Before & After Photos

This crawlspace looks like the perfect location for a scary movie and that is not a compliment.  Dreary, decrepit and unvisited are a few words I would use to describe it.  Judging by the look of it, unsalvageable should be another word we could use. Fortunately, that is not the case for this Maggie Valley, North Carolina crawlspace.

It’s not the best looking thing in the word, but it certainly isn’t the worst. For a crawlspace with moisture issues, this is about average. The homeowner even tried to provide a barrier between the earth and crawlspace, but even that didn’t help. The plastic is too thin and it isn’t sealed into place. The insulation—if we can still call it that—has suffered a great deal from over exposure to moisture. Once that insulation becomes damp, it sags and is essentially useless. This means the insulation is basically just sitting there collecting water.

Now, let’s fast-forward to the present. Let’s fast-forward to the “after” image. See the difference? That poor, ill-fated insulation is removed. The original liner is gone, replaced with our sturdy CleanSpace. This liner has five times the thickness of the original liner. It’s white, clean, and is actually sealed this time. This liner is the barrier the crawlspace both needs and deserves. Now, if there’s ever actually a problem you won’t be afraid to venture down and investigate. You may even welcome it! Who knows?

The main thing is that All-Dry of the Carolinas was able to come to the rescue once again and bring a moisture free environment into this once chaotic, humid space.

Sometimes a homeowner may not have a huge issue with water intrusion or high moisture levels, but still, want to have a crawlspace encapsulated. These installations and the recommendations for installations like this are usually a little different, but are still something that we do! There are several different reasons why someone may decide to do this like the prevention of potential future issues or an increased storage area.

This particular homeowner was in a similar situation, as they weren't having a much of an issue with moisture. However, they were still interested in having some work done in case the problem got any worse. The first photo isn't actually a before photo but more of a "during" photo. The CleanSpace, which are the rolls of blue that are spaced out through the crawlspace, is just about to be laid out over the floor.

The second photo shows a much different story and a huge transformation between the two pictures. In this photo, the CleanSpace has already been rolled out and sealed to the walls of the crawlspace. CleanSpace helps to completely transform a crawlspace into a usable and safe area for the homeowner. This homeowner does have to worry about any moisture getting into the crawlspace and now has a huge area for extra storage!

This was a pretty average crawlspace job for us. Fortunately for this homeowner, there wasn't an excess of water, moisture, or mold. However, they did need to encapsulate their crawlspace, as well as have a SantaFe Edge dehumidifier and a SmartSump pump. These three products, working together, provide a very safe and secure system to keep moisture and water from getting in and staying in the crawlspace.

The "before" photo shows off what the crawlspace looked like when our Service Design Specialist was at this home. As you can see, the area wasn't flooded or filled with mold, but it definitely could use some touching up. While they already had an existing liner, it was not sealed correctly and left a lot of room for moisture to get into the crawlspace.

This "after" picture shows off the same area, but with the CleanSpace liner installed. The difference is amazing. First off, you can actually see under the home now. The white, reflective surface of the CleanSpace allows light to reflect easier and light up the crawlspace much better. Not to mention, the protection that this system provides the home is amazing. Especially with the sump pump and dehumidifier, this homeowner will never have to worry about moisture or mold in their crawlspace.

Crawlspace liners can often be found in crawlspaces everywhere. It is quite simple to by a thin (usually black) liner and lay it out under a home. Fortunately, most people don't do this in order to keep their crawlspace dry, but some do and don't understand why it doesn't work. These liners are basically to create a barrier between the dirt and whoever is crawling in the crawlspace. They are too thin to keep water vapor from coming in and are almost never sealed correctly.

This crawlspace had one of these liners installed, and it did not turn out the best, even as a barrier between the dirt. This must have been installed a long time ago, because the amount of dirt and other debris on top of the liner makes it seem like it is almost part of the ground at this point. This liner is not helping to keep moisture and water vapor out of the crawlspace, mainly because no where in the crawlspace is it sealed and secured.

After the CleanSpace had been installed, the crawlspace became a completely new area. The CleanSpace transforms the look of the crawlspace to somewhere that you might not mind spending some time in. Not only does the area look better, but not it is extremely difficult for water and moisture to make its way into the crawlspace. The crew also installed a dehumidifier in order to make sure the humidity level of the crawlspace stayed lower than around 55, because this is where mold can grow.

There are many different ways for moisture to get into a crawlspace, from the floors, walls, and even the entrance. Seldom do we work in a crawlspace where the homeowner already has a proper door to keep the majority of moisture out. This doesn't mean that homeowners don't have nice-looking crawlspace doors, it is just that the doors aren't effective at keeping moisture out. 

This crawlspace door matched the outside of the home and looked great when it was shut. However, it didn't do a great job at keeping the moisture from getting into the crawlspace. It was also made of wood, which while it may not seem like a problem, it provides a great place for moisture to soak into and for mold to grow. Having an old door like this partially defeats the purpose of having the CleanSpace liner installed in the crawlspace because it's a huge area where moisture can get into the crawlspace at. 

In order to protect this crawlspace from as much moisture as possible, our crew removed the old crawlspace door and installed a new EverLast door. The EverLast door is a much better option for a few different reasons, one of the biggest being that it creates an airtight seal which prevents any moisture from getting into the crawlspace from the door. Another important feature of the door is that it is made of a completely inorganic material, which means that it will never rot and mold cannot grow on it.