South Haven, MI Effective Basement & Crawl Space Repair

At their lakeside property in South Haven, MI, the homeowner faced major water intrusion in the crawl space. Damp conditions and high humidity had led to mold growth on the floorboard supports, putting the home's structural integrity at risk. Determined to resolve the issue, they turned to Ayers for help.

Our team installed a CleanSpace vapor barrier to seal out moisture and protect the crawl space. A SmartSump sump pump was added to handle water intrusion, efficiently directing it away from the property. To combat humidity and prevent future mold, we installed a SaniDry dehumidifier, creating a clean and dry environment.

With their crawl space secured, the homeowner now enjoys peace of mind, knowing their lakeside retreat is protected from water and mold.

Celeste recently noticed a musty smell throughout her home and traced it back to her wet crawl space. She couldn't take the smell, so she researched her options and called Ayers for help. A team of our specialists stopped by her house and evaluated the situation. They recommended CleanSpace, the vapor barrier constructed of anti-microbial material to prevent mold growth and moisture entry. CleanSpace is applied to all the crawl space floors and walls uninterruptedly. Celeste can't believe how amazing her space looks!

Willa's basement lacked accessible windows and she knew it could be a safety hazard during an emergency. She was unsure what to do, so she researched her options online and called Ayers for help. Our skilled crew of professionals visited her home to evaluate the situation and recommend a solution. They decided the best course of action would be installing an egress window to provide a safe escape. Egress windows are designed to withstand weather conditions and they include a polycarbonate safety cover to prevent accidents on the surface. Willa loves her new window!

Mary realized her stone basement walls had large, deep voids in them. The spaces allowed moisture entry, and she couldn't tolerate it anymore, so she called Ayers for help. We sent a team of professionals to her home to examine the space and see how we could help. They suggested Shotcrete, a solution that applies a concrete or mortar wet spray through a high-pressure hose to fill a form and repair damaged surfaces. Mary is ecstatic with her new walls!

Brian worried his dirt floor crawl space would allow water to seep through and cause damage to his home, so he called Ayers. We sent a crew of specialists to his home to evaluate the space and provide a solution. They recommended CleanSpace, an antimicrobial vapor barrier applied to the floors and walls of the crawl space, trapping out moisture and stopping mold growth at the source. Brian is relieved to no longer worry about his dirt floor crawl space!

Alan's floor was freezing since the weather shifted, and he couldn't tolerate cold feet. He needed to fix the problem, so he researched his options and called Ayers for assistance. Our professionals stopped by his home to evaluate and realized the vents in his crawl space allowed cold air underneath his house. They installed the CleanSpace vapor barrier, a highly durable and antimicrobial-lined material. CleanSpace deters moisture and cold air entry and consequently prevents cold feet. Alan's feet are much warmer now!

Alena found mold growing in her crawl space and worried it could be causing the musty smell upstairs. She wasn't sure how to eliminate the odor herself, so she researched her options and called Ayers to learn about our waterproofing solutions. Our specialists visited her home and recommended installing the CleanSpace vapor barrier. CleanSpace is a highly durable material, antimicrobial-lined to prevent mold growth, and applied uninterruptedly to the crawl space floors and walls to encapsulate the entire space. Alena loves her crawl space's new look!

Jerry D.’s home was built in 2001 with poured concrete walls. After an enormous rainfall he noticed three to four inches of standing water in his crawl space. This water got to his crawl space from his basement. His basement walls had cracks that were allowing water to pour through. After clearing the water out of his crawl space our team of experts used Flexi Span to seal those cracks. We know over time concrete walls begin to move causing cracks but Flexi Span is designed to move with your walls and has a secondary built in repair strategy so you don’t have to worry about leaking walls again.

Liji H. from South Haven, MI had to deal with the rouble that comes along with a Michigan basement for quite some time before she reached out to us. Water would spew into the basement from the walls and floor, and Liji needed a solution. 

We installed two fo us favorite waterproofing products for this job: the patented WaterGuard French drain system and the SuperSump premier sump pump system. WaterGuard rests below the basement floor and above the foundation footing, collecting all the water that seeps into the basement from the walls. Once this water is collected it is redirected to the sump pump to be pumped up and out of the home. 

The SuperSump sump pump system is a sump pump specifically designed to keep your basement dry for long periods of time. Capable of pumping 2,220 gallons of water per hour, it is suitable for heavy water intrusion.

With these two installments, Liji can be comfortable living with a crawl space. 

James F. of South Haven, MI was having water leak into his basement from the foundation walls. This can cause mold and mildew growth in a home, and it needed to be put to a stop. So, James gave us a call. 

We installed two of our favorite products: the TripleSafe sump pump system and the WaterGuard French drain system. We installed the TripleSafe first. The TripleSafe is a sump pump that provides three levels of protection against water leakage. Whether it be normal water supply, heavy volumes of water, or in the case of a power outage, this sump pump will keep your basement dry. For normal water supply, the Zoeller ⅓ horsepower pump functions. At a heavier level, the Zoeller ½ horsepower pump activates. In the case of a power outage, the UltraSump backup sump pump will pump water on a backup battery.

We next installed the WaterGuard. WaterGuard rests below the basement floor and above the foundation footing, collecting the water that leaks in through the walls. After this water is collected, it is redirected to the sump pump -- the TripleSafe -- to be pumped up and out of the home.

Tim H. of South Haven, MI had a pipe burst a couple of years ago and had 44,000 gallons of water dump into the utility room in the crawlspace. Since then, he has been trying to rid the cottage of the damp musty smell. The crawlspace has a dirt floor. He had two dehumidifiers running but nothing would get rid of the musty smell. Thus, Tim gave us a call.

We installed one of our favorite products: the CleanSpace crawl space encapsulation system. CleanSpace is a 20mm thick plastic lining that completely seals off the crawl space from the outside, surrounding elements. No dirt, cold air, water, or moisture will be able to get into the crawl space with this in place. And as a cherry on top, CleanSpace is developed with anti-microbial properties that prevent mold growth -- no more musty smell for this crawl space.

Ed B. of South Haven, MI had bought a foreclosed house to fix it and turn into a rental property. The house had a short, Michigan basement that was falling apart. There was a crack in the foundation that was previously fixed, the floor was not level, and there was signs of settling before we got a call from him. Ed had other companies give him quotes with recommendations to lift the house and rebuild the whole basement. He hoped this could be avoided. 

Our solution? The SmartJack crawl space support system. Although this property did not have a crawl space, it did have only a 5 foot high basement, so this system worked just the same in this situation. SmartJack is strong enough to support loads of moer than 60,000lbs and is made of galvanized steel to prevent erosion. 

Lower level problems are no longer prevalent with the SmartJack system.

Tracy S. of South Haven, MI called us when she had had enough of her water problem. She would get water seeping in the basement during heavy rains and needed a solution. 

Our fix? WaterGuard and TripleSafe. The TripleSafe sump pump system is a sump pump that provides three levels of protection against water leakage. Whether it be normal water supply, heavy volumes of water, or in the case of a power outage, this sump pump will keep your basement dry. For normal water supply, the Zoeller ⅓ horsepower pump functions. At a heavier level, the Zoeller ½ horsepower pump activates. In the case of a power outage, the UltraSump backup sump pump will pump water on a backup battery.

Once that was installed, we put in the WaterGuard French drain system. WaterGuard rests below the basement floor but above the foundation footing, collecting the water that seeps into the basement. After that water is is the drain, it goes to the sump pump -- the TripleSump -- to be pumped outside. 

Liji H. of South Haven, MI called us when water became an issue in his basement. He told us that water would come in mainly down the steps and when it would rain really hard. He also mentioned that dampness would come up through the cracks in the floor. 

Our fix? The SuperSump premier sump pump system and the WaterGuard French drain system. The SuperSump is a sump pump specifically designed to keep your basement dry for long periods of time. Capable of pumping 2,220 gallons of water per hour, this piece of equipment is suitable for heavy water intrusion.

After that was installed, we moved onto the WaterGuard system. WaterGuard rests below the basement floor and above the foundation footing, collecting the water that seeps into the basement from the walls. Once that water is collected, it is redirected to the sump pump (the SuperSump) to be pumped outside of the home. These two systems work in perfect harmony to make this basement completely waterproofed. 

Charles’ home had been on the market for two years and still had no prospects in sight. He was starting to suspect that the moisture in the crawl space was the reason, and his suspicions were all but confirmed when an inspector came by and suggested he think about waterproofing. His first thought was to have the entire crawl space encapsulated, but when our system design specialist had a look, he came up with a different solution.

The crawl space was mostly leaking through the walls and dirt floor. To capture the water from these leaks, the system design specialist came up with the idea to place a drain tile system around the perimeter of the crawl space. The drain was then covered with gravel to allow water to easy flow into the system. Since the drain tile was connected to a crawl space sump pump system, it will be pumped out through the discharge line all the way to a lawnscape outlet. Another threat to the crawl space was the rotted rim joist along one of the crawl space walls where it met the ceiling. Rather than just sealing up the joist, the crew replaced the entire rim to guarantee the next homeowners wouldn’t struggle with the same problems Charles had.

We hope that with this fix, Charles can finally get his home sold. Good Luck!

A remodeling job for Janet’s South Haven, MI basement had turned a relaxing summer home into a crawl space nightmare. When part of the brick foundation was replaced with blocks, the contractor had failed to ensure the floor above was leveled off, causing the entire 1^st floor to slope downward. In turn, the slope brought about more problems - including cracks and a leaky crawl space. And no matter how many times Janet tried to patch those cracks, they would reappear. She then hired another contractor to fix the lean of the basement, thinking that would solve all of her problems. After the contractor’s additional support beam solution failed, Janet became weary of letting just anyone try to help. But when she decided she was going to sell the house in the near future, she knew she would have to look for a trustworthy company to solve her problems.

After looking over our history of work, positive customer reviews, and skimming through science and repair books, Janet decided she was ready to move forward with Ayers. Our system design specialist met with her and created a plan to drain the water in her crawl space, keep it dry afterward, and restore the floor above to a leveled height. To give the water an escape route out of the crawl space, the crew installed a Smart drain. Smart drains behave similarly to a basement perimeter drainage system. By sitting around the perimeter of the crawl space floor, the drain can collect water that runs down the walls and then directs it to the crawl space sump pump. Covering the floor of the crawl space with a CleanSpace liner ensures that moisture won’t pass through the dirt floor and into the crawl space either. Lastly, the crew replaced the window on the leaning side of the basement with block concrete to boost the floor back to its original level.

We appreciate your confidence in our work, Janet, and wish you the best of luck on the sale of your home!