Failing Cobblestone Wall in Coopersville, MI Crawl Space
This wall is not so slowly crumbling, and leaving behind daylight as evidence. It should be no surprise that being able to see through your wall is a sign that it's failing.
Rotting Wooden Beams and Support Posts in Collapsing Crawl Space
Ambient moisture in the crawl space leads to mold, which leads to decaying and failing wooden beams. When those beams are in charge of holding up your house, that's a problem. All of the visible discoloration is mold and decay.
Inefficient Fiberglass Insulation in Crawl Space
Fiberglass insulation is not a good choice for basements, crawl spaces, or any room with ambient moisture and humidity issues. Here's why: the insulation absorbs the moisture and then becomes a problem in many ways. The added weight of the moisture makes it sag, for one, and paper-backed insulation is one of mold's favorite snacks. So instead of insulation you essentially have a waterlogged mold buffet. Mmm.
Block Wall Missing Vital Component - Blocks
Blocks in a block wall have one job - stay in place and be a wall. These blocks are very bad at their job. As they've fallen out of place, they've left behind gaps in the wall that weaken the support for the beam above.
Wide Shot of Failing Wall and Inefficient Insulation
With the added weight of the water, the insulation simply can't stay in place and has sagged right off of the wall, revealing...outside! Outside is not welcome in the crawl space.
Rotting Wooden Support Beam in Crawl Space
Here's a closer view of one of the failing beams. Is there anything left of it that isn't decayed and mold-ridden? This beam is responsible for holding up the house on top of the crawl space. No wonder the floors are sagging.
Coopersville, MI Crawl Space Riddled with Problems
There aren't many support beams and joists that aren't a disaster.
Decayed Beam in Coopersville, Mi Crawl Space
It gets worse, believe it or not. If you look just to the right of the vertical beam, the beam on top looks like it's about to snap apart. Which it probably is.
Questionable Concrete Support Post
This doesn't inspire much confidence. Signs of efflorescence (salt rising to the surface through porous materials) mean that this could eventually crumble just like the wood beams are decaying. Water-resistant materials are the only answer in situations like this.
Inefficient Support Post in Coopersville, MI Crawl Space
Efflorescence and mold litter this post, and there are already pieces missing. Tread carefully.
Crumbling Coopersville, MI Crawl Space
Missing blocks, falling insulation, and sagging beams with inefficient support posts. This crawl space needed a lot of work, but luckily, we had solutions.
SmartJacks and Steel Beams Stabilize Failing Crawl Space
We installed galvanized steel beams to support the floor joists, since the wooden beams were rotting to the point of failure. We also installed SmartJack Crawl Space Support Posts to support the beams and stabilize the crawl space.
Super Sump Installed to Solve Water Issues
With a sump pump in place, the customer now has a way to rid the crawl space of water (including the water produced by ambient moisture) instead of it just hanging in the air and ruining everything.
New Insulation in Coopersville, MI Crawl Space
The bumpy stuff you see along the wall is Froth-Pak foam insulation, which we used to replace the fiberglass insulation that was absorbing water and falling down. Froth-Pak is water-resistant and air tight, which makes it ideal for insulating damp areas like this.
Coopersville Crawl Space Restoration in Progress
From left: Froth-Pak insulation, galvanized steel beam, SmartJack crawl space support posts. Installing these products will take the weight off the wooden beams (literally) and crate a stable support system for the house above the crawl space.
