Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Encapsulating a Crawl Space to Save a Home Sale in Stevensville, MI

Our customer called after accepting an offer on his home but discovering the buyer was going to back out unless the musty, damp crawl space was taken care of first. There had been intermittent water in the crawl space, which had led to said smells and, left untreated, could cause problems ranging from mold to structural issues. After procrastinating for a while, his desire to sell the house won out and he had us come in to do a full encapsulation with CleanSpace vapor barrier and drainage matting. We wrapped the support piers as well to ensure total protection, and the encapsulation will allow his existing dehumidifier a better chance to keep up with any ambient moisture.

Water Damage and Staining on Crawl Space Walls

Even though there isn't standing water in the space at this moment, the discoloration along the bottom third of this interior wall reveals past water influx.

Water Damaged Support Piers in Crawl Space

When water travels through blocks, like those that make up this support pier, a process known as efflorescence can occur. Efflorescence is what happens when water dissolves salts that exist in the blocks and bring them to the surface. While this can just be superficial and leave behind "dust" in the form of the salts, constant water movement can degrade the structure of the blocks.

Wet Crawl Space in Stevensville

Between the water damage on the walls and the debris left behind, it's clear that water travels through this crawl space regularly.

Water Damage on Block Wall and Beams

There is discoloration evident on both the block wall and the overhead beams, which signals standing water and ambient moisture issues.

Wrapping Piers for Increased Protection

In addition to encapsulating the entire crawl space, we wrap the support piers to give them an extra layer of protection from potential ambient moisture.

Clean, Bright Crawl Space with CleanSpace

The bright white vapor barrier not only protects the crawl space from intruding water, it also provides a clean and bright surface in the crawl space rather than murky and dark.