Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

This vented crawl space in Charles City, VA had falling and damaged insulation, a torn vapor barrier, high relative humidity, and mold growing on the joists. The vents and rim band were sealed and insulated, the sill plate was sealed, a vapor barrier was installed, and spray foam insulation was applied to the walls. 

This Bruington, VA client contacted us about repairing moisture damage in their crawl space. Moisture had caused mold and mildew growth, was absorbed in the insulation which held it against the floor joists, the material began to delaminate and fall away from the floor. 

All debris and insulation was removed from the crawl space, microbial growth was treated, the vents, sill plate, & rim band were sealed, the foundation walls were insulated with closed cell spray foam insulation and a dehumidifier was installed to control the relative humidity. The homeowners no longer need to worry about moisture damage in their crawl space and have the added benefit of warmer floors in the winter and reduced drafts in the home. 

The ground cover in this crawl space was a 6-mil, a similar thickness to a trash bag, it is easily ripped and displaced. Because it is unsealed and has tears, the 6-mil ground cover allows moisture from the earth to affect the crawl space raising the relative humidity, damaging insulation, and causing microbial growth. 

After removing the 6-mil, we installed a 20-mil heavy-duty vapor barrier called CleanSpace, and is similar to the thickness of a pool liner. CleanSpace has a built-in Antimicrobial called UltraFresh. When we install the vapor barrier, we overlap and seal all seams, seal the liner to the walls 6-8 inches above outside grade, and wrap and seal all piers. By sealing the CleanSpace at all of these points, we are able to isolate the crawl space from the earth's moisture. 

This homeowner had concerns about water entering their crawl space. At our inspection one of the concerns, we found that the existing vapor barrier was not sealed, allowing moisture in. As part of the solution, we installed a 20mil Heavy-duty, Vapor Barrier with UltraFresh Antimicrobial built-in, called CleanSpace. We ran it up the walls sealing it and leaving a 2" viewing strip for a termite inspection and sealed and wrapped all the piers. 

Before: The foundation walls of this crawl space are created with porous cinderblocks, meaning they let water vapor seep through. Without proper encapsulation, the relative humidity is out of the homeowner’s control. During the wetter seasons, the ground outside the home is soaked with water each time it rains and eventually the moisture will find its way through these porous foundation walls, causing the relative humidity in the crawl space to rise with the temperature. 

After: The foundation walls of the crawl space in this picture have been covered and sealed with closed-cell spray foam. The moisture is no longer able to access the crawl space through the walls due to the foam sealing over the vapor barrier. The closed-cell foam becomes an air barrier and vapor retarder if sprayed to 1.5” or more. This solution will assist in keeping the relative humidity under control by blocking water vapor from the ground outside to enter, stopping mold or mildew from growing on any organic materials by cutting out the moisture they need to thrive.