Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: A Full Encapsulation in Depoe Bay, OR
Crawl spaces are often neglected due to them being out of sight, out of mind. Most homeowners don't think about this space until a problem presents itself. This homeowner reached out to John's because their home felt humid and had a problem with water intrusion in their crawl space. They were worried if it was not addressed properly it would cause problems like mold and mildew as well as structural damages. With this in mind, they scheduled their free visit. We sent one of our knowledgeable system design specialists out and they thoroughly inspected this crawl space, noting all of the issues found, then they met with the homeowner to go over the best options to create a plan to address every issue. They chose to go with a full crawl space encapsulation so we began this project.
First, we remove all debris, vapor barrier and fiberglass insulation. Then, we dug a trench around the interior perimeter of the crawl space to place a 3 inch perforated pipe into a silt sock. This creates a secure passage for water to drain to the lowest point, where we install our TripleSafe. This is a sump pump that will gather all of the water that enters and pump it outside of the home through a discharge line. Next, we make sure all of the vents are sealed shut to prevent outside air, pests ,and rodents from entering. The homeowner also wanted exterior access into the crawl space so we install our EverLast door which will adapt to all weather conditions. On the the dirt floor of the crawl space we then install our TerraBlock system which acts as an insulated barrier between the home and the earth. On top of the TerraBlock, up along the foundation walls and between each post and footing we install our tear resistant 20 mil thick liner; CleanSpace, that is sealed with our heavy duty tape. To keep the environment controlled, we installed our SaniDry Sedona. This effective dehumidifier will eliminate damp and musty odors while keeping the home at a healthy relative humidity. To finish, we install our foam insulation. This is sprayed onto the foundation walls, up to the rim joists and expands to fill every crack to guarantee an airtight seal which will help maintain a consistent temperature in the home.
High Humidity
Healthy crawl spaces remain below 55% relative humidity, this one was at 80% causing the entire home to feel humid
Exposed Ground
The exposed part of the dirt floor was full of moisture
Different Vapor Barriers
This crawl space had multiple kinds of vapor barrier just thrown over top of old ones, creating no real or permanent solution
Sagging Insulation
Due to years of moisture the insulation on the subfloor began to sag
CleanSpace
20 mil thick liner with fibers woven through to make it much more durable
SaniDry Sedona
Dehumidifier, which will remove excess moisture from the air, keeping the space at a healthy relative humidity level.
Spray Foam
To insulate the crawl space we spray foam along all of the foundation walls ensuring every void and crack are filled to guarantee an airtight seal
