Lake Hiawatha Crawl Space Disaster!

Friday, August 1st, 2014 by Cassandra Santiago

Challenge

A family in Lake Hiawatha was experiencing severe moisture problems in their crawl space creating multiple problems. The moisture had created a mold concern for the homeowners which needed to be remediated right away. The moisture also rotted the supplemental beams in the crawl space making them unsafe and creating uneven floors above. The previous contractor had installed an inferior vapor barrier which was trapping moisture on top of the barrier and making the crawl space environment even worse due to standing water. The crawl space was uninsulated and had many air leaks allowing the extreme winter cold air and the excessive hot summer air with the unhealthy relative humidity creating condensation and a habitable place for mold growth.

Solution

The family hired a mold contractor to remediate their mold problems and then hired Quality 1st Basement Systems to address their moisture problem, water problems, structural support problems and leaky crawl space entrance. Quality 1^st Basement System first installed 12 Foundation Support Works Smart Jacks to add supplemental support to their existing framing and attempt to level the first floors. The team then installed TerraBlock and SilverGlo to keep the cold air in the winter out and warm air from the summer months out of the crawl space helping the homeowners achieve lower energy bills by stabilizing the temperatures within their crawl space.

The team then installed the smart sump and drainage matting to direct ground water into the sump and remove it from the crawl space making the space suitable for storage. Then we installed CleanSpace vapor barrier to keep the moist air from coming up from the ground and raising the humidity level. Finally we installed the SaniDry CX crawl space air purification and dehumidifier system and the Turtl crawl space entrance. The SaniDry CX will keep the relative humidity low to eliminate an environment in which mold can survive and clean the air of allergens and mold spores, making the air in the home above much healthier. The Turtl entrance system will make a nice neat crawl space entrance that is air tight and will keep the outside air from entering the crawl space.