A Crawl Space Makeover in Fayetteville, NC

Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 by Mary White

Challenge

Marie, of Fayetteville, NC, had encountered a few moisture issues within her home, and knew that it had to be originating from somewhere, but was unsure as to where. After a technician emerged from her crawl space one day, he told her that she had a major problem, and really needed to contact a professional to address it. Marie did some research and found Southeast Foundation and Crawl Space Repair. She gave us a call to request an inspection.

On the day of the appointment, Southeast Foundation & Crawl Space Repair inspector Graham Moore arrived to inspect the crawl space. Inside, he found molded joists, standing water and water damage, wood rot, and plenty of evidence as to why Marie had been noticing a change in the humidity of her home. After seeing pictures of what was going on in her crawl space, Marie was eager to act.

Solution

We began by installing our SmartSump, a pump that redirects, collects and contains crawl space moisture. Then, they added extra drainage lines that would transport water out of the crawl space. Next up was sealing the crawl space from the earth, as well as addressing the floors and walls of the crawl space. These walls allow moisture to seep through over time if not sealed off properly. To prevent this, they installed SilverGlo around the perimeter of the crawl space walls. SilverGlo is a fantastic product that has a graphite-infused interior and an outer radiant barrier that allows heat to reflect back into the crawl space, saving energy and money. It also works 24% better than traditional foam insulation. This would stop the transfer of moisture into Marie’s crawl space from the surrounding walls. In addition, the team also installed a new custom-made crawl space door, to completely seal out moisture from the entryway as well.

Next the crew sealed off all crawl space vents with foam-sealing covers, giving the dehumidifier more control of the relative humidity in the space, without the intrusion of outside air and moisture. Team Southeast then laid our polyethylene drainage matting, used for directing water to our SmartSump system. Our 10mil-thick CleanSpace liner was then layered on top of the drainage matting, creating a clean white barrier between the earth and Marie’s crawl space. This barrier is built tough to seal out moisture, guarding her crawl space against future mold and rot. Finally, to gain control of the crawl space’s relative humidity, we also installed the high-efficiency Sedona dehumidifier, which will continuously keep Marie’s space dry and free from problem-causing moisture.

After cleaning their workspace and making final adjustments to their work, Team Southeast’s job was complete. Marie expressed satisfaction with the work of Southeast Foundation and Crawl Space Repair, and said that she was thrilled to know her crawl space was now protected against the dangers that had threatened her home’s air quality for so long.