Before & After Photos

This homeowner was experiencing moisture issues within their crawl space. With open vents lining the porous foundation walls and many areas of the floor remaining exposed, this crawl space was being affected by the outside air and moisture, as well as the moisture rising from earth. This influence can affect the environment and the relative humidity of the crawl space. An elevated relative humidity can lead to condensation, puddling, and mold and mildew growth. Our installers placed a heavy-duty 20mil vapor barrier, called CleanSpace, over the dirt floor of the crawl space. It is wrapped around all piers, sealed with vinyl tape, and mechanically fastened to the foundation walls six to eight inches above outside grade. This liner will assist in sealing off any moisture rising out of the earth. It is one of many solutions when fully sealing and encapsulating the outside off from your crawl space.

This crawl space had issues with mildew/mold, falling insulation, an ineffective vapor barrier, and moisture concerns in the home. We removed the old insulation and vapor barrier, treated the mildew/mold, installed a new vapor barrier, applied spray foam insulation on the crawl space walls, sealed all the vents, the rim and band, and sill plate, and insulated behind the crawl space door, then installed a dehumidifier to control relative humidity. 

Initially, this crawl space was encapsulated with a 6-mil vapor barrier and R-11 vinyl faced fiberglass insulation. Thhomeownerer contacted us with concerns about an ammonia, or animal urine odor in her home and poor air sealing. 

Our goal was to remedy the Home Owner’s concerns of foul odors in her home and wasted energy. To achieve this, we installed a 20 mil Clean Space Vapor Barrier on the floor of the crawl space and around the piers. We installed Foamax board insulation on the walls leaving a 3-inch viewing strip for pest control companies to do their inspection. We applied spray foam insulation to the rim and band and sill plate to create an air seal and reduce drafts coming into the crawl space. Finally, we installed a Sani Dry Sedona Dehumidifier, the leading dehumidifier on the market, to pull any moisture that enters the crawl space out. 

This crawl space was originally encapsulated at construction with a 6 mil Vapor Barrier and R-11 vinyl faced fiberglass insulation. The homeowner complained of an animal urine or ammonia odor in their home. This was a result of moisture entering the crawl space through the porous cinder block walls and saturating the fiberglass insulation. 

We installed a 20 mil Clean Space Vapor Barrier, Foamax Insulation Board, sealed the rim & band and sill plate, and installed a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier. This approach will help keep moisture out of the crawl space and control relative humidity. 

A homeowner in Henrico, Virginia called us out to insulate and seal their crawl space from any outside influence. We installed a heavy-duty CleanSpace vapor barrier over the dirt floor, wrapped it around all piers, and mechanically fastened it to the foundation walls. This will help to keep the earth's moisture from rising into the area and increasing the relative humidity. We also covered any open vents and applied a spray foam over the foundation walls, which at an inch and a half thick will act as an air barrier and vapor retarder. With the walls and dirt flooring sealed and insulated, the crawl space will be less affected by outside air and moisture.