Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

This homeowner called All-Dry of the Carolinas when they started noticing a strange smell in their crawlspace. Unfortunately, this is an extremely common sign of a high humidity level in the crawlspace. This crawlspace was not in too bad of shape, but it had enough moisture coming from the ground and walls that they needed some type of system to take care of the problem.

Our Systems Design Specialist, Alex Rogers, went out to this home just a few days after they called, to get a better look at the area and really determine what kind of system this family needed to make their crawlspace happy and healthy. This system included 3-inch drain tile, a SmartSump pump, a dehumidifier, and of course CleanSpace liner. This homeowner got the full CleanSpace encapsulation!

The difference between these two photos is incredible, both physically and functionally. The most obvious difference between the before and after pictures is the CleanSpace that was installed. It completely changes the look of the area, but it also provides a great service. The CleanSpace (along with the rest of the products) keep the moisture out of the crawlspace so that the family doesn't have to worry about this anymore!

Very few crawlspaces can look like the one we have here in the “before” picture, and not affect the rest of the home. In the worst case scenario, the issues caused by the high humidity of the crawlspace can aggravate your asthma and allergies. Dust mites as well as mold will appear in spurts, but (like most things) those can grow out of hand. This Clinton, South Carolina home knows that fact first hand.

For All-Dry of the Carolinas, the solution is simple. Pictured in the “after” photo we have installed our patented CleanSpace liner. This liner acts as the supreme barrier that separates the earth from your home. It is bright and 20 mils thick. This material is even manufactured with an agent called UltraFresh which prevents mold and bacteria growth. Unlike the mess of a liner in the “before” photo, our liner far outstrips and out classes it by miles.

The owner of the home happily agrees.

Water in a crawlspace is something that a homeowner never wants to see, but unfortunately many do. Water can show itself in a crawlspace many different ways, sometimes it may be a small puddle of water and in another crawlspace, there may be a little condensation of a floor joist or pipe. However, when a problem is not taken care of quickly or goes unnoticed, the water may show itself in much more obvious ways.

The "before" photo gives a pretty good impression on what the entire crawlspace looked like when our System Design Specialist first went out to the home. The ground in the crawlspace was quite damp, but there was an even more obvious indication of high moisture levels in this crawlspace. The  insulation and floor joists were completely soaked with water, which was causing the insulation to begin falling. The top left of the photo shows an area where the water has completely soaked the floor joists and insulation in this area. 

The "after" picture shows the crawlspace but with our CleanSpace liner installed. This crawlspace looks like a completely new area after our crew came in and installed this system. CleanSpace is a huge part of the system, but there are several other parts that were extremely important. Two other huge pieces of the system include the SmartSump Pump System and the dehumidifier that were installed. The SmartSump is where all of the water drains to, and is then pumped out and away from the home. The dehumidifier ensures that the humidity level of the crawlspace stays below the level that mold can grow at. 

This homeowner's crawlspace was not properly protected before they called us. While they had a liner laid down, it is nothing like our CleanSpace Liner. These liners are usually laid down, but not properly staked in and sealed, which was the case for this homeowner.

In the "before" photo, you can see the homeowner's previous liner. This liner does provide a little protection, but not much. As you can see, the liner is hastily cut out to fit around the support columns, leaving a lot of open ground.

The "after" photo shows the same area after our crew installed the CleanSpace Liner. You can see the difference, there is absolutely no open ground when we install this product. Our crew placed the product up the walls and support pillars to ensure the best protection for the homeowner's crawl space.

Crawlspaces are often necessary. In addition to this, many people believe venting a crawlspace is a necessary evil. This is both true and false. Venting a crawlspace is evil—that’s for certain. However, it is not necessary. Many people decide to do this because they have a dirt crawlspace, which, in itself, is problematic. Dirt crawlspaces cost more money to heat and cool. Because of the dirt, the crawlspace has damp air and the humidity levels are through the roof. All of these issues add up to bring more moisture issues and water into the space. If you ever wonder why you may be experiencing water issues, this may be the leading cause right here.

Let’s use this crawlspace as an example. This Hartwell, Georgia homeowner was having considerable trouble with their crawlspace area. They were witnessing an explosion of water issues from which they could not determine the origin. They were at their wit’s end when they decided to give All-Dry of the Carolinas a call. We were able to send out our Design Specialist, Jonathan Geddie, to take a look and get to the bottom of everything.

The “before” photo has a sample of what he found. The first thing he noticed was the plastic liner on the floor. Now, don’t get me wrong, the liner was definitely a good idea. However, without it being sealed it’s not doing its job. This means that the liner is completely sealed to the wall, without any holes or patches exposed. Once this happens, none of the moisture from the earth can escape into the crawlspace air. Moreover, the liner wasn’t particularly thick. It was layered, but it did little else but hide the clay dirt floor.

Now, in the “after” photo, we see the changes made. Here, we’ve installed our patented CleanSpace. This is a 20 mils thick liner reinforced with polyester cords. When we install this product, we cover the entire floor and everything else, including supports. All of the edges are sealed using a variety of methods designed to keep the liner in place. The end result is what you see now, new and improved. Not only does it take care of the dirt floor problem, but it also brightens the space. Our crew, led by Foreman Raymond Petry, did an amazing job It looks better than it ever did before, and our customer surely agrees.