Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

Keeping your crawl space dry and healthy is extremely important in order to maintain a healthy home. If water gets into the crawl space, this can result in atmospheres for mold to grow, wood to rot, and poor air quality to waft into the living spaces. In order to protect your crawl space, John's Waterproofing recommends getting them fully encapsulated. An encapsulation begins by removing the damaged vapor barrier and clearing out any debris. Once everything is removed, then we install a drainage system. This involves installing a perforated pipe along the interior perimeter of the crawl space so that it can collect water from the ground or walls that try to seep through. It offers a safe passageway for that water to be sent to a SuperSump Plus sump pump. The sump pump is what works to take all that collected water and securely pushes it out of the crawl space and away from the homes foundation. Once there is control of water, then we can install TerraBlock. This is a thick insulation foam designed to seal the earth off from the home and regulate the environment. On top of the TerraBlock, a CleanSpace vapor barrier is installed. This vapor barrier differs from code-regulated ones because it is 20 mil thick and backed by a 25 year warranty against rips and tears. We also install CleanSpace up the foundation walls and between the footing and wooden posts to isolate and protect from water damage. Once everything is sealed with waterproof tape, then we can install a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier. This helps to filter any moisture or particles out of the air, thus promoting better air quality in the living spaces. The final step would be applying Spray Foam to the foundation walls as a final air sealant and insulator. Now, this encapsulation will protect the home against water intrusion so that it can stay dry and healthy for its occupants.

The basement and crawl space of this home are separated by an Internal Footing Pony Wall. The homeowner had noticed water leaking into both the basement and the crawl space for many years. Because of this, she has been unable to use both spaces for storage of anything of actual importance. She called on the Waterproofing Experts here at John's for help, and we quickly got her on our schedule with our Design Specialist. When the specialist arrived at her home, he thoroughly inspected the basement and crawl space. He found evidence of water intrusion, and created a Job Proposal for the homeowner, that offered expert solutions to mediate water intrusion and damage. He approached the homeowner, thoughtfully explained his findings, as well as his customized professional solutions. He offered the homeowner the absolute most effective and permanent waterproofing solution - a Full Encapsulation of the crawl space. This would mean creating a 100% air-tight seal inside of the space, using high-quality waterproofing components. Fully Encapsulating the space was imperative, as many years of water intrusion had started to erode the soil supporting the foundation of the home, which could eventually lead to structural collapse. Additionally, because of the wet conditions of the crawl space, the air quality was poor and unhealthy. This is a serious problem, not only for the crawl space, but also the inside of the home, because 40% of inside air comes from your crawl space. Therefore, a healthy space beneath your feet, does in fact create a healthy air environment inside of your home. The homeowner was pleased to be offered such an effective and permanent solution, so she signed the Job Proposal, and we scheduled her Encapsulation.

Our crew arrived, ready to waterproof her crawl space. First, they dug a shallow trench directly up against the exterior of the back side of the concrete foundation wall outside of the crawl space. Inside of the trench, they laid down 3" Perforated Piping, to collect all water before it could enter the crawl space. Next, they covered the Piping tightly with TremDrain Matting, to relieve hydrostatic pressure against the foundation wall, and to ensure that all water flowed down the Piping, and into the discharge line to be expelled safely away from the home. This exterior step is usually not necessary, but because this crawl space was at the bottom of a steep downward slope, our Design Specialist decided that preventing water intrusion into the space entirely was the best way to protect the home. With the exterior drainage installed, they began work inside of the crawl space. First, they laid TerraBlock Foam Insulation down on the ground inside the space. TerraBlock is durable and thick, and provides excellent crawl space insulation. Directly on top of the TerraBlock, and up onto the walls, they placed our 20 Mil CleanSpace Vapor Barrier Liner, which is interlaced with carbon fibers to prevent rodent damage, and is warrantied for 25 years against rips and tears. CleanSpace is bright and white, and an extremely effective barrier against moisture and vapor penetration. It combines 7-layers of high and low density polyethylene, making it suitable for walking on, and useful as storage space. Next, our crew cut a perfect hole into the TerraBlock and CleanSpace, to install a SmartDrain Canister and Alarm, at the lowest point inside of the crawl space. If water ever enters the space, or if a plumbing leak occurs, it will reach the SmartDrain, which will immediately set off a loud alarm - alerting the homeowner to water in the space before substantial damage could occur. The SmartDrain is battery operated, so that even in the event of a power outage, it will not lose its ability to function. Incase of any additional water intrusion, our crew installed a Full WaterGuard System along the basement side of the Pony Wall that separates the crawl space and basement. Once water is collected in this, it will be routed to a TripleSafe Sump Pump, to be immediately expelled away from the home via a discharge line. Our TripleSafe Sump Pump is a 3-pump-in-1 system, where each pump is activated if the one before it fails, or cannot handle the volume of incoming water. Additionally, to control the relative humidity in the space, we installed a SaniDry Dehumidifier, to maintain the air quality at a safe level. To provide electricity to both the TripleSafe and the SaniDry, our Electrical Division installed a dedicated circuit for the 24/7 operation of each machine. Within the crawl space, we than sealed the vents shut with custom-cut rigid plastic, to prevent all rodents, debris, and air from entering the space. The final step in the Encapsulation was installing the Spray Foam Insulation onto the foundation walls. The crawl space of this home is now Fully Encapsulated, and is protected from the devastating affects of water intrusion and damage. 

The owner of this commercial building was getting a lot of complaints from the tenants about musty smells and humidity issues, so they called John's Waterproofing to get a free estimate and inspection. The owner met with our system design specialist after the inspection and went over options. They chose a full encapsulation for this massive crawl space. To begin this project we start by removing all the debris in the space. Next we dig a trench around the interior perimeter of the entire crawl space and lay down a perforated pipe into a silt sock to secure a safe passage for water to drain to the Sump pumps. We installed our SuperSump Plus with our UltraSump battery backup at the lowest point. Then, we installed a discharge line outside and away from the foundation. One of the retaining walls was crumbing, so we poured a new concrete wall to ensure the space remains on solid soil. We then install our TerraBlock system. This goes directly on the dirt floor of the crawl space creating an insulated barrier between the building and the earth. On top of the TerraBlock, we install our CleanSpace system. This goes all along the foundation wall and covers the entire crawl space floor. Lastly, to help with the humidity and musty smells, we install 2 of our SaniDry Sedona dehumidifiers. It will eliminate damp odors by drying and filtering the air, all while promoting healthy air throughout the entire building. 

This homeowner had reached out to John's Waterproofing back in 2015 about getting their crawl space inspected. They noticed that during the rainy seasons water would seep inside the space and puddle. Because of this, the water would bring in dirt and debris from the outside and leave it behind on the vapor barrier as the water evaporated. We explained that a full encapsulation would prevent these water issues from continuing and they decided to wait and see if the issue resolved itself. Then, in 2025 the same homeowner reached back out saying that the water issues they were experiencing had only worsened and agreed to encapsulate the space. A full encapsulation is the process of sealing the crawl space off and controlling the environment to help prevent water intrusion, mold growth, and wood rot. It involves installing a drainage system with a TripleSafe sump pump, TerraBlock insulation foam, and a CleanSpace vapor barrier. Now, this beautiful crawl space is capable of keeping water out and the home healthy. 

This homeowner was struggling with strong odors coming from their crawl space so they wanted to find a solution that would permanently solve this issue. They reached out to John's Waterproofing to get the job done. After sending our system design specialist to perform a free estimate and inspection, he met with the homeowner to discuss options for this crawl space. They decided an encapsulation would be the best way to go. Not only does it improve air quality in the home, it also offers protection from mold and mildew and increases the home's value. It also reduces energy costs by creating a barrier against moisture and air leaks, which will help maintain a consistent temperature in the home. To begin this project we start by removing all the debris in the space.  Since this space did not have much water, we installed our SmartDrain system. This will alert the homeowner of a possible plumbing leak with an audible alarm and will drain the water into a drywell underneath the CleanSpace until the homeowner can address the leak. Then, we install our TerraBlock directly on the dirt floor of the crawl space and this will create an insulated barrier between the home and the earth. On top of the TerraBlock, we install our CleanSpace system all along the foundation walls, up to the rim joists and seal all the vents in the space to ensure no outside air enters. We make sure to seal the CleanSpace with our waterproof tape against the footing of the wooden posts. We install our SaniDry Sedona to control the environment and this will eliminate the damp musty odors the homeowner was concerned about by drying and filtering the air. It will also keep the space at a healthy relative humidity. The final step is to install our foam insulation. We spray the foam along the walls of the foundation, up to the rim joists providing a well insulated and airtight crawl space for this homeowner.