem fixed before the problem worsened.

We first needed to remove the ineffective sump pump in the home and restore it with a TripleSafe sump pump system that has three effective pumps in one sturdy liner. The first pump does the majority of the work, the second pump is placed higher in the liner and will take over if the first pump is unable to keep up and the third pump is battery powered to ensure your home is covered if the power goes out.

Next we installed the IceGuard system that ensures water is able to automatically exit the discharge lines in the home if they freeze in the wintertime. The system has specialized holes that help water exit the lines instead of re-entering the home and causing a flood. A LawnScape outlet was also installed on the discharge line to carry water away from the home and prevent it from flowing back toward the property.

The foundation walls in this Charlotte, MI home had multiple stair step cracks that were concerning the homeowners. Stair step cracking is a common sign of wall failure and without a proper fix, the wall would continue to shift and crack even further.

In order to stabilize the failing wall and prevent it from shifting any further, we installed the CarbonArmor system. CarbonArmor uses specialized straps made from a fiber reinforced material that is ten times stronger than steel. A heavy-duty epoxy resin was first painted onto the wall and then the straps were adhered and secured in placed with steel brackets. Once the system was installed, the wall was immediately stabilized and has the opportunity to shift back to its original position.

Susan M. had water entering her basement through a crack in the foundation wall located on the south side of the home. There was less than an inch in puddled water coming in, but she wanted to fix the problem immediately before it got any worse. 

The first thing we needed to do was properly seal the crack. In order to do that we used FlexiSpan, which is a sealant that repairs water leaks due to wall cracks. The crack was caused because the basement wall shifted over time. FlexiSpan is extremely flexible and easily moves with the wall, which makes sure the crack is permanently sealed and prevents it from re-cracking over time. A drain was placed underneath the flooring directly under the crack to collect water that could enter the home and immediately filters it into the home’s drainage system.

The home was in desperate need of a drainage system, so we installed the WaterGuard system. We removed the flooring closest to the wall around the interior perimeter of the basement to place drainage pipes. The excess space in the removed flooring was filled with crushed stone and the entire system was covered with concrete to repair the floors. The system works by leaving a small section of the system uncovered so water coming in through the wall is able to drain down into the pipes underneath the ground and then exit into the sump pump. 

A SuperSump sump pump was installed to collect water from the WaterGuard system and pump it outside of the home. SuperSump is an effective system that has a sturdy liner and a powerful Zoeller pump to ensure the home is always safe from water intrusion. 

The last part of this project was dealing with the discharge lines in the home. IceGuard has specialized holes that help water exit the discharge lines instead of re-entering the home if the pipes happen to be frozen. A LawnScape outlet was installed at the end of the discharge line to lead exiting water away from the home. 

Leila W. had just purchased a new home and she was concerned with the condition of the crawl space. Although there were no water or odor issues associated with the space, she was still worried about insects and mold growth. Little did she know, we also found high humidity levels caused by water vapor entering through the dirt floor and the walls.  

The first issue we needed to fix was the walls and the floors that allowed moisture to enter the space. The waterproof and vapor proof CleanSpace liner was the perfect option for this homeowner. The liner is made of a durable, plastic material that we sized to perfectly fit the dimensions of the space and was securely fastened to the walls to prevent it from falling down.

To take care of the humidity, we installed a SaniDry XP, which is an efficient dehumidification system. This system wrings the air dry and uses a powerful blower to distribute filtered, dry air throughout the crawl space. Unlike other dehumidifiers, this one automatically drains collected water into the drainage system in the space so the homeowner will never have to deal with emptying the bucket.

The last part of this project was to properly insulate the walls to prevent the outside environment getting in. FrothPak spray foam was used to seal all of the nooks and crannies on the crawl space walls and is different from fiberglass insulation because it doesn’t absorb ambient moisture. The foam is made of inorganic materials that prevent mold growth, which was a main concern for the homeowner. 

We had already completed several jobs on Kate’s Charlotte, MI home when she called us for a final finishing product. When we first started, Kate had needed a full waterproofing system, windows, and a yard drain. Now that all of that was completed, she was ready for her basement to have a finished look.

The wood panel walls in the basement had taken a lot of abuse and water damage before the waterproofing system was installed. Wood panels don’t typically stand up well to water. The organic material is very easy for mold to grow on and they can rot very easily. Kate was hoping to replace the damaged wooden walls with one of our inorganic wall systems. Our BrightWall system is made of rigid plastic and is perfect for giving basements a more polished, finished look. Not only will the plastic material of BrightWall prohibit mold growth, once the panels are installed, but they will also actually help with the drainage. The crew snapped the BrightWall panels into place over the current walls and then connected them to the perimeter drainage system we had previously installed for Kate. If water does continue to enter through the walls, it will leak down behind the panels and into the drainage system for discharge. Kate’s home now has the look to go along with her protection. 

In a case of a bad situation that could have easily been much worse, we received a call from David, the homeowner of this basement, about a leaking crack in this Charlotte, MI basement wall. When our system design specialist arrived, he recognized the problem for what it really was – a bowing foundation. Horizontal cracks that run along the length of walls are one of the tell-tale signs of exterior soil pressure forcing walls inwards. And if you couldn’t guess, bowing walls can lead to serious foundation problems, like a collapsed foundation.

To combat the expanding soil and force the walls back to their original position, the system design specialist created a plan that would involve Geo-Lock Anchors pulling the walls out and the PowerBrace system forcing them straight. The two systems working together should restore the walls back to their original position. And thanks to both systems' ability to be tightened, the conditions will continue to improve over time.