Crawl Space Repair Photo Album: Restabilizing Your Home from the Crawl Space - Portland, OR

After experiencing years of water intrusion in their crawl space, this homeowner decided it was time to have a professional come out and install a new vapor barrier. They called John's Waterproofing and we sent someone out to inspect their crawl space. Upon the inspection, we found that there was practically no vapor barrier left after the years of water coming in and damaging it with dirt and debris. Most of the earth beneath their home was completely exposed and the wooden posts weren't protected against water damage. Due to this, several of the wooden posts that were supposed to be supporting the home had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The first step to get this crawl space back in good condition was to remove what was left of the original vapor barrier. Most of it was ripped up and pushed to the edges, negating its purpose of isolating the home and keeping water from seeping through. We also removed all the falling fiberglass insulation because it had absorbed too much moisture and no longer was attached to the sub-floor. We installed a new 6 mil vapor barrier along the base of the crawl space, up the foundation walls, and between the footing and wooden posts to isolate and protect. We overlap each seam of the vapor barrier to help ensure water won't be able to seep over top and into the crawl space. Once the new vapor barrier was installed, we then needed to stabilize the home in areas where the original wooden posts no longer were. We installed over 8 feet of support beams and 9 SmartJacks throughout the crawl space. SmartJacks are steel adjustable piers that are made of materials that won't rot or grow mold. This allows them to withstand different climates and still maintain support for the home. Now that the home has a new vapor barrier and is supported, the homeowner won't have to worry about their house settling.