Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

Crawlspace walls made out of blocks often have water issues. They are simple to use and find so, of course, they are extremely common. The same is true for dirt floors. However, both of these options are extremely problematic. We see this demonstrated in this Brevard, North Carolina crawlspace.

The blocks are extremely porous and so water often slips in from the outside. This is particularly noticeable during  heavy rains. If you’re having water issues, those walls may be the cause of it. The issue with the dirt floor is similar. Water vapor rises out of the dirt floor. As it enters into the space, it increases the moisture and humidity in the crawlspace.

Now, what’s the solution to all this? Easy. CleanSpace.

Our patented CleanSpace liner is a thick material that was designed to keep moisture at bay. For both the walls and floors, it becomes a barrier of the best kind. It provides a separation from home and earth. It keeps the water that comes in from pooling in the crawlspace and adding to the humidity. Not to mention, it’s beautiful.

Don’t take our word for it, take a look at the “after” photo and tell us how nice it looks.

One of the most obvious signs of water intrusion or moisture problems in a crawlspace (besides standing water) is when the insulation under the home is falling down. This was the case for this homeowner. The first photo shows just how much insulation was falling and what had already fallen. The reason that this happens is that insulation easily soaks up water and becomes heavy, pulling the insulation down. 

When our Systems Design Specialist went to this home, he knew right away that this homeowner was going to need a CleanSpace Encapsulation. This is the most effective and efficient way to keep water and moisture out of a crawlspace. The homeowner did his own research, and read through some of our informational material, and ended up agreeing with our Specialist, agreeing to get the work done.

The final product was a very clear improvement on the "old crawlspace". The crawlspace with the CleanSpace is much brighter, cleaner, and keeps a lot more moisture out than the crawlspace liner they had covering the ground before! As you can see, the CleanSpace goes almost all of the way up the wall. This is to catch as much moisture as possible, we only leave a small gap at the top so that other contractors who may need to access these areas have the access needed.

This homeowner gave All-Dry of the Carolinas a call when he noticed that his crawl space seemed "wetter" than it should have been. Unfortunately, when our Service Design Specialist came out, the homeowner was exactly right. The relative humidity level in the crawlspace was much higher than it should have been. In order to fix this, our Specialist suggested CleanSpace liner, as well as a dehumidifier.

The "before" photo gives a look into what the crawl space looked like before our crew was able to come in and install our products. The crawlspace definitely was not in the best of shape, there was trash and spider webs all over the crawlspace. The fortunate thing for this homeowner was that there was no standing water in the crawlspace, just a high relative humidity.

The "after" picture shows the same area, but with the CleanSpace installed. This homeowner wanted to make sure they wouldn't have problems with their crawlspace, so they opted to have a full encapsulation, which basically means that everything but the very top of the walls and ceiling was covered with CleanSpace. Doing it like this prevents water or water vapor to get into the crawlspace through the floors and/or wall.

When our All-Dry of the Carolinas crew made it out to Rutherfordton, NC they started their job by removing all trash and insulation that was littering the crawl space. The crawl space underwent a total encapsulation with CleanSpace, Drainage Matting, vent seals, an Aprilaire 1820, and a SuperSump Pump. A hole was dug in the crawl space so the SuperSump Pump could be placed into the ground even with the surface. Drainage matting was placed down before the CleanSpace, this is a dimpled matting system that collects water from the crawl space floor and directs it to the SuperSump Pump. This drainage matting is used when crawl spaces take in a lot of water and need extra help getting it from under the vapor barrier into the pump. From there, CleanSpace was installed which is a 20 mil thick liner that works as a barrier to keep ground moisture from the crawl space floor out of the air. The CleanSpace is then wrapped around the floor and piers of the crawlspace, tucking in tightly under the top of the SuperSump Pump. Once the crawl space is encapsulated an Aprilaire 1820 is added to the crawl space to remove excess moisture from the air into the SuperSump where it is then flushed from the area. Interior sealed vents were the last part of the crawl space encapsulation; they were placed over all vents to keep out air and pests.

The “before” pictures show a dirty crawlspace with unwrapped piers and floor. The “after” picture shows where CleanSpace has been wrapped around the floor and piers to prevent ground moisture from getting into the air.

This is something that you do not get to see every day because it is not an item we get to install very often! While most homes have a crawlspace door above ground level, some are below ground level and therefore have an entrance like you see above. We use Everlast Doors which create an airtight seal around the entrance when the access points are above ground, but when the access points are like this, we have to use a Turtl.

The "before" photo shows off the crawlspace entrance before any products had been installed. As you can see it is a very crude entrance, with only a sheet of metal to cover the hole. This allows a lot of outside air to get inside the crawlspace, which can cause the relative humidity to increase and moisture to collect on surfaces in the crawl space.

The "after" photo shows the installed Turtl crawlspace entrance over a year after being installed. As you can see, it is certainly doing its job. While a little dirty, it still provides a tight seal that does not allow outside air to get inside the crawlspace. As you can see, this product is made of plastic and therefore will never break down or decompose like a wooden door would.