Before & After Photos

This Reed, KY homeowner had noticed that his home would never stay the same temperature. It was humid and hot in the summer, and the air conditioner was always running. In the winter, it was frigid, and with the heat running and the floors were always cold as well. The homeowner decided to give us a call to diagnose the issues that were happening.

Design Specialist, Damon Cheatham, was to the rescue. When he arrived, he greeted the homeowners and proceeded to do a thorough inspection of the crawl space. It was humid and damp, and the previous vapor barrier wasn't doing its job. Damon recommended a new vapor barrier to keep the crawl space dry and seal away the outside moisture and air. The crew installed a 6mil liner to the crawl space to help with this. 

These homeowners are very satisfied with the end result and have already noticed a financial difference in their monthly electric bills.

A customer based in Rockport IN wanted to solve a moisture problem that has been persisting for the past few years.  The home itself has visual signs of sagging floors such as a slight floor slope and a few cracks in the interior walls.  A floor slope can eventually create a gap between the floor and interior walls, hence the walls showing cracks. When a crawl space is built, the columns are located throughout the crawl space to support the weight of the structure above.  Since the columns were spaced too far apart, the beam was becoming an overload and sagging the columns. This eventually causes the floor joists and girders to become bouncy, and soft, and begin to sag.  A floor that is strong and level will fix the root cause of sagging floors.

To solve the issue of moisture and an uneven floor level, a SmartJack System is installed.  SmartJacks are steeled support systems used to permanently stabilize and level the girders and food joists in a crawl space. These support systems do not replace the existing columns and piers, but add strength and stability to what is there.  The weak foundation soils and moisture conditions are addressed once a two-foot cube of soil is excavated at each SmartJack location.  The hole will be filled with concrete or engineered fill to create a stable, load-bearing footing.  The base is positioned to hold the SmartJack in place and to ultimately distribute loads.  Installing our SmartJack System will prevent any sagging floors in the future and give the homeowner peace of mind.

A homeowner located in Oakland City, IN was concerned about spiders in the crawl space and wanted an inspection and solution to this problem.  When spiders and other critters are spotted in a crawl space, this would conclude that humidity and outside air are entering the crawl space.  Spiders love damp crawl spaces since other bugs are found there for them to prey on. When a spider is present, it is suspected that there are other critters around.  These critters will eventually work their way up to the floor above the crawl space for more room to roam around in.  This would not be an ideal situation for any healthy home. 

The first solution for discarding unwanted critters would be to start with the openings inside the crawl space.  If there were any open vents in the crawl space, they needed to be sealed. A CleanSpace liner is used to cover the ground and sides of the floor.  A smart sump pump is installed to pump away water.  A SaniDry Sedona is used to dehumidify the crawl space and allow dry air to be present.  Living critters are not attracted to dry air, which would make living conditions unbearable.  Once the crawl space contained tools necessary for making sure spiders and other critters would not enter again, it reassured the homeowner that entering the crawl space would be safe in the future. 

Positioned in Santa Clause, IN, a home needed a mold-free crawlspace to relieve existing allergies and remove mold that was appearing on the walls from the floor above the crawlspace. In some situations, a crawlspace will pose as an "out of sight, out of mind" place and is left uninspected. A moldy crawlspace will have damp air with smelly mold spores. The mold reaches from the floor above through either the HVAC system or the stack effect. The stack effect creates airflow in the home from the bottom to the top. Air from the crawl space is drawn upward into the first floor and then the second floor. The same air from the crawl space makes up about half of what you breathe. Being informed about the dangers of mold will help homeowners be aware of their health and their homes.

There is a process to follow for mold removal. Mold is scrubbed off all parts of the crawl space and then taken care of through mold remediation. A Smart Sump was installed to remove excess water, and an installation of CleanSpace was put in. A SaniDry Sedona was installed to create dry airflow, making mold survival and population difficult. An exterior crawl space door is used to close a vent in the crawlspace to banish outside air from entering. The process was completed successfully, additionally, creating a clean and safe atmosphere for the couple to continue living in. 

Humidity is a common problem for many crawl spaces when the crawl space barrier is compromised by outside air. A family in Hardinsburg, KY, became concerned when a few mold spores grew on the beams inside the crawl space because of the humidity. Mold loves humidity and will lie dormant on any organic surface for many years. It is not the air that triggers mold growth, but the moisture level on the surface of, for example, a wooden beam or drywall. To keep the family safe from future health effects, dry air had to be created.

Any physical areas that were affected by mold were scrubbed away and taken care of through mold remediation. To fix the overall problem, a bright white liner is spread throughout the crawlspace and then taped down securely. The liner is known as CleanSpace and is effective at being tear-resistant and preventing mold because of its safe and odorless antimicrobial additive. Since CleanSpace protects the crawl space, outside air cannot pass in and create the humid atmospheric state it was in before. Once the crawl space was completed, the family was relieved to know that mold will never be a nuisance in their crawlspace again.