PROBLEM:
Tia and her boyfriend recently purchased a new home in Denver, NC. Unfortunately, the inspection report they received during the sale had a few red flags for the crawl space. It reported that there were “wood-destroying fungi” on the floor joists in the crawlspace and that the humidity was high. The inspection also noted efflorescence on the concrete walls of the crawl space, which meant that water had been coming in through the walls for a long time and leaving minerals on the walls as evidence.
Also, the home had parts of a vapor barrier to prevent moisture from coming up from the soil, but it was missing large portions and not laid out correctly. Large insulation sections also fell from between the floor joists, which is a typical result of high humidity.
SOLUTION:
Marcus came out for the free inspection; soon after they had settled in the home, he generated two proposals. One offered insulation removal, mold remediation, drainage with a sump pump, and a vapor barrier. But after some consideration, accounting that Tia and her boyfriend planned to keep this home for many years and wanted to protect their investment, the couple decided on the second proposal: an upgraded encapsulation system.
This project included insulation removal, mold remediation, drainage, and a sump pump. But instead of just a vapor barrier, they upgraded to a 20 mil liner that covers the crawl space floor, the walls, the block columns, and even seals the crawl space vents.
In addition, our team installed an Aprilaire dehumidifier to draw out any moisture and pipe it outside to complete the system. This system has a lifetime warranty that the relative humidity in the crawl space will stay below the point at which any new mold or fungal growth will return. Also, the additional drainage that was put in place will ensure any groundwater that enters the crawl space under the liner will be pumped out, keeping the footers and foundation columns steady and in place.
With a complete encapsulation from Dry Otter Waterproofing, the crawl space of Tia’s new home is now protected, and she can have assurance the foundation for her home is safe for many years to come.
