Reliable Bothell Waterproofing & Home Repair Experts

Vapor barriers are plastic liners that go along the crawl space floor. Its purpose is to be able to control moisture and prevent water from seeping through into the space. If a crawl space doesn't have a vapor barrier, this can result in excess water intrusion that will damage your home's insulation and impact its structural integrity. In the worst case scenarios, that water will evaporate and be absorbed into your home's wooden posts and beams. Homeowners will notice sagging floors, doors not shutting properly, and exposure to mold can than occur. In order to prevent these problems from happening, it is important to have a vapor barrier installed.

At John's Waterproofing, we offer several products that are designed to keep homes dry and healthy. One of those products includes a new 6 mil vapor barrier. This gets installed along the crawl space floor, up the foundation walls, and between the concrete footing and wooden posts. We make sure to anchor the vapor barrier to the foundation walls so that it stays secure and won't move around to expose the earth beneath. Each seam of the vapor barrier even gets overlapped so that water isn't able to seep over top of it and be absorbed by the wooden posts. It's important to keep your crawl space dry so that your home can stay healthy, and one way to ensure that is by having a proper vapor barrier installed.

This homeowner was caught by surprise when water started seeping into their crawl space. They knew if they didn't get the issue resolved quickly, then the water damage could impact the structural integrity of the home. They decided to call John's Waterproofing about what options were available to them. We informed them that the best long-term solution to keeping the water out would be encapsulating the crawl space. The homeowners weren't ready to fully commit to the encapsulation and opted for a more budget-friendly option with the Pipe Pump Plastic system.

The Pipe Pump Plastic system is a great option to get a proper drainage system installed and a new vapor barrier. In order to begin, we had to do a debris removal. This means taking out the original damaged vapor barrier and all insulation that had fallen from the sub-floor. Once the crawl space was cleared out, we could then install the drainage system. A trench is dug along the interior perimeter of the crawl space for a perforated pipe to be installed into. This pipe collects any water intrusion from the walls to rising groundwater and offers a safe passageway to go through. This helps prevent any kind of standing water and provides direction to the sump pump. The SuperSump Plus sump pump takes all the collected water from the pipe and pumps it out of the crawl space and away from the homes foundation. It is capable of controlling several gallons of water at a time due to its heavy duty Zoeller pump. Once the drainage system is installed, a new 6 mil vapor barrier is installed. This covers the base of the crawl space, up the foundation walls, and between the footing and wooden posts. Its purpose is to protect and isolate the space from water damage by preventing anything from seeping through. Now the the Pipe Pump Plastic system is completed, the homeowner can rest knowing the water issue is being controlled.

This homeowner recently discovered what encapsulations were and how they positively benefit the homes overall health. Wanting more information on how encapsulations are installed, they reached out to John's Waterproofing. We informed the homeowners that encapsulations are the process of sealing the crawl space off from the earth to help prevent mold, wood rot, and promote healthier air quality in the living spaces. 

When installing a full encapsulation, the most important step is removing all the falling fiberglass insulation and damaged vapor barrier so that the space has a fresh start to start installing drainage and new insulation. After everything is cleaned out, then we install a drainage system using a perforated pipe. This pipe goes along the interior perimeter of the crawl space and collects any water that tries to intrude. This pipe then connects to a SmartDrain so that the water can exit the crawl space and avoid puddling. Once a drainage system is installed, then we can lay down TerraBlock. This is a thick insulation foam that seals the earth off from the home. It helps improve energy efficiency because the heating/cooling systems won't have to work as hard to keep up with the outdoor changing climate. On top of the TerraBlock, a new CleanSpace vapor barrier is installed. This is a 20 mil thick liner made with woven fibers that protects against rips or tears. We make sure to install CleanSpace up the foundation walls and between the footing and wooden posts to isolate and protect against water damage. Next, we install a SaniDry dehumidifier to pull any moisture or particles out of the air and improve the air quality. Spray Foam is the final step in the encapsulation process which goes along the foundation walls to air seal the space and insulate it. After the entire system is installed, the crawl space is protected against water intrusion so that the home can remain healthy and dry.

Every homeowner wants to be able to use every foot of space that their home is supposed to offer. But, imagine losing hundreds of usable square footage of your home because water was leaking into the basement? That was this homeowner's experience after a heavy rainy season and they could no longer go into their basement because water was constantly streaming in. Tired of dealing with, they decided to reach out to John's Waterproofing and see if there was any kind of solution.

Luckily for the homeowner, we specialize in keeping basements dry and healthy with our basement waterproofing systems. The first step is by installing a proper drainage system. We do this by jackhammering a trench along the interior perimeter and installing WaterGuard in it. This is a drainage pipe designed to be able to collect water and offer a safe passageway to be sent out of the basement. It is placed along the footing of the basement and lined with gravel so water easily filters through without the threat of clogging. We even cover the WaterGuard system with concrete to offer homeowners a discreet, yet effective, drainage system. The WaterGuard connects to a TripleSafe sump pump which works to take all the collected water and securely pushes it out of the basement and away from the homes foundation. Once the drainage system is installed and there is control over the flow of water, then we install BrightWall. This is a white paneling that offers a semi-finished look, while also helping to keep the basement dry. Any water that tries to seep through the walls is guarded by the BrightWall and guided down below to the drainage system to be sent out. To ensure mold can't grab hold in this space we then installed a SaniDry dehumidifier. At John's Waterproofing, we understand the value of using every area of space your home offers and to do so we want your basement to stay dry and healthy.

This homeowner started noticing strange smells in their home and couldn't find the source of the issue. After inspecting their entire house and finding nothing that could've been the root to the smell, the only thing left to check was the crawl space. Because they didn't feel comfortable going into the crawl space themselves and seeing if there was an issue, they reached out to John's Waterproofing. We discovered that mold had grown all throughout the crawl space and was causing the smell that seeped into the air in the living spaces. The homeowner wanted a solution that would prevent future mold growth and agreed to an encapsulation.

The purpose of an encapsulation is to be able to control the environment in the crawl space that helps avoid mold. Mold can only grow if there is high humidity levels and humidity varies depending on how much moisture is in the air. This happens when water gets into the crawl space, evaporates, and without proper control of the environment it will raise the humidity. The first step of the encapsulation process is removing any damaged insulation and vapor barrier that moisture had caused to deteriorate. We then apply a mold spot treatment; MoldX, to the places where there is growth. Then, we install a drainage system to prevent standing water. This drainage system includes installing a perforated pipe along the interior perimeter of the crawl space and connecting it to a TripleSafe sump pump. The sump pump is capable of collecting that water and pushing it out away from the homes foundation. With a safe passageway for water to go through, then we can install insulation. TerraBlock is a 3/4 in. thick foam that is fit to each crawl space and creates a vapor barrier for the floor. A CleanSpace vapor barrier is installed over top of the TerraBlock that prevents water from coming into the crawl space. It is also installed between the concrete footing and wooden posts to isolate and protect the wood from getting water damaged. Finally, SilverGlo is applied to the foundation walls to insulate and air seal and a SaniDry dehumidifier is installed. Once this encapsulation is completed, it can control the crawl space's environment to prevent mold growth and stop any strange smells.