Structural Repairs & Encapsulating a Wet Crawl Space in Cherry Hill, NJ

Monday, January 30th, 2023 by Makayla Pratta

Challenge

This Cherry Hill homeowner had issues within his crawl space for years. His main concerns were that the space was dirty, and wasn't insulated. There were three vents within the space, all of which would leak when it rained, bringing water into the crawl space. This water would quickly pool on the dirt floor, and cause puddles to form with no way to drain, making the crawl space musty and damp. The homeowner's wife has allergy issues too, so having a humid breeding-ground for mold attached to the home is risky for her health.

This dampness and moisture created structural issues for the home. The home's floor joists needed support, as certain areas of the floor had soft spots, and the floor had become "bouncy" in places. The floor above the crawl space was not insulated as well, creating cold floors throughout the winter months. Since it takes more energy to properly heat the home, this lack of insulation raises heating and electric costs. The homeowner wanted to replace the floors, but wanted the crawl space corrected first, so he gave our team a call.

Solution

After our system designer, Mike, gave the space a proper inspection, he let the homeowner know exactly how we can solve the issue and gave the quote right at the appointment time. Our team fully encapsulated the crawl space. Drainage matting was laid on the floor of the crawl space, and used our CleanSpace vapor barriers on top. We also lined the walls with a combination of both our Rim Joist and SilverGlo insulation products. To ensure any water can be properly drained, a Smart Sump system was installed at the low spot of the crawl space. To provide a solution for the sagging floors, Smart Jacks were put in place to support and reinforce the floor joists above.

The homeowner and his wife were extremely pleased with the end results, and are now able to move forward with their plans to replace the floors in and renovate their home.