The Drying Co. Before & After Photos

Mold and mildew have grown on many of the wooden materials in this crawl space, such as the floor joists. This occurs on organic materials when the relative humidity reaches over 60% during warmer temperatures. Musty odors and mold spores can rise into the home above and irritate those with allergies and asthma. We applied an antimicrobial, called Shockwave, to the affected areas, which will eliminate mold growth but does not remove any staining left behind from the growth.

One of the reasons the relative humidity has been elevated can be attributed to the fact that the crawl space floor is not covered by any type of liner or vapor barrier. This allows the earth's moisture to rise into the crawl space and affects not only the relative humidity but the environment. We installed our 10-mil CleanSpace Light vapor barrier over the dirt flooring of the crawl space, wrapped it around all piers, sealed it with vinyl tape, and mechanically fastened it to the foundation walls six to eight inches above outside grade. This will help protect the crawl space from any moisture rising from the ground.

Moving the crawl space insulation from between the floor joists to the foundation walls extends the thermal boundary of the home to the floor of the crawl space. Along with insulating the rim and band, this helps to reduce drafts and cold floors. 

Foam Board is installed by mechanically attaching it to the foundation walls leaving a viewing strip at the top of the foundation wall per building code for termite inspections. All seams of the foam board are sealed to create an air barrier. 

6-mil vapor barriers are most commonly installed when a home is built, they are lightweight, similar to a standard trash bag, they tear easily, and are simply laid out on the ground. As soon as someone or something moves through the crawl space, the liner is displaced, torn, and bunched up, offering very little protection to the home from the earth's moisture. 

Our homeowner opted to replace this 6mil with a CleanSpace 20-mil vapor barrier. This liner is similar to a pool liner, it's durable enough for service persons to crawl and work under the home, is overlapped and sealed at all seams, wrapped and sealed around all piers, and attached and sealed to the foundation walls about 6 inches above outside grade. It completely seals the crawl space from the earth's moisture, achieving the job vapor barriers are intended to do. 

This Irvington, VA crawl space had microbial growth on floor joists, was missing insulation in many areas, and the vapor barrier was unsealed, allowing moisture from the earth to impact the crawl space. After cleaning all of the old materials and debris out, we treated the floor joists with Shockwave Antimicrobial and sealed the crawl space from the earth’s moisture with the CleanSpace Vapor Barrier. We sealed all outside penetrations to the foundation, including air gaps such as vents, the sill plate, and rim and band. Closed Cell Spray Foam is ready to be applied to the walls and a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier will be installed to control the relative humidity. The system will help protect the home from microbial growth and make the home more comfortable, improve indoor air quality, and reduce energy bills.  

This homeowner contacted us about high energy bills and uneven temperatures in their home. We addressed their concerns by air sealing an insulating the attic. Foam insulation was used to seal top plates and electrical and plumbing penetrations to reduce the amount of air escaping from the conditioned living space into the attic. Next, a fresh blanket of blown-in cellulose insulation was installed on the attic floor.