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The original crawl space door on this home was a piece of ply-wood that had been damaged by weather over time. It was waterlogged and rotting, and because it didn't have a seal it didn't prevent pests or outside air and moisture from entering the crawl space.
We installed a new crawl space door that will not warp, rust, or rot and is HOA friendly. Behind this door, is a friction-fit door that insulates and air seals behind the exterior door.
This crawl space has been battling moisture and humidity. The high relative humidity and moisture in the space have resulted in microbial growth on the floor joists, damaged and falling insulation, and even some odors in the living space, impacting the indoor air quality of the home. Our team begins by cleaning out the debris and old insulation and vapor barrier. Then they begin sealing off the crawl space from outside air and the earth's moisture. Sealing the crawl space, insulating the foundation walls, and controlling the relative humidity with a dehumidifier will help to prevent future microbial growth.
The old crawl space door has been replaced with a new door that does not warp, rust, or rot. A friction fit insulated interior door is installed before the exterior door is put on to keep out outside air and moisture.
This vented crawl space in Charles City, VA had falling and damaged insulation, a torn vapor barrier, high relative humidity, and mold growing on the joists. The vents and rim band were sealed and insulated, the sill plate was sealed, a vapor barrier was installed, and spray foam insulation was applied to the walls.
The ground cover in this crawl space was a 6-mil, a similar thickness to a trash bag, it is easily ripped and displaced. Because it is unsealed and has tears, the 6-mil ground cover allows moisture from the earth to affect the crawl space raising the relative humidity, damaging insulation, and causing microbial growth.
After removing the 6-mil, we installed a 20-mil heavy-duty vapor barrier called CleanSpace, and is similar to the thickness of a pool liner. CleanSpace has a built-in Antimicrobial called UltraFresh. When we install the vapor barrier, we overlap and seal all seams, seal the liner to the walls 6-8 inches above outside grade, and wrap and seal all piers. By sealing the CleanSpace at all of these points, we are able to isolate the crawl space from the earth's moisture.