Your Albany, OR Expert Basement Waterproofing & Crawl Space Encapsulation Company

Keeping your home standing is important. For this homeowner, they noticed that there was no support in the floors. Concerned with the foundation, they decided to called John's Waterproofing. Upon inspection, we found that the crawl space was lacking in wooden posts to support the homes foundation. In fact, in some spots there were just blocks of concrete stacked on top of each other in order to support the home. This is a major safety issues for the occupants and the home. 

In order to solve this foundation issue, we would need to install 38 different SmartJacks and over 56 feet of steel beams. A SmartJack can be installed in place of the existing pier columns and footings to help stabilize the home. They are steel adjustable piers designed to essentially lift the home and prevent sagging from the crawl space. In areas lacking support, it's important to install these because they also can help with doors not shutting properly and interior wall cracks. Overall, feeling safe in your home is important and by keeping the foundation supported with SmartJacks. The homeowners were amazed that they could feel the difference as soon as the work was done. The bounce in their floor was gone!  

This homes basement had been finished a while back, but now water damage was poking through. The drywall was squishy along the lower portions of the walls and their trim was discolored from water. The owners of the home lifted up some of the carpet edges in this area and found it to be damp. Knowing that water issues had found their way into the home, this homeowner called upon John's Waterproofing to handle the problem. John's proudly provides solutions that are made to keep the basement dry all of the time, and this includes systems for homes that have previously been finished. 

To start we removed the interior perimeter drywall system, as well as the damaged flooring. The walls were badly discolored from the ongoing water issue and much of the old wall insulation was molding. With the space cleared out we dug a trench by the wall and installed our WaterGuard drain system. This collects groundwater and water from the walls, channeling it towards the lowest point of the basement. Once here the water enters a TripleSafe sump pump and is pumped safely away from the homes foundation to a LawnScape outlet. We installed drains for the below-grade windows and then applied out ThermalDry radiant vapor barrier to the foundation walls. This is a vapor barrier and provides a thermal break so the space can maintain a comfortable temperature. A SaniDry dehumidifier was installed to keep the relative humidity at a healthy range and then we sent out our finishing crew. They installed paint ready drywall along the foundation walls helping to transform this basement remodel into something that the homeowners can enjoy worry free now. 

A brand new refrigerator, and with built in water and ice machine. However, the home had not been set up for this. With the fridge in place, a new waterline would need to be installed to use the new features. The homeowners called up John's Plumbing Division to get the job done! Our plumber arrived and crawled under the home. He ran a new line with its own on/off switch over to where the fridge is located. The new water line was run up through the floor and connected to the refrigerator. The water was turned on and the new plumbing was all checked. With everything in working order, the job was complete! 

It's very distressing for homeowners to find their finished basement is leaking. Having to rebuild is expensive, time-consuming and the space is rendered unusable while the work is being done. This homeowner called to find out why it was leaking after 20 years of being dry and what could be done about it. A System Designer was sent to the home to help. She found that it was leaking at the footing. The System Designer explained how hydrostatic pressure affects this area on the exterior and while original waterproofing often takes care of this problem, over time the original work, especially drains, can wear out and the drains can become compromised by roots and dirt. Hydrostatic pressure can become worse as new construction in the area and insect tunneling create new paths for water intrusion to occur. He explained how WaterGuard, an award-winning drain system could solve her problem and give her a great transferrable warranty. Needing her basement living area back in use, she was sold.

When the crew arrived they began by removing the walls and framing. Next a 6' trench around the perimeter was dug out to prepare for the WaterGuard and sump pump. The WaterGuard was placed in the trench in a bed of gravel and terminated at a TripleSafe sump system, complete with its battery backup pump to ensure continued pumping in the event of a power outage. Concrete was poured over the top of the WaterGuard and smoothed to match the concrete floor, only leaving a 1/2 flange on the back of the WaterGuard and for driving moisture into the WaterGuard from the walls with any one of our wall systems.  In this instance, BrightWall was chosen to give the basement a semi-finished look. Made of durable PVC it's easy to keep clean, quick to install, and cost-effective. In very little time, this space was ready to be used.

A homeowner contacted one of our System Designers from a referral that a friend gave her. She had a basement that was leaking and it was home to her college-aged son. After meeting with her and measuring everything and taking photos, our System Designer sat down, explained what causes basements to leak, and together they agreed on a plan of action. 

The installation crew arrived and got to work removing walls and framing so they could remove 6" of concrete around the perimeter to install WaterGuard, an award-winning drainage system, specifically designed for basement waterproofing. The WaterGuard terminated at a TripleSafe sump system and discharged into the rain drain system for water removal. A Rockwell egress window well with its durable fiberglass construction and natural rock look and feel was added as well as a large galvanized window well on the other window. Tucked into the back of the flange of the WaterGuard, ThermalDry Wall was attached to the walls that were to be finished with framing and drywall to make sure moisture was driven into the WaterGuard and it aids in insulating the space. BrightWall was added to the unfinished areas to give them a clean semi-finished look and also drive moisture into the drain system.  Our finishing crew followed up by rebuilding the walls in the living area.

If your energy bills end up hiking up faster than expected, the reason could be found in the crawlspace. If a crawlspace has a water intrusion, this can be soaked up into any fiberglass insulation, causing it to become water logged and fall in pieces. This home had such a problem, and was missing a large portion of insulation. This is why we do not use fiberglass insulation in a crawlspace, we recommend a crawlspace encapsulation to provide a crawlspace specific insulation solution. 

Our installation crew began by removing all of the old insulation and debris from under the home. We then installed a SuperSump Pump with an UltraSump battery back up; this will collect the groundwater and push it safely out and away from the foundation. To insulate we then installed TerraBlock over the dirt floor, and SilverGlo wall insulation over the foundation walls. We then isolated the wooden piers with our 20 Mil vapor barrier; CleanSpace. This is then anchored along the foundation walls and sealed into place. The vents were then sealed up and a SaniDry dehumidifier installed to ensure this space stays dry and healthy. 

When standing water can be found in a crawlspace, we always suggest a drainage system to help combat the evident water issue. For this home, we installed a three-inch perforated pipe system to collect groundwater and direct the water to a newly installed TripleSafe sump pump. From there all water is pushed out and away from the home's foundation to a LawnScape outlet. We then laid out a 6 Mil vapor barrier to help keep water from penetrating the wooden portions of the home's foundation. 

The homeowners were getting ready to sell their house and knew there were moisture problems in their crawl space that they knew they needed to address first. So they called into John's Waterproofing and scheduled to have a design specialist come out to take a look. We found the source of moisture and found some mildew so suggested to a full encapsulation. They agreed and soon enough one of our crews arrived to clean and dry out the space. He installed a new Super Sump and made sure that it was draining as far away from the structure as possible. 

Shortly after the homeowners were able to put their home up for sale, providing the new homeowners with a clean dry crawl space that will stay that way for a very long time.

This homeowner was concerned about water coming into his basement through the cold joist. Our inspector, Bob confirmed the homeowner's suspicions and came up with a plan to waterproof Kyle's basement. Bob suggested installing Thermal Dry walls, our patented WaterGuard perimeter drain and a Super Sump pump.

Ramon and his team immediately began to install our products to waterproof Kyle's basement. They first installed Thermal Dry walls that easily fit over stone or concrete walls. It is designed to reflect heat back into the basement to improve comfort and lower energy costs. The Thermal Dry walls work perfectly with the WaterGuard perimeter drain by directing wall seepage into it. Our patented WaterGuard system is jackhammered into the perimeter of the foundation to collect the wall seepage and channel it to the sump pump. In Kyle's basement, a Super Sump pump collects all collected water and pumps it out of the basement space. The Super Sump works quietly and efficiently and comes with a built-in alarm system for when water levels get too high.

Now that our systems are in place, Kyle no longer sees water entering into his basement and has a dry, healthy and usable new space.