Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Restoring a Crawl Space in Buckley, MI

Our customers called with both long and short term goals. They wanted to fully restore their problematic crawl space, but in the face of money and time restrictions, knew they would need to take on the project in stages. The first, most vital step was to get the crawl space cleaned out and seal it off from water. With the eventual plan of also adding insulation and a dehumidifier, we removed debris (including about 5000 tons of waterlogged fiberglass insulation) from the crawl space and encapsulated it with CleanSpace vapor barrier. Now the crawl space is protected from water, and the house is protected from the crawl space. And when it comes time for the next step in the project, we won't be starting from zero.

Debris in Damp Crawl Space

First off - the white plastic you see in the foreground is NOT CleanSpace. It's simply plastic sheeting that was at some point laid out to protect from the dirt. It's not doing well. This crawl space was full of debris ranging from organic to insulation to old iterations of this sheeting, and it all had to be removed before we could get to work.

Wet Corner in Crawl Space

The mold has really taken hold here. It's visible on the hanging, ruined fiberglass insulation as well as on the ground itself. All mold needs to thrive is food (insulation) and moisture.

Fiberglass Insulation Fails in Crawl Space

Fiberglass insulation is a common - and terrible - choice for a crawl space. It absorbs moisture, then eventually gets too heavy to stay up and simply falls to the ground. It also has paper backing, which mold loves to snack on. Waterproof, inorganic materials are the best choice for crawl space insulation.

Gross Crawl Space in Buckley, MI

Old insulation fallen everywhere, the beginnings of water-warped beams, and visible water stains on the walls - this crawl space desperately needed to be cleaned up and encapsulated.

Crawl Space Entry

When you call to set up an appointment, we ask questions like the location of the crawl space entry. This is so we know who to send (sometimes these entries are very, very small) and how to go about gaining access (one recent entry was under a sided-in porch).

Waterlogged Crawl Space

Fallen insulation doesn't do much insulating, but new insulation was a project our customer wanted to do in the future. This time, we just focused on getting it clean, dry, and encapsulated.

Froth Pak Insulation Seals Rim Joist

In areas where insulation is necessary but tricky, Froth Pak spray insulation is a great solution. We can spray it into joints like the rim joist pictured to seal off the crawl space from the home. It's also waterproof and inorganic, so no risk of mold.

Wrapping Piers in Crawl Space

In addition to encapsulating the walls and floor of the crawl space, we also wrap the piers (supports) to protect them from ambient moisture.

Working in Tight Spaces

This isn't even close to the smallest crawl space we've encapsulated, but it's a good example of how hardworking our crews are. This entire crawl space is encapsulated and it's only a few feet tall. That means lot of accurate work needs to be done while kneeling and bending.

Pier Wrapping in Progress

A crew member in the process of encapsulating a pier.

Installing CleanSpace Around Fixtures

HVAC, pipes, and many other roadblocks often exist in a crawl space. We can install CleanSpace around these fixtures and keep it airtight so your crawl space isn't compromised.