Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

There are several different ways to tell if a crawlspace is having a problem with moisture, such as falling insulation, "sweating" pipes, and having standing water on the ground. One very obvious sign that can often be overlooked is the smell of the area. Often people just think that this is just how the crawlspace normally smells, however this musty/old smell can actually be mold beginning to grow.

This happened to be the case for this homeowner, who had ignored the smells coming from their crawlspace for quite awhile before finally trying to fix the moisture problem by installing a dehumidifier. Unfortunately this dehumidifier was not enough to take care of the moisture in this crawlspace. Once the homeowner noticed this, they decided to have the professionals come out to the home and see what All-Dry of the Carolinas could do for them. 

Our System Design Specialist was able to explain our system and why it worked so well to the homeowner, who was excited to have this system installed.  The three main products that were installed in this crawlspace were drainage matting, CleanSpace, and a SmartSump. The sump pump is installed first and helps to pump out any water in the crawlspace. Then the drainage matting is laid out over the floor of the crawlspace and helps to move water along the ground to the sump pump. To finish it up, the CleanSpace is laid out over the entire crawlspace floor and walls in order to seal everything up. This helps to keep water and moisture out of the crawlspace. 

Falling insulation and debris decorated liners are a tell-tale sign that your crawlspace may have a high humidity level. It’s also a high indicator that something must be done down there. This Easley, South Carolina crawlspace faces that main problem here in the “before” photo. The insulation is falling down in piles. What’s more is that the insulation that is still in place is no better. Once the insulation fills with water, it’s as good as done. It’s useless.

In the “before” photo, we’ve made a big change. We’ve removed all debris from the dirt floor and fixed in place a beautiful CleanSpace liner. The liner itself operates as a barrier from the earth and keeps many things—as well as water vapor—from disrupting the newly dried atmosphere. It also opens up the crawlspace and makes crawling in there a lot easier. So, if there is a problem, residents won’t feel so hesitant to travel down and explore it.

We’ve received nothing but praise from the owners of this crawlspace. They absolutely love the CleanSpace and we loved being able to give them this.

Crawlspaces can end up causing a lot of trouble for homeowners, especially when in such a humid climate. Water intrusion and high humidity affect a lot of crawlspaces and basements in our region, so we have gotten very good at fixing these kinds of problems in homes. This can be a very serious issue, which is why we treat it as such when assessing homes for customers. 

This homeowner had a pretty rough crawlspace when our Specialist went under the home. They had a much higher humidity level than they should have, and because of this mold and mildew was already making appearances in the crawlspace, which the homeowner was worried about. The bad thing about a high humidity level is that it is pretty much completely invisible, so unless you have to proper tools, you can't tell.

However, our CleanSpace Liner completely transforms the look and function of a crawlspace. Almost the entire crawlspace has been covered in CleanSpace, which helps to keep moisture from getting into the crawlspace. This particular homeowner wanted to get the liner all the way up the walls, to really protect them from any further water. One thing that is often missed is the debris that the crew removes, which if you look between the pictures is extremely obvious. The crew will take out most of the rocks/bricks/etc in order to make sure that the ground is level and no rocks will go through the CleanSpace.

Sealing a crawlspace up is extremely important, and while the majority of the crawlspace can be sealed up with CleanSpace liner, there is still one main area where a lot of outside air can easily get into the crawlspace: the door. You may not think that this applies to you because you have a nice door, similar to the one on this home, but even these nicer doors have a lot of room for improvement.

Many homeowners decide to not get a new door, which isn't always a problem, but because there is still an airflow into the crawlspace, it does have some effects on the system. This is especially prominent in the summer when the humid air gets sucked into the crawlspace, making the dehumidifier (assuming one is installed) run more because it has more moisture to pull out of the air.

However with the EverLast door installed, the homeowner no longer has to worry about any air getting into the crawlspace. The EverLast door creates an airtight seal around the entrance of the crawlspace, which keeps any air from getting in. Another benefit of these EverLast doors is that they are made of a durable plastic that won't break or rot like the wooden doors that most crawlspaces have!

There are a few main places that should be covered/blocked in a crawlspace when encapsulating the area. The biggest is the ground of the crawlspace, because this is usually where the majority of the water and moisture comes from. However, there are other places that have to be blocked or sealed up in order to provide the best and most efficient system for the home. 

The door that was originally used to access the crawlspace was a hinged door (as are most) that left a lot of room for air to seep into the crawlspace. This is something that we certainly don't want to happen, because with the outside air comes moisture which is what we're trying to prevent. Even though a door like this may seem like it is solid enough to prevent air flow, there are a lot of small cracks and openings for the air to get in.

The new EverLast door makes a huge difference with the air that was getting into the crawlspace. It creates an airtight seal around the opening that keeps all outside air out of the crawlspace. Keeping the air outside the crawlspace helps with the moisture level because it keeps new air from being introduced to the crawlspace. Here in South Carolina, this is especially important during times of high humidity, like during the summertime.