Crawl Space Repair Before & After Photos

This Williamsburg homeowner had concerns about moisture damage in their crawl space and wanted to install an encapsulation system to help protect their home's foundation. The encapsulation system will help to control the relative humidity under the home, preventing moisture damage to the wood substructure such as microbial growth and wood rot. Further, it will also help with musty odors and humidity that had been finding their way into the home, reduce energy bills, and help with cold floors in the winter.

This homeowner in Williamsburg was worried about how cold their first floors were. We found that the insulation in their crawl space was damp and falling out of place. There was high relative humidity in the crawl space, which can explain why there was mold growth and efflorescence present. We installed a 20mil CleanSpace vapor barrier to help protect the crawl space from moisture rising out of the earth, the mold growth was eliminated using an antimicrobial called Shockwave, and finally, we removed the fiberglass insulation from the floor joists until the homeowner decides to schedule a project for spray foam or foam board on the foundation walls.

This crawl space had falling insulation, mold/mildew, efflorescence from moisture and condensation, and a failing vapor barrier. We installed the CleanSpace Encapsulation System with closed cell spray foam insulation on the crawl space walls, sealed the rim and band and sill plate, and installed a SantaFe Dehumidifier, sealing the home off from the earth and controlling the relative humidity to help make this Williamsburg home more comfortable and energy-efficient.

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.