Foundation Repair Photo Album: Large Waterproofing and Structural Repair Job - Beaverton, OR

The owner of this home has been a long-term repeat customers at John's - entrusting us since 2019 with all of her waterproofing needs. Here at John's, our customers are our priority, and we take great pride in cultivating these relationships by going above and beyond, and completing high quality work. When we were first called to inspect the crawl space of this home, we noticed that there was mold throughout, and lots of dirt on top of the existing vapor barrier - both evidence of water intrusion. The homeowner also mentioned musty odors in her home, which she suspected were coming from her crawl space. For these reasons, our Design Specialist recommended a Full Encapsulation of the space. He explained to the homeowner that a Full Encapsulation would ensure that the crawl space remained dry, and that the humidity level would be maintained, providing a healthy air environment both below the home, and inside. The homeowner was pleased that we offered her such an effective solution, and we got her on our schedule. Our expert Waterproofing Crew arrived the day of the job, and got to work at Encapsulating the crawl space! First, they removed all of the dirty and ruined crawl space debris. To remove the mold throughout the crawl space - and to prevent it from growing back - we applied our Mold-X2 Stain Remover, followed by our Mold-X2 Botanical Disinfecting Cleaner. Next, they dug a shallow trench along the perimeter of the space, and placed our 3" Perforated Pipe into the trench. The piping will collect all water, routing it to a SuperSump pump (placed at the lowest point in the crawl space), to expel all of the water safely away from the home via a discharge line. We than lift up each individual crawlspace post to slide a piece of CleanSpace between. Along the dirt floor, we lay down TerraBlock. It is a thick and flexible, waterproof foam pad, that helps insulate the space and prevents dirt, rocks, and moisture from entering. Overtop the TerraBlock, we laid down more CleanSpace, covering the entire crawl space floor, as well as the walls. This heavy-duty, 20 Mil thick sheeting is interlaced with carbon fibers to prevent rodents from chewing on it, as well as to provide the durability necessary to be walked on. It also is a highly effective vapor barrier, and helps reduce energy costs. It is bright and white - giving your crawl space a very clean appearance, and it comes with a 25 year warranty against rips and tears! To ensure that no air or pests would be able to enter the space, we installed Vent Covers over the existing vents, to seal the entire space from outdoor elements. To provide absolute and 100% air-seal within the crawl space, we covered all of the foundation walls with Spray Foam insulation. This type of insulation is the only kind that qualifies as a thermal, moisture, vapor, and air barrier. It reduces your energy bills up to 40% per year, and it will last for the lifetime of your home. Lastly, to make certain that the quality of air in the crawl space would always remain safe and within an appropriate relative humidity level, we installed a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier. To provide power to both the Dehumidifier and the aforementioned SuperSump Pump, our Electrical Division came out and installed a dedicated electrical outlet to operate these 2 essential Encapsulation components. The SaniDry Sedona model is the most effective and energy-efficient dehumidifier on the market! It has simple, automatic controls and drainage, so you can "set it, and forget it!". The installation of this powerhouse machine in your crawl space, promises that no mold will grow - maintaining a healthy air environment at all times. This is important because 40% of the air in your home, comes from the crawl space beneath your feet. A healthy crawl space, does in fact mean a healthy home! The Full Encapsulation of this crawl space was completed with excellent attention to detail, by the Waterproofing experts here at John's! Years later, as this home continued to age, the owner started noticing sloped interior floors. This prompted her to call on us once again, seeking help. We ensured her that she called the right people for the job, as we are the leading Structural Repair company, as well as Waterproofing Repair Company, in her area! We quickly sent out our Structural Design Specialist to take a look. When he arrived, he first inspected the Encapsulated Crawl Space. He found all of the Encapsulation components that we installed years ago to still be in perfect and functioning order, thanks to this homeowner keeping up on her yearly Annual Service visits with our Waterproofing Service Team! There were, however, 4 wooden crawl space piers that were splintered under the pressure and weight of the home. The instability of these wooden piers, had allowed the subfloor to sag. Making note of the compromised Piers, he moved on to inspect the foundation of the home. He confirmed that settling had occurred along the back right side. Foundation settling occurs naturally over many years, due to soil compression and expansion. It can create sloped floors in homes, doors that won't shut, and cracks in interior walls, as well as on the foundation itself. Drawing on his many years of experience in structural repairs, he wrote up a detailed Job Proposal, and presented it to the homeowner. The homeowner was happy with the repair plan, and decided that while structural repairs were being completed, she would also like a Wooden Platform built in her Encapsulated crawl space, to create a new storage area. Our Design Specialist let her know that our team was more than capable of doing that for her, and he would add it to her proposal. She happily signed it, and we got her scheduled! On the day of the job, our crew arrived, and began by lifting the foundation. To do this, they first dug out 4 individual holes along the settling portion of the foundation wall, to make room to work. Inside each of the 4 holes, they bolted a Steel Bracket directly onto the concrete foundation wall. Next, they hydraulically drilled Steel Helical Piers through each Bracket, deep into the weight bearing stratum of the Earth, until the home was lifted back to its correct and level height. To finish the Helical Pier installation, they covered up each hole with the dirt they had previously dug out. All 4 of the Helical Piers will remain in place to support the weight of the home. The next step in this job was removal and replacement of the old wooden crawl space posts, with Steel SmartJacks. SmartJacks are Posts that are "jacked up", until the subfloor is once again supported and level throughout the home. They will remain on top of the existing concrete footings, and are highly adjustable in the future if need be. Next, they began the final step of this job - building Wooden Walkways, Steps, and a Platform for crawl space storage. They did this carefully, to avoid damaging any of the Encapsulation components. They made sure to take their time while building, in order to create a sturdy and safe storage area that would remain strong and intact. The crawl space of this home remains Fully Encapsulated and air tight, ensuring that the air quality is safe, and that all stored items will be protected from moisture, humidity, and mold! Additionally, the structural integrity of this entire home has now been restored by the experts here at John's. We are honored that this homeowner continues to rightfully entrust us with her waterproofing and structural repair needs! We look forward to continuing to earn her trust for many great years to come!