Huge Crawl Space Upgrade - Portland, OR
Challenge
The most important purpose of the crawl space is to be able to add structural support for your home. This is the place where all the piping and HVAC systems can be stored. Therefore, it's important it all remains a healthy space so that it can continue to store these systems and your home. This homeowner had a scary situation where their 2,600 sq foot crawl space was exposed to water damage. They decided that this would be too big of a job for them and called John's Waterproofing. We informed them that to maintain the health of their crawl space that a full encapsulation would be the best solution.
Solution
The purpose of an encapsulation is to help keep your crawl space dry and healthy. But, how can we ensure that? We first install a drainage system using a perforated pipe. This pipe goes along the interior perimeter of the crawl space and acts as a safe passageway for water to go through. It collects water from the walls and from rising groundwater so that no flooding will occur. This pipe then connects to a TripleSafe sump pump. The sump pump takes all that collected water and is able to safely send it away from the homes foundation. With this drainage system, we are able to control the flow of water so that it won't flood and can be pushed out. Then, we installed DrainMatt. This is a dimpled matting that goes along the base of the crawl space that helps to direct water to the drainage system. This step was necessary because the home was built over top of a stream and had a lot of rising groundwater try to get into the crawl space. On top of DrainMatt, we installed TerraBlock. This thick insulation foam goes along the base of the crawl space to create a separation from the home and the earth. It closes the crawl space off so that the environment can be controlled. This also aides in improving the homes energy efficiency because the separation allows the heating/cooling systems to not have to work as hard to keep up with the outside changing climate. Next, a CleanSpace vapor barrier is installed up the foundation walls and between the footing and wooden posts. This is able to isolate and protect from water seeping over top. A SaniDry dehumidifier is installed to pull moisture and particles out of the air. Lastly, Spray Foam is applied to the foundation walls as a final insulator and air sealant. Now, this crawl space is completely closed off from the outside elements and can remain a dry and healthy space to support the home.
