Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

This Battle Creek homeowner had some moisture issues in their crawlspace. When it was windy, there was a draft in the basement that the owner wanted looked at too. We inspected the home and had just the solution for the issues the homeowner was facing. First we laid down Drainage Matting in the crawl space which is a mat with dimples to allow the flow of water to the sump pump. Then we laid down CleanSpace which is a very thick liner that is installed to keep moisture, water, and pests out of the area. Now the homeowner has a clean, dry crawl space with no cold drafts coming into the basement!

Bill wanted to get his crawl space encapsulated but was not sure what to expect. He called us to get an estimate and liked what we had to say. We installed Drainage Matting, CleanSpace Crawl Space Vapor Barrier, the TripleSafe sump pump and the SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier. The matting had raised dimples in it so that if water did get in, there would be channels for it to flow through and could be directed to the sump pump. The vapor barrier  is just want it sounds like, it keeps pests, humidity, and water vapor out of the crawl space to keep it dry. The liner also has an additive that prevents mold growth so the home and structure is protected. The TripleSafe has three layers of protection (2 pumps and a back up battery) to keep the area dry even in cases of a pump failure or a power outage. Lastly as an added protection we  installed the SaniDry Sedona. This dehumidifier blows dry air throughout the space to make sure it remains dry (the collected water is sent to the sump pump to be expelled out of the home) and it filters the air so you can breathe easy!

Jerry called our team because he had moisture in his crawl space. So we insulated his rim joists because small cracks and seams can exist around them. However, after insulating rim joists all of those cracks are sealed off. Now flow of air and moisture is restricted which will prevent moisture from entering Jerry’s crawl space.

When this crawl space first began to sag, the owners had tried to stop their floors from sloping using the stacked cinder blocks in the before picture. Originally, the makeshift support had worked. The floor joists were stable and the owners didn’t have anything to worry about. But after discovering moisture issues in the crawl space, the owners decided to have a full encapsulation done and figured it was as good a time as any for foundation repairs, as well. The new support system in the after photo is the SmartJack Crawl Space Stabilizer.  Unlike the cinder block solution that was in the crawl space, the SmartJacks are adjustable and can be raised to whatever height will lift the floor back to its original position. Even if this crawl space runs into more trouble, the stability of the floor above will remain intact.

Janet and Mark have lived in this house since '95. Janet grew up in this house with her older sibling so she technically has lived there her entire life. The home was built in 1880 and they plan on staying there for at least five more years. She noticed changes in the center support and that it had started to become compromised.  After contacting Ayers, our foreman Evan was able to inspect the area and noticed the worst was a large washout under the wall that also caused the mortar to decay heavily.

Evan and his team decided to put two smart jacks, one on each side of the doorway to reintroduce support into the structure. 

SmartJacks are steel beams vertically placed at strategic points of the rim joist and are anchored into the basement floor with poured concrete. The tops are fixed with loadbearing joints that attach to the rim joist. The height of the Smartjack is adjusted till the system is applying constant pressure, this provides a permanent corrective force to the supportive framework of the home.