Before & After Photos

Many homes have dirt floors in their crawlspaces. Not all homeowners, however, know the problems associated with dirt crawlspace floors. Some do find out later on down the line and try to remedy this issue with a plastic liner. However, many homeowners are not aware that not all plastic liners are created equally. This is exactly what this Camden, South Carolina homeowner discovered after they continued to have problems after the initial install.

The ‘before’ photo gives us a pretty good overview of the crawlspace before we came out to it. Now take a look at ‘after’ photo. See the difference?

The distance between the two liners’ efficiency is pretty vast. The posts aren’t covered. The liner isn’t pulled tight across the space and, for whatever reason; it’s so thin it almost looks translucent. This is not the appropriate liner for a dirt crawlspace.

Now, come back to All-Dry of the Carolinas liner in the ‘after’ photo. We take our CleanSpace liner up, at the very least, three inches on all surfaces within the crawlspace. If it isn’t suspended and it’s touching the ground, we cover it with CleanSpace to complete the sealing of the space. Otherwise, water vapor and other gases will slip right on through those openings. It’s an eerie look, that’s for sure, but it’s the most effective solution next to getting the space covered with cement. All in all, it looks pretty good.

One of the most common projects that we do here at All-Dry of the Carolinas are full crawlspace encapsulations with CleanSpace. This basically means that at the very least, CleanSpace is laid over the entire crawlspace and is sealed to the walls. However, the CleanSpace is usually installed with several other products. Of course, the products that are used differ from job to job, depending on the severity of the problems, and what exactly the homeowner hopes to get from the system.

The "before" picture shows off the crawlspace before the CleanSpace was installed by the crew. However, the crawlspace didn't look quite this nice when the crew arrived. This photo was taken after they had cleaned out the area a little bit and sealed the vents, which can be seen along the top of the wall. Our Specialist noted a higher than average relative humidity level, which was one of the main concerns of the homeowner.

The "after" photo shows the same area, but with the CleanSpace almost completely installed. The liner has been completely laid out, with drainage matting under it, there is just one step left in the process, which you can actually see being done in this photo. One of the most important parts of installing CleanSpace is to make sure that it is sealed correctly. The reason that this is so important is because if the CleanSpace is not sealed correctly, then water vapor and moisture can still get into the area, which is exactly what we want to not happen.

One extremely common sign of high moisture levels is insulation falling. This is because insulation is very absorbent and will soak up the moisture that is in the air. The insulation then becomes heavier, which causes it to sag and begin falling down. At this point, the humidity levels are already high enough to cause concern, the wet insulation could start growing mold. 

This was almost the exact case with this homeowner in Chapin, SC. They had been noticing water in the crawlspace during heavy rains and began seeing that some of the insulation was falling down. One of the main reasons for the high humidity levels was because the crawlspace was not sealed up in any way. Water could get into the crawlspace and sit there evaporating because nothing was stopping it. However, we were able to stop this by encapsulating their crawlspace.

The "after" picture shows off the same area in the crawlspace, but with our CleanSpace installed. The difference it makes is absolutely incredible. During this project, our crew also removed the damp, falling insulation to ensure that mold wouldn't have anywhere to grow. During the installation, CleanSpace is securely fastened and sealed to the walls and pillars under the home. This is what really sets the CleanSpace and our installation apart from other liners. 

Not all crawlspaces are in desperate need of a vapor barrier or encapsulation system, but this doesn't mean that they aren't useful. One of the most useful parts of CleanSpace (besides water and moisture control) is that it makes your crawlspace into a clean, more usable area. After everything is sealed off, the area is much cleaner and can be used for storage. 

The "before" photo of this crawlspace in Chapin, SC shows how the area looked before our installation. Since this was an older home, the insulation had began to fall slightly. The main concern is the floor, with an old crawlspace liner and debris. While this looks like the typical crawlspace you may see under most homes, CleanSpace can completely transform the look of it. 

The "after" picture shows the same area but after the CleanSpace was installed by our crew. The CleanSpace completely transforms the look of the crawlspace. The area went from a dark, scary place into a clean, usable area. One of the great things about having our CleanSpace installed is that it creates a clean area for storage!

This CleanSpace encapsulation was an average job for us to take on, and is something that we do almost daily. Due to our location in the Carolinas/Georgia, we tend to have a more humid climate than others. When this warm air hits the colder air in the crawlspace, it creates condensation, which usually ends up on the floor joists and insulation. If not taken care of quick enough, mold can begin to grow in these areas.

Many people don't realize this, and accept that having a humid, wet crawlspace is a way of life and there's nothing to do about it. Fortunately, this is completely false, and these problems can be fixed with just a few products and a couple days. Our Systems Design Specialist, Alex Rogers, went out to this home and figured out what would be best for this particular crawlspace. 

The solution he came up with, again, was similar to many other homes but just as effective as ever. The biggest difference in this crawlspace is obviously the CleanSpace that was installed. CleanSpace makes the crawlspace look much better, but not only does it do this, but it also keeps the moisture from getting into the crawlspace. This is especially true when the CleanSpace goes all of the way up the walls, like this one.