Crawlspace, Basement Waterproofing & Gutter Contractor in Dunnsville, VA

The attic of this Dunnsville, VA home had little insulation in it. The homeowner called us out because they wanted to add insulation to the attic so that the home would be more comfortable. They had noticed uneven temperatures from room to room and struggled to make some rooms comfortable enough to use.

At the inspection, we found that some places in the attic had no insulation at all and unsealed top plates and utility penetrations were contributing to the loss of conditioned air in their home. In the winter, the attic is the same temperature as outside making the ceiling shared with the rooms below, cold. As warm conditioned air rises through the home, it meets the cold ceiling and is cooled down. The cooled air drops and the processes continues, this is called convective looping. It makes rooms feel drafty and hard to warm up in the winter. In summer months, the attic is much hotter than it is outside and heats up the ceiling. This heat radiates down into the rooms below heating them up and making it difficult to heat and cool. This is why the homeowners are struggling to keep their home comfortable, the attic is working against the rest of the house. As air escapes through gaps in the building such as top plates and utility penetrations, new unconditioned air is sucked in at the bottom of the home and cycle continues through the stack effect.   

We recommended air sealing the attic to reduce the gaps in the building envelope allowing conditioned air to escape. Then we suggested installing an R-38 of cellulose insulation on top of what was existing. Proper air sealing and insulation in the attic is a key part of keeping the home comfortable and reducing energy bills. Cellulose is a blown-in insulation material, the product used by the Drying Co is 85% recycled material and 15% new material. It also contains a borate that helps deter pests. Cellulose is made of very fine bits of material that allow it to nest well and reduces air gaps in the material that allow air to pass through. This solution will allow the homeowners to be more comfortable in their home by helping to even out temperatures from room to room and reducing energy bills. 

This Dunnsville, VA homeowner contacted us because they wanted to replace the insulation in their crawl space. At the inspection, we found that insulation was falling from between the floor joists. It was dirty and wet from absorbing the moisture in the crawl space. Open vents have allowed hot humid air to flood into the crawl space in warm months. Contributing to the moisture and relative humidity concerns, we found evidence of bulk water in the crawl space. Water had eroded a trench along foundation walls, and there was obvious water staining on the cinderblock walls indicating that water and moisture are a consistent concern. The powdery white spots on the walls are efflorescence and indicate that minerals in the block are brought to the surface of the block by moisture. Microbial growth was occurring on the joists and the paper backing of the fiberglass insulation. Mold requires high relative humidity, warm temperatures, and organic material to grow, and this crawl space provided all three. This dank environment impacted the living space above it with cold floors, poor indoor air quality, and musty odors in the home. In addition, HVAC equipment in the crawl space was influenced by these conditions making it harder to heat and cool the home.

We recommended that the homeowner not only replace the insulation but consider encapsulating the crawl space to prevent themselves from ever having to do this work again. In our area, just replacing the insulation is a temporary solution. The moisture will continue to infiltrate the crawl space and the homeowners will continue to have to battle these conditions.

Per the homeowner’s request, we provided them with an option to just replace the insulation. However, we also provided them with our recommendation for treating the mold, water infiltration and controlling relative humidity to prevent them from having to replace the insulation again. For this approach, we recommended first removing all old materials and debris from the crawl space.

Next, we suggested treating the mildew and mold growth with Shockwave Antimicrobial, a hospital-grade antimicrobial designed to kill mold. Then we would seal all of the vents, the sill plate, and the rim & band with foam. Vents are sealed from the inside to maintain the exterior aesthetic of the home. We also recommended installing an interior foundation drainage system to direct the bulk water in the crawl space to a sump pump and send it away from the home to a spot on the property designated by the homeowner. The next step would be to install the CleanSpace Vapor Barrier. When installed, this liner is overlapped and sealed at all seams, all piers are wrapped and sealed, and the liner is attached and sealed 6-8 inches above outside grade on the foundation walls. We then recommended installing Foamboard insulation on the crawl space walls instead of putting fiberglass in the floor. This extends the thermal boundary of the home to the floor of the crawl space and helps control temperatures in the crawl space for both energy efficiency and in-home comfort, reducing drafts and keeping floors warm in the winter. The last piece of the puzzle would be to install the SaniDry Sedona Dehumidification System. The SaniDry Sedona is specifically designed to regulate the relative humidity in a crawl space. It kicks on only when it is needed and pulls the moisture out of the air and sends it to a condensate pump which can drain outside or to the sump pump.

If the homeowners choose to seal and dehumidify the crawl space, they will not need to replace the insulation again, nor will they need to worry about mold growth and wood rot under the home. The CleanSpace Encapsulation System will provide them with a healthy space under their home that improves their indoor air quality, reduces energy bills and makes them more comfortable.