Your Trusted Home Services Provider in Snohomish Area

Dried mud, rodent dropping, contractor debris, and falling fiberglass. This home had it all, and the crawl space smelled foul. To redeem this space, the homeowners got into contact with John's Waterproofing. They were ready to address this problem space and get a system that would last through the years. For this, we suggested a full encapsulation. We start the project by removing the old fiberglass, debris, and vapor barrier. Once cleared out we could start placing the solution into the crawl space. We install a drain system that wraps around the interior perimeter of the crawlspace, collecting groundwater and channeling it to the lowest point in the ground. Here the water goes into a TripleSafe sump system, which pumps the water away from the homes foundation. This machine is set up with a dedicated outlet so it can weather any storm. It's three pump system is made to handle mass amounts of water, flipping on each pump as needed. The vents are than sealed shut and we begin to insulate. We use insulation that is built for the crawl space, laying TerraBlock along the dirt floor and SilverGlo with spray foam air sealing. This will block out the exterior weather so the crawl space can maintain a comfortable temperature, easing the work of the homes HVAC system. We than install CleanSpace, this 20 Mil vapor barrier is wrapped and sealed into the crawl space. A SaniDry dehumidifier is installed to maintain a healthy relative humidity in the crawl space. The final step for this project is upgrading the exterior accessway. It had been made of wood and was squishy to the touch. We removed this and installed a Turtl entryway. This is made of material that will not mold or mildew, and the system even locks. The owners were amazed their crawl space could look so nice, and were glad they finally decided to take on this project. 

After seeing an advertisement online about nasty crawl spaces, this homeowner was curious about the state of their own crawl space. They went down only to find the worst case scenario. Fiberglass insulation was falling from the sub-floor, signs of water damage on the wooden posts, and even rodent droppings covering the base. Knowing that this was a huge problem for their homes health, they decided to call John's Waterproofing and get the situation resolved. 

At John's Waterproofing, we are able to clean up and encapsulate crawl spaces so that they can stay dry and healthy year round. When beginning this process, we go in and remove all the debris and falling insulation. This creates a clean space so we can install a drainage system. Most of the time crawl spaces get in these bad conditions because there is water issues that eventually evaporate into the air and causes humidity. By installing a drainage system, we can control the water that tries to enter the crawl space and offer it a safe passageway to exit. This is done using a perforated pipe that collects the water and sends it to a SuperSump Plus sump pump. The sump pump pushes that collected water out of the space and away from the homes foundation to keep it dry. Then, we install TerraBlock insulation foam along the base of the crawl space to seal the earth off from the home and promote better energy efficiency. To prevent any future water from seeping through, a CleanSpace vapor barrier gets installed along the base, up the foundation walls, and between the footing and wooden posts. Because we are completely sealing the space, a SaniDry dehumidifier gets installed to filter the air and pull out any moisture. The last step is to apply Spray Foam to the foundation walls as a final air sealant and insulator. Now, this homeowner can enjoy all the benefits of a dry crawl space and a healthy home.

This homeowner started noticing strange smells in their home. After cleaning their entire space, still unable to find the root of the murky odor, they decided it was time to check underneath their home. They reached out to John's Waterproofing and explained their situation with the bad smells with no source. After our inspection, we discovered that their crawl space had been infested with mold in their fiberglass insulation due to extreme moisture issues. 

Mold is a bacteria that grows on organic materials. But, in order for it to grow, it needs to be in a certain environment. When a crawl space has water issues, eventually that water evaporates into the air. After it evaporates, that raises the moisture levels in the air causing an increase in relative humidity. Thus, it creates a perfect environment for mold and mildew to grow. Without getting the moisture issue solved, this mold continues to spread and eventually eats away at the materials your home is made out of. Things like wooden posts and fiberglass insulation are typically the first surfaces that mold grows on and spreads before getting into your house. To solve this problem, we would go in with a spot treatment called MoldX. This is capable of prohibiting the mold to continue to spread. Then, we would remove all falling fiberglass insulation because it is no longer serving its purpose of properly insulating the home once it absorbs moisture and falls from the sub-floor. Afterwards, we installed a full encapsulation system. This is designed to control the environment under the home, making it a space where mold cannot grow. Once this process is completed, the home was rid of its murky odor and space was protected against any moisture issues from taking hold in the future.