Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

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.

Moisture causes a lot of damage in crawl spaces. It floods in through open vents, rises from the earth, and seeps in through foundation walls raising the relative humidity in the space. This results in damaged insulation, mold and mildew growth, high energy bills, drafts inside the home, cold floors, and homeowners may notice high humidity and musty odors in the home as well. 

We removed the old vapor barrier and debris then sealed the vents, penetrations through the foundation walls to the outside, and the sill plate. Next, a CleanSpace vapor barrier is installed, sealing the crawlspace from the earth. Our technicians then apply closed-cell spray foam to the foundation walls and rim band. Finally, a new crawl space door is installed. 

Our team helped this Richmond, VA homeowner address concerns about mold in their basement. They treated the joists, wiped down the wood, air-sealed the area, and installed a dehumidifier. 

The porous foundation walls on this Henrico, Virginia crawl space were left exposed, allowing moisture to seep through them and raise the relative humidity. The chalky-white efflorescence covering the crawl space walls indicates moisture infiltration. The open vents lining these walls also allowed the outside air and moisture to seep through them, which added to the overall relative humidity of the crawl space. To protect the crawl space from the outside, our installers sealed the open vents with precisely cut foam board pieces, which were placed within the vents and sealed with can foam. Then, our installers sprayed 1.5 inches of closed-cell spray foam insulation over the foundation walls. This amount of insulation has an R-10 value and will act as an air barrier and vapor retarder, protecting the crawl space from the outside air and moisture. A two-inch viewing strip is left at the top of the wall for termite inspectors.

The existing vapor barrier within this Henrico, Virginia crawl space was failing at protecting the crawl space from moisture rising from the earth. There were holes and tears in many areas, exposing the dirt floor of the crawl space. There were also large puddles in certain spots, and the floor was littered with debris and building materials. Our installers cleared the crawl space of the existing vapor barrier, as well as any debris and trash. A 20-mil 7-layer polyethylene vapor barrier, called CleanSpace, was installed over the dirt floor of the crawl space. This heavy-duty liner is wrapped around all piers, sealed with special vinyl tape, and mechanically fastened over the foundation walls six to eight inches above the outside grade. With this vapor barrier in place, the earth's moisture will find it much more difficult to infiltrate the crawl space and raise the relative humidity.