Crawl Space In Urgent Need of Structural Reinforcement - Edmonds, WA
Challenge
This crawl space had been badly neglected for many years, and was in urgent need of reinforcement and waterproofing to prevent structural collapse of the home. While our Design Specialist was inspecting the crawl space, he found massive amounts of water damage to the subfloor components. The main beam that supported the entire subfloor from end to end was rotting, cracked, and had fallen out of place, leaving the home in a state of critical instability. Further, almost 2 dozen of the subfloor posts were also cracked and rotting, leaving this home in danger of collapse, and greatly threatening the safety of the family within. A crawl space with such extreme damage, is in need of immediate, professional repair, and our waterproofing and structural experts here at John's were ready, willing, and able to help save this family's home!
Solution
Recognizing the urgency in this job, we quickly scheduled the needed repairs. First, our crew removed all of the old nasty debris from the crawl space, wiping the slate clean for expert installation of high quality structural and waterproofing components to protect the home. With the space now clean, we began by removing and replacing the rotten beam with a fresh wooden beam, providing adequate subfloor support. Next, our crew removed and replaced all 21 of the rotten piers with Steel SmartJack Piers. Our crew adjusted each SmartJack until the overhead floor was level, and proper support was offered to the subfloor. SmartJacks remain permanently in place, and offer easy adjustability in the future, should the need arise. With the structural reinforcement now complete, and the home once again stable, our waterproofing experts began encapsulating the space. To begin, we install a waterproofing system to immediately collect and expel water away from the home through a SuperSump Pump, and underground discharge line. Next, 2 layers of ground coverings were laid down, beginning with our TerraBlock padding to insulate the dirt floor. Directly on top of the TerraBlock, as well as up on to the walls, we laid down our 20 Mil CleanSpace Vapor Barrier. CleanSpace is bright and white, and transforms crawl spaces into welcoming, clean areas! To insulate the foundation walls, our crew installed SilverGlo Wall Panels, which are 2 sided - offering wall waterproofing while reflecting heat back into the home to save homeowners money on heating and cooling costs. To control the relative humidity inside of the space, we installed a professional-grade dehumidifier. The installation of a dehumidifier is of immense importance, as the air you breath inside of your home, comes from your crawl space. Lastly, our crew covered all original vents, and removed and replaced the original crawl space door with a custom-cut EverLast Access Door. Our EverLast Doors are made of rigid plastic that will never rot or discolor, and when shut they seal completely to prevent rodent intrusion. Our crew successfully, and efficiently took this home from a state of imminent collapse, to now structurally sound and waterproofed and therefore protected from further devastating water damage.
