The Drying Company Before & After Photos

While it's often hard to see what dense packing between floors or exterior walls looks like, these photos show how our techs access the floor (or wall) cavities to fill them with cellulose insulation. A hole is made to fit the hose and then our technician packs the floor cavity with insulation. when complete, this makes a big difference in heat transference for the room above the garage, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. 

We installed about 1.5 inches of closed-cell spray foam over the foundation walls of this crawl space in Glen Allen, VA. At this thickness, the spray foam has an R10 value of insulation and acts as an air barrier and vapor retarder. We blocked out any open vents running along the crawl space wall, as these vents allow outside air and moisture to freely enter to crawl space, affecting the environment and relative humidity. With any insulation we install over the foundation walls, we always leave a 2-inch viewing strip at the top of the wall for termite inspectors. With these solutions in place, the crawl space is better protected from any outside influence penetrating through the foundation walls.

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 Doswell, VA homeowner reached out to us after noticing issues with their crawl space insulation. Upon inspection we found that the insulation was damaged by moisture and falling away from the floors, there was microbial growth on the floor joists, and signs of moisture infiltration on the liner. 

Simply replacing the insulation would mean that the homeowner would incur the same issue in a few years and need to replace the insulation again. We needed to address what was causing the insulation damage. We removed all of the debris and old material, treated the mold and mildew growth with an antimicrobial, installed a CleanSpace Vapor Barrier, air sealed the crawl space, and applied an R-10 of closed-cell spray foam to the foundation walls. 

This homeowner needed a new sump pump installed as part of a basement waterproofing system. Their old one was an open pit, that allowed odors and moisture to rise into the basement and be pulled up into the living space. 

Their new pump is a large basin that houses a 1/3hp pump covered with an air-tight lid. The system has a float on top allowing for water to enter if a leak occurs from above, and the basin is large enough that if the homeowner later feels a need to add a pump or battery backup system, they can do so without having to re-dig the hole or replace the basin. A clean pump stand keeps the sump out of any grime, grit, and sediment that may collect in the bottom of the basin to prevent clogs.