Before & After Photos

Many people will lay down some type of plastic in their crawlspace to help keep the humidity level down. However, this usually just means that a thin sheet is laid out throughout the crawlspace and that is the end of the story. This misses one of the most important parts of encapsulation, sealing the liner. Sealing the liner is one of the most important parts because it prevents any water vapor from getting into the crawlspace.

Although this sounds like a simple task, it isn't as easy as it sounds. As you can see this homeowner tried to tape these sheets together and then to the top of the wall. This is similar to our process, but because of the quality and lack of experience this homeowner had with waterproofing, this "do-it-yourself" option did not work out nearly as well. As you can see, the corner of the plastic has fallen down.

Our installers are well-versed and have extensive training in the installation of all of our systems. Many of our employees have been working with us for several years, with a few of them having around 15 years of experience here! Needless to say, our crews know exactly how to install all of our products. Not only do we have several methods of securing and sealing the liner, but the crews also try to follow every curve of the area so that the liner won't be pulled away from the wall.

This family in Whittier, NC was struggling to control the moisture levels in their crawlspace. Mold had begun to form around the crawlspace due to the high moisture levels.

To solve this problem our All-Dry of the Carolinas team had to tackle the situation from different angles. To begin, the mold needed to be removed from the area. Our team used Mold-X, which kills mold and also prevents future growth. Our team then placed CleanSpace in the crawlspace, wrapping it around the walls, floor, and piers. CleanSpace is a 20 mil tick liner that is laid across the crawlspace floor and wrapped around walls and piers. This liner works as a barrier to keep moister that is produced from the ground out of the crawlspace. In addition to the CleanSpace a SmartSump was added to the crawlspace as a way of pushing excess water that enters from outside. The SmartSump has a WaterWatch system which is an alarm to let you know if water has reached the top of the pump. The SmartSump works in coordination with the Aprilaire, a dehumidifier which is used to collecting extra moister that is produced under your home. The SmartSump has a dehumidifier drain that connects the two machines to fully expel water from the crawlspace. From the machines, the water is pushed from the crawlspace through a drainage system to the LawnScape outlet.

Many times we have homeowners call in for a specific problem that they are dealing with in their basement or crawlspace. This problem is often about water getting into these areas, high moisture levels, or something similar to that. However upon further inspection our System Design Specialist noticed that parts of the home were sagging, which was being caused by poor support in the crawlspace. Our Design Specialist knew that we could handle the issues and offered a proposal to take care of both. 

The first picture shows off what the crawlspace looked like when our Specialist first went out to the home to help this homeowner with the high humidity levels. The crawlspace doesn't look too bad, but it definitely had some problems. It can sometimes be difficult to see high moisture levels, which is one reason they can go unnoticed. However, the girder was only held up by some cinder blocks and a few flimsy jacks, which is where the sagging floor was coming from. 

The after picture shows the same area, but with a much different look. The most obvious part is the CleanSpace that was installed in order to keep the water out of the crawlspace. It completely covers the floor and the majority of the walls in the crawlspace. The dehumidifier that was installed can also e seen on the right hand side of the photo. The dehumidifier helps to ensure that the humidity level of the crawlspace stays below the point where mold can grow. The crew also installed our SmartJacks and a new girder in order to provide the proper support for the home.

Nothing says ‘I’m not helping you’ like a plastic liner that’s pulled up in places and falling apart. We have an example of that here in this ‘before’ photo. And, to be fair, we can’t place all of the blame on the liner. It can’t help that it just wasn’t big enough to handle the job. Even while taking a cursory glance at the photo, we can see that there is plenty of dirt in the crawlspace left uncovered. If only part of it is covered, it’s about the same as having no coverage at all.

We’ve completely remedied this in the ‘after’ photo. This Bryson City, North Carolina crawlspace was given a whole new face lift.

We’ve taken our CleanSpace and covered every inch of the dirt crawlspace. Did you notice how in the ‘before’ photo that the old liner didn’t even touch the items? That’s not the case in our installation. We take the CleanSpace and seal it at least three inches up on every item in the crawlspace. Walls and hot water heaters are no different. This provides the crawlspace with a vapor barrier seal without any holes.

One way that water vapor can get into the crawlspace is through the door. This is actually pretty common, as many crawlspace doors have gaps around them, which allowing air to flow into the crawlspace where the water vapor will start to condense. Once the water condenses onto different areas in the crawlspace (particularly organic surfaces), mold can begin to grow, which can cause serious problems for the homeowner. 

The "before" picture shows pretty much exactly what was just explained. This certainly was not the worst crawlspace entrance, but we have certainly seen better! As you can see, the top and right-hand side of the door have pretty large gaps, which leaves a lot of room for air to rush in. The EverLast door will be even more effective since this door is almost even with the ground, which means in a flood, water could pretty easily get into the crawlspace.

The "after" picture shows the installed EverLast Door. It may not be as pretty or "rustic" as the old door, but it is certainly more effective at keeping the air out! The EverLast door creates an airtight seal when "shut", which you do by turning the knobs at the upper corners. This was a huge part of this job because it helps to keep the dehumidifier from working as hard because it keeps out unnecessary moisture.