Before & After Photos

These homeowners in Virginia Beach wanted to replace their existing crawl space access well, which was full of dirt and rocks and was allowing outside air and moisture to leak into the crawl space where the well meets the crawl space door.

Our solution was to install The Turtl crawl space access system, designed for below-grade crawl space access. The Turtle provides a clean and convenient access to the crawl space while keeping debris like leaves and rocks out of the way. This durable and lockable access door is made from rigid plastic, which will not rot, rust, corrode, or require new paint and is weathertight.

The foundation walls of this crawl space are made with porous bricks, which are allowing the outside air and moisture to seep through, affecting the relative humidity. An increase in relative humidity can lead to mold growth, water puddles, and weakened structure due to moisture damage. Efflorescence is visible on the walls in multiple places, which occurs when moisture infiltrating through the walls pulls the salts and sediments from within the blocks to the surface, leaving behind a chalky, powdery substance.

Closed-cell spray foam was applied to the foundation walls, which at 1½ inches thick, acts as an air barrier and moisture retarder, protecting the crawl space from the outside influence coming through the walls. All cracks and corners are sealed, and any open vents lining the foundation walls are covered with precisely cut foam board pieces and sealed over with foam.

Open vents on the foundation walls are quite common in Virginian crawl spaces, but they are only good for letting air and moisture easily enter the crawl space. Any moisture that finds its way through these vents becomes trapped in the crawl space, increasing the relative humidity and potentially leading to mold and mildew growth, water damage, and weakened structures or materials.

Before we use spray foam or foam board to insulate the foundation walls, we cover the interior of the open vents. Precisely cut foamboard pieces are made and fitted into the inside of the vents. Then we seal any cracks or openings with can foam.

The 10-mil vapor barrier used to cover the dirt floor is not installed properly. Cracks and openings can be seen at every pier, wall, and pipe. Moisture from the earth is still able to seep through these small openings and gaps and affect the relative humidity. The vapor barrier does not even cover the outside grade through the foundation walls. Outside moisture from the earth can seep through the porous walls.

The 10-mil vapor barrier was replaced with a heavy-duty CleanSpace liner, which was sealed around all piers and pipes, and mechanically fastened to the foundation wall six to eight inches above outside grade. With the spray foam on the walls, the CleanSpace helps to protect the crawl space from any moisture from the earth, and with an antimicrobial built into the 7-layer polyethylene liner, it is better protected from mold and mildew.

This crawl space had evidence of water infiltration, mold, and a deteriorating vapor barrier. After removing all debris and treating the mold, we installed the CleanSpace Encapsulation System. CleanSpace, a 20-mil vapor barrier that is poly-string reinforced and contains an antimicrobial called UltraFresh is installed. It is laid on the crawl space floor and fastened to the walls six inches above the outside grade (to direct any moisture entering through the cinderblock down to the earth) and wrapped around piers. All seams are overlapped and sealed to isolate the crawl space off from the earth's moisture.