Before & After Photos

This homeowner investigated their crawl space and found high humidity levels and rodent activity. They contacted John's Waterproofing about fixing the moisture levels against the sub-floor to prevent mold and mildew growing. This led to doing a full encapsulation to control the atmosphere in the crawl space which helps deter rodents. Our encapsulation can do this with the CleanSpace woven fibers making it difficult for rodents to chew through and the environment unpleasant for them as it maintains the humidity levels. The after photo here shows before the spray foam insulation has been applied to the foundation walls.

This customer tried to fix their crawlspace on their own with a sump pump in a five-gallon bucket. But, water was still collecting in multiple areas of the crawlspace and further causing more moisture. So they gave us a call to install a new drainage system to properly drain the water out of the crawlspace and to add in a vapor barrier. 

This homeowner had just purchased her home and noticed after recent rain there were water spots in her crawl space. The old vapor barrier was in poor shape and the prior homeowner left a bunch of cement rock and dust all over. She called us to come to clean it up knowing the water would not stop magically on its own. Our crew went and cleaned all the debris out and the old vapor barrier while also installing a sump pump to help drain the water. We put in a new 6 mil vapor barrier and now her crawl space is completely covered. The homeowner was happy to have a dry and clean crawl space for her to enjoy her new home. 

After experiencing years of water intrusion in the crawl space, this homeowner started noticing a musky odor in their home. They decided to inspect the crawl space and found that the fiberglass insulation was completely destroyed from moisture damage. It was falling from the sub-floor and beginning to mold and mildew. They decided to call John's Waterproofing about a solution for their insulation. We informed the homeowners that when we do full encapsulations, TerraBlock gets installed. This is a 3/4 inch thick insulation foam that goes along the base of the space. It is designed to seal the earth off from the home and help regulate the environment. By keeping the temperature in the crawl space the same, this helps with energy efficiency because the heating/cooling systems don't have to work as hard to keep up with the changing outdoor climate. TerraBlock gets cut to perfectly fit each individual crawl space, therefore it can avoid having gaps or holes for water to intrude through. The TerraBlock is then covered over with CleanSpace, a 20 Mil woven vapor barrier that anchors along the walls by the rim joist. Overall, this homeowner was very pleased with their new insulation and cleaning up the crawl space to rid the smell in their home.

When a home has damp and musty smells, it is likely due to high levels of humidity caused by water entering the crawl space and becoming stagnant with no proper drainage, or adequate protection against moisture. The air that is coming in through the vents in the crawl space moves up into the living area, affecting the air that is circulating throughout the entire home. This is called the stack effect. Often times, strong odors like these are an indicator that the issue escalated into more than just water intrusion. These homeowners noticed a strong musty smell coming from their crawl space and knew it was time to call us and set up their free visit. We sent out one of our system design specialist who performed a thorough inspection of the entire crawl space. He then met with the homeowner to go over the findings and the best options to properly address this problem. After going over the estimate they decided to move forward with a full encapsulation and we began the project.

First, we remove all of the debris. This includes the old vapor barrier and fiberglass insulation. Then, we dig a trench around the interior perimeter of the crawl space and in this trench we place a 3 inch perforated pipe into a silt sock which will help secure a proper passage for water to drain to the lowest point. At this low point, we install our SuperSump Plus system that collects all of the water that enters and will pump it outside and away from the home through a discharge line. We make sure to cover and seal all of the vents to prevent outside air from entering. Next, we install TerraBlock, made of 3/4th inch foam insulation which is designed to be installed onto dirt floors and includes a white vapor barrier. Over top of the TerraBlock system we then install CleanSpace. This 20 mil thick liner is also installed between the footing and posts and this whole system is then sealed with our heavy duty and waterproof tape. We anchor this liner into the foundation walls, up to the rim joists as well. To keep a controlled environment, we then install our SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier. This system will effectively eliminate damp and musty odors by drying and filtering the air. It will keep the home at a healthy relative humidity, which helps improve overall indoor air quality. Lastly, we finish this project by anchoring our SilverGlo wall insulation into the foundation walls. With this crawl space now fully encapsulated, these homeowners no longer have to worry about any musty smells or water entering their home.