Foundation Repair Photo Album: Structural Transformation of Rotten Crawl Space - Portland, OR

Rotten, festering crawl spaces are very common, and your leading, local experts at John's are here to help! We understand that families have numerous things going on in their lives, which frequently leads to crawl spaces becoming an "out of sight, out of mind" situation for many homeowners. This crawlspaces was in disrepair. When crawl spaces are not professionally waterproofed, serious implications from water damage can, and will occur. Wet, infested crawlspaces also pose enormous health risks to families, as 40% of interior air comes from below. This means that whatever is beneath your home, is also inside of it, leading to this family noticing foul odors inside of their home, prompting them to check their crawl space, and call on John's for help. After performing a thorough inspection of this home, our design specialist kindly explained to the homeowner that the crawl space would benefit from an encapsulation, as well as structural reinforcement of the subfloor, in order to prevent detrimental health effects to the family, as well as further, significant structural damage to the home. There was mold, thick layers of sludge on the vapor barrier, rodent droppings, hanging/fallen subfloor insulation, rotten subfloor posts, and also cracks in the concrete foundation walls. The homeowner understood and agreed upon the necessary repairs, and we scheduled his Encapsulation. After we cleaned out the entire crawl space, our crews removed all existing mold, and neutralized foul odors by Soda Blasting the subfloor. Soda Blasting uses compressed air to spray baking soda directly onto subfloor framing, reaching all nooks and crannies, to ensure a thorough, effective cleaning. Next, they returned structural integrity to the foundation walls, by patching the cracks with our Carbon Fiber Stitching, which is 10 times stronger than steel. Carbon Fiber Stitching is a highly effective, permanent solution, that will firmly hold the edges of the cracks together, preventing them from worsening. With the foundation wall cracks now patched, our crew began encapsulating. Fully encapsulated crawl spaces are 100% sealed and insulated, preventing water, debris, and rodents from entering. Inside, our crews carefully installed several heavy-duty, professional-grade waterproofing components, including a TripleSafe Sump Pump, and a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier, to pump ground water away from the home, while cleaning the air, and maintaining a safe relative humidity at all times to prevent mold growth. In order to reinforce the homes damaged subfloor, our structural crew installed 11 steel SmartJacks, to replace the original wooden posts that were rotten and non-functional. SmartJacks were adjusted by hand, until even weight distribution was achieved throughout the entire subfloor, and the home was once again properly supported. SmartJacks remain permanently in place, and offer high adjustability in the future. Our expert crews took this crawl space from a place of utter despair, to a place of serenity, as an immaculate, dry, clean, and stable area, that will help this family thrive in health and stability for many years to come.