Photo Album: Crawl Space Experts to The Rescue - Portland, OR

This homeowner was interested in a dramatic crawl space makeover, and that's precisely what our encapsulation offers! John's has specialized in the home waterproofing industry for over 50 years, which has given our crews the knowledge and expertise that is only obtained through years and years of perfecting one's craft. We take each job seriously, and provide WOW service to all customers every step of the way. Our crews transformed this crawl space from a state of utter disaster, into a dry, healthy, and stable area that will forever support the health of the family, and the longevity and value of the home. When our Design Specialist performed his initial free inspection, he found that it was in very bad shape. There was standing water beneath the home, which had severely rotted many of the wooden subfloor posts, creating a sagging subfloor and sloped flooring inside of the home. Additionally, the subfloor insulation was completely ruined - hanging and fallen onto the original vapor barrier, creating a breeding environment for rodents, and toxic bacteria.  First, the entire crawl space is cleaned out, and all debris are removed. Once the area is clean and dry, we begin encapsulating. This completely seals, waterproofs, and insulates, creating an air-tight seal to protect the home and family from the devastating effects of water damage. The floor is waterproofed and insulated using 2 layers of durable ground coverings, starting with TerraBlock Padding directly onto the dirt floor, followed by our 20 Mil CleanSpace, that is also attached onto the foundation walls, along with SilverGlo insulation paneling. SilverGlo is a double-sided, waterproof insulator that both prevents water from entering the crawl space, and reflects heat back into the home, decreasing heat loss and offering substantial savings on heating and cooling costs. To ensure that ground water does not accumulate beneath the system, a TripleSafe sump pump is installed. This is a 3-pump-in-1 system, where each pump is activated according to water volume, and the 3rd and final pump is fully battery-operated to ensure functionality even in the event of a power outage. Controlling humidity is also a crucial step, and this is why we install a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier. This dehumidifier continuously cleans and filters the air, removing all allergens and toxins, while maintaining a safe relative humidity all times to prevent mold growth - protecting the system, as well as the health of the family inside of the home. Finally, all original crawl space vents are sealed, and the access door is verified to be snug around all edges, to effectively keep all rodents and debris from gaining access into the space. Now, onto the reinforcement of the subfloor. For this, our crews removed all of the rotten wooden posts, and replaced them with SmartJacks, to immediately and permanently create even weight distribution across the entire subfloor, eliminating all sloped interior flooring. SmartJacks are carefully adjusted by hand, until the overhead floor is returned to level, and are easily adjustable in the future if need be. As they are made of steel, they are much longer lasting, and more supportive than traditional wooden posts. As the final cherry on top, this homeowner also requested Seismic Retrofitting of his crawl space, for protection in the event of an earthquake. This is another one of our specialties, and we were happy to oblige. Seismic Retrofitting involves installation of Steel Plates, connecting the homes subfloor and foundation walls, to allow a small amount of "wiggle room" during an earthquake, so that abrupt shaking won't immediately rattle the home into collapse. The "wiggle room" instead allows the structure to sway - only a very small amount - with the shaking of the Earth, resulting in the home remaining intact for a longer period of time compared to homes without Seismic Retrofitting. This particular home upgrade will buy this family precious time in evacuating their home in the event of a large magnitude earthquake. John's has now completed the dramatic transformation of this crawl space, by rescuing it from a state of poor health, and equipping it with the professional waterproofing and seismic capabilities needed to adequately support the stability and longevity of the home and the family living within it.