Before & After Photos

The 10-mil vapor barrier used to cover the dirt floor is not installed properly. Cracks and openings can be seen at every pier, wall, and pipe. Moisture from the earth is still able to seep through these small openings and gaps and affect the relative humidity. The vapor barrier does not even cover the outside grade through the foundation walls. Outside moisture from the earth can seep through the porous walls.

The 10-mil vapor barrier was replaced with a heavy-duty CleanSpace liner, which was sealed around all piers and pipes, and mechanically fastened to the foundation wall six to eight inches above outside grade. With the spray foam on the walls, the CleanSpace helps to protect the crawl space from any moisture from the earth, and with an antimicrobial built into the 7-layer polyethylene liner, it is better protected from mold and mildew.

This crawl space had evidence of water infiltration, mold, and a deteriorating vapor barrier. After removing all debris and treating the mold, we installed the CleanSpace Encapsulation System. CleanSpace, a 20-mil vapor barrier that is poly-string reinforced and contains an antimicrobial called UltraFresh is installed. It is laid on the crawl space floor and fastened to the walls six inches above the outside grade (to direct any moisture entering through the cinderblock down to the earth) and wrapped around piers. All seams are overlapped and sealed to isolate the crawl space off from the earth's moisture. 

This homeowner was looking at options to replace or upgrade the insulation in their crawl space. We reviewed all of their options and they determined they wanted to encapsulate the space.

Moisture and high humidity in this crawl space resulted in mold and mildew growth and damage to the insulation. The homeowner wanted to encapsulate the space, so our team set to work cleaning out the crawl space, air sealing vents, the rim band, sill plate, and any other openings through the foundation wall to the outside. They treated the microbial growth with an antimicrobial, installed a new CleanSpace Vapor Barrier, applied Foam Board insulation to the foundation walls, and installed a dehumidifier to regulate the relative humidity. 

After sealing and insulating this crawl space, we need to make sure we control the relative humidity. This is achieved by installing a dehumidifier with a hygrometer. The dehumidifier will be set to cut to on when the humidity reaches about 55% our goal is to prevent it from getting high enough that microbial growth can occur in the crawl space. We don't want the space to be too dry either because that can be damaging to the home's structure as well. A hygrometer is provided to the homeowner that allows them to monitor the temperature and relative humidity in the crawl space from inside their home.