Your Dependable Florence, OR Basement Repair & Crawl Space Encapsulation Experts

This daylight basement had water coming in, causing a musty odor and damp spots along the foundation floor. The homeowner enjoyed using the space and wanted to keep making use of it, so they needed to address the water problem. They called up John's Waterproofing to get a full inspection and talk about options to have the space waterproofing and refinishing the space. 

To begin work, our crew pulled up the old flooring, and removed the below-grade portions of the walls that had water seeping in behind it from the foundation walls. We then dug a trench along the interior perimeter, laying a bed of gravel and a WaterGuard drainage system in. Since there was water coming up through the foundation floor, we also installed some leech lines to collect water from through the space and guide it to the WaterGuard drains. From there the water is graded to a low point where we installed a TripleSafe sump pump which pushes the water safely out and away from the foundation. To waterproof the walls we installed our ThermalDry radiant vapor barrier. This will provide a thermal break, and will not mold or mildew, just acting as a vapor barrier of moisture to be guided to the drain system. To keep the moisture content healthy, we also installed a SaniDry dehumidifier. Once the waterproofing system was completed, our finished crew came in and refinished the walls. 

Just prior to buying this home, the previous owner had hired John's Waterproofing to take care of their wet crawlspace and make the minimum necessary repairs to bring it up to code. A year later while performing an annual service for the new owner, the Service Technician noticed that the old fiberglass insulation was failing and that mold was beginning to grow on the wood surfaces. He took photos to show the homeowner and shared how CleanSpace encapsulation could fix the problem and help clean the air in her home while lowering utility bills. The new homeowner was really interested, she liked all the benefits of encapsulation, including the idea of cleaner air as she suffered from allergies. 

Some weeks later one of our Installation crews came out to do the work. They removed all the dirty, falling insulation and the vapor barrier. John's Waterproofing had previously installed a perforated pipe drainage system and SuperSump Pump with a discharge line which was all in good shape. They then laid TerraBlock, a high-density foam barrier that aids in insulation and protecting the CleanSpace vapor barrier, over the entire dirt floor. After isolating all the posts with CleanSpace fabric, they proceeded to cover the crawlspace floor with our CleanSpace, a 20mil nylon reinforced,  micro bacterial fabric vapor barrier over the TerraBlock and up the foundation walls, securing it just under the rim joist. All the seams were sealed with special CleanSpace heavy-duty tape. A SaniDry dehumidifier was also installed to keep the moisture down to a level where mold couldn't survive and the air could be continuously filtered. The vents were all sealed and then a single cell Spray Foam was applied to the foundation walls to complete the isolation of the space as well as insulate the crawlspace to the R factor as required per code. The homeowner was thrilled with the finished product and has even called to inform us her allergies seem to have lessoned and she was thrilled!

Homeowners get interested in encapsulation for a variety of reasons. This homeowner was looking for more storage space in her home and she got very excited when she learned her large crawlspace could be transformed for more storage. Our System Designer came out and inspected the crawlspace and the homeowner was surprised to learn she also had water in her crawlspace and four posts that needed replacing. 

The crew started with a complete cleaning of the crawlspace including debris, old vapor barrier, and fiberglass insulation. Next, a 3" perforated pipe drain system was installed and terminated at a SuperSump Plus pump and discharge line was sent out to a rain drain. That done, they laid TerraBlock, a high-density foam product over the dirt floor. This aids in insulating the crawlspace protecting the new CleanSpace, 20mil, nylon-reinforced barrier. This is used to isolate each wooden post and all seams are sealed and then anchored to the foundation walls. The sagging wood posts were replaced with Smart Jacks, which are high-capacity adjustable steel piers designed to stop settling and even raise sagging floors. Lastly, a SaniDry dehumidifier was installed to ensure this home stayed dry and everything stored would be safe from mold/mildew. With all the vents sealed, Spray Foam insulation was applied to the full wall of the foundation to keep the home insulated. 

This home had us do a crawlspace encapsulation a few years back, but had opted out of upgrading their access well. It was large, and easy to use, water wasn't entering the crawlspace through it, so it was still in relatively good condition, however it was made of wood.  As the years went by, this wood did end up seeing a lot of water,  and was starting to show wood rot and was deteriorating. Upon one of the homes annual service checks, we were able to spot a portion of this access well, that was getting a but squishy to the touch. To keep water from breaking through this point and getting under the home, the homeowners decided it was time for an upgrade. Our crew removed the old access well and doorway and installed an EverLast Access Well and EverLast Door. These will work to protect this dry crawlspace, and is all made out of inorganic materials, so it wont succumb to water issues.