Sagging Floors & Mold Problem Eliminated from Saugatuck Home

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015 by Amanda Waldmann

Challenge

Mary and Bob W. of Saugatuck, MI had a sinking feeling when they called Ayers - literally, their floors were sinking! This made their goal of redoing their kitchen impossible. Mary and Bob may have called Ayers because of their floors, but we knew that in order to fix that problem, we needed to dig deeper.

A dirt floor crawl space was allowing groundwater infiltration through the walls, which caused a mold problem that weakened the structure of the entire crawlspace. A combination of water infiltration, accompanying mold rot, and the resulting lack of structural support was the root cause of their sinking floors.

While the ultimate goal was to fix the floors, in the process we also needed to stop the groundwater seepage and control it for the future, prevent the mold problem from recurring (and eliminate its accompanying odor), and reinforce the structure of the crawl space to support the house above it. They also wanted to increase the energy efficiency of the house by insulating the crawl space (and hey, the money they saved from their newly energy efficient crawl space can go toward that kitchen remodel!).

Solution

The first step was to install a new cast iron SmartSump pump system, along with a LawnScape outlet at the end of the discharge line, and IceGuard to stop it all from freezing over when winter rears its ugly head again. This will allow the water to drain properly from the crawl space, and with the added WaterWatch alarm, Mary and Bob will know immediately if something stops it from draining properly.

So now the water has a way to drain, but what about the humidity that comes with naturally occurring water vapor rising from a dirt floor? Well, the SaniDry XP Basement Air System takes care of that, removing moisture from the air to keep the crawl space dry and make the space inhospitable to mold.

At this point, we’ve found a way to get the crawl space dry and keep it dry, but will this keep it dry all the time? There’s another step to ensure that. And Mary and Bob wanted to ensure it.

We installed the CleanSpace crawl space vapor barrier encapsulation system in the space, as well as SilverGlo insulation on the walls, to fully seal off the crawl space from not only the ground, but also the house. Drainage matting under the CleanSpace system allows the groundwater enough room to drain properly, and the SilverGlo stops summer heat and winter cold from the crawl space from infiltrating the house above it.

The crawl space is dry. It’s going to stay dry all the time. The smelly mold is on its way out the door. But the floors are still uneven and unstable, and isn’t that the ultimate issue here?

Using a combination of sister joists to strengthen existing supports, new beams, and a dozen SmartJack Crawl Space Stabilizers, we raised the floor three inches and stabilized it. And with the crawl space moisture and mold problems a thing of the past, they’ll stay there.

Enjoy your clean, dry, crawl space, Mary and Bob – and let us know how the kitchen turns out!

Project Summary

System Design Specialist: Sean Doyle

Project Manager: Terry Ortiz

Products Installed: 1 SmartSump Pump, 1 SaniDryXP Dehumidifer, 12 SmartJack Crawl Space Stabilizers, 1046ft CleanSpace Vapor Barrier and Drainage Matting

Groundwater seepage allowed mold to grow on beams and cinderblocks, weakening the structure of the crawl space.

A cinderblock overtaken by mold.

Weakened beams led to sagging floors in the house, preventing Bob and Mary from remodeling their kitchen.

A molding beam threatens the integrity of the crawl space and the safety of the house above.

A new SmartSump pump system was installed to remove groundwater seepage.

The SaniDry XP system will remove any water vapor that naturally rises from the dirt floor in the crawl space.

A member of the Ayers production team fits into some tight spaces to install CleanSpace drainage matting.

CLeanSpace drainage matting will allow groundwater room to drain without breaching the CleanSpace crawl space vapor barrier system.

The CleanSpace crawl space vapor barrier encapsulation system not only shields the crawl space from the dirt floor, it also shields the house above from the crawl space. Also aiding in that division is SilverGlo insulation (visible on the wall), which helps regulate heat and cold from the crawl space to lower energy bills.

Now fully encapsulated, SmartJacks were employed throughout the crawl space to raise the floors above three inches. Sister joists and new beams were added to increase the stability and safety of the floors.