All-Dry of the Carolinas Before & After Photos

This homeowner was worried about the area under their home because it had a strange smell and seemed wetter in this area. It was a problem that they had been experiencing for awhile, but finally decided to give us a call when they learned about the problems that could come along with the high humidity level. Our System Design Specialist was able to head out to the home and figure out exactly what to do to solve the problems they were having.

The "before" photo shows the area that the homeowner was worried about. As you can see, someone had laid out some plastic over the the dirt to try to keep the moisture in, but because nothing was sealed, the plastic did not do much to keep the moisture in. Another big issue that can be seen in the picture is the open vents at the top of the wall. Open vents allow outside air into the crawlspace, which is not something we want, especially with an encapsulation.

The "after" photo shows a much different place than before, it looks completely different! Our crew installed CleanSpace Liner that covered the entire area, covering all of the floor and the majority of the walls of the crawlspace. Every part of the CleanSpace is sealed up along the walls, which prevents water and moisture from getting through. We also installed a dehumidifier to make sure that the humidity level stays lower than 55%, so that mold in not able to grow. 

A separating chimney can be extremely dangerous to a homeowner and anyone around the home. Chimneys are often at a higher risk from settlement damage because they are often poured on a separate slab of concrete than the home. While this chimney had separated quite a bit from the home, it definitely was not beyond repair.

The "before" picture shows just how much the chimney was separating from the home. While it does not look like much, the farther up the chimney that you look, the larger the gap is. The gap at the top of the home is more than likely an inch or two wide.

The "after" photo shows off the great work by our crew. You can see that the gap is now non-existent. Our crew installed two push piers on the back of the chimney in order to push it back towards the home. These push piers are a permanent solution to this homeowner's problem because these push piers are driven deep down to more stable soil, so that settlement will not be an issue ever again.

This crawl space in Ridgeway, SC was having some very serious issues with water intrusion. This actually turned out to be a relatively serious issue for the homeowner and needed to be taken care of as soon as possible. This homeowner really wanted to make sure that this issue would not come back, so he decided to go for a full encapsulation, with CleanSpace running all the way up the wall, 3-inch drain tile, SilverGlo Insulation, a dehumidifier, and a SuperSump pump system. All of these products worked together to provide this homeowner with more protection than they knew what to do with!

The "before" photo shows a corner in the crawlspace that was getting hit pretty hard by the water intrusion. The most obvious part of the photo is the dark, wet soil along the corner of the wall, which is pretty significant that that much water has built enough to essentially make mud. Another issue that you can see if the water that has soaked through the wall. The dark spots all up the wall are the areas that water has soaked through the blocks, which is where the issues were coming from in this crawlspace.

The "after" picture is what the crawl space looked like after the CleanSpace and other products had already been installed. The only product that can be seen in this photo is the CleanSpace liner, however, you can see that it covers almost the entire area beside the ceiling and part of an interior column. We leave a few inches of open area so that if any other contractors need to access the rim joists (usually termite inspectors), then they are able to check.

Crawlspaces, more often than not, have doors. Some don’t necessarily have the best doors in the world, but they do have them. It’s common. However, this Ridgeway, South Carolina home did not have a door.

It had exactly what you see here in the ‘before’ photo. The actual entrance was completely without a door. This gaping hole was an invitation to all critters and creepy crawlies to come on inside. On the other hand, it did have a wooden hatch. But, this hatch, just like wooden doors, was no good for a crawlspace. Because crawlspace entrances are low to the ground, they are hard to maintain. The ground is damp and that wood is liable to warp and rot straight away.

In the ‘after’ photo we’ve taken care of this problem. We’ve given this home one of our patented EverLast crawlspace doors. This door is made completely of inorganic material that is waterproof and resistant to mold growth. The EverLast door also has a heavy weatherseal strip to seal off outside air.

It still has the hatch, but now it is actually protected from the outside and sealed so that it doesn’t allow the air in to raise your heating and cooling bill.

Open sump holes were common for a long time. Not having a top or a lid made accessing the pump that much easier. The problem with an open sump hole is that the water inside of it evaporates into the air. This erases all hopes of a dry crawlspace.

That is the dilemma this Ridgeway, South Carolina crawlspace faced when they call us at All-Dry of the Carolinas. The first issue, besides the exposed sump hole, is the lack of coverage. There is no proper barrier protecting the house from the ground. Of course, there is a loose plastic sheet, but, without it being secured, it provides no protection from water vapor.

Again, if we focus on the sump hole, we see just how awful it is. In addition to being an eyesore, there is a deep trench surrounding it that—one would thing—would make it difficult for the water to reach it. Either way, the solution is to provide both a sturdy barrier and an operational sump pump. We have that here in the form of CleanSpace and a SmartSump.

The SmartSump, unlike its predecessor, comes equipped with a lid and WaterWatch Alarm. The Alarm is used to alert you, if your basement has flooded. The lid itself insures that no water vapor escapes into the space and adds to the moisture level. The CleanSpace is that barrier we mentioned. It is the perfect gate keeper to prevent water vapor and other natural gases from entering your home.

The difference between the two is stark when you consider them. I know our clients, the owners of this home, were more than happy to see a big change take place.

To make a difference in your crawlspace, please reach out to us at All-Dry of the Carolinas.