Water damage is the most common type of foundation damage. This is not unusual since water damage can be caused by rain, melting snow, plumbing issues, burst pipes, rising underground water, overflows, and seepage. It is no wonder that water damage accounts for one-fifth of all insurance claims made by homeowners. Unfortunately, even the smallest leak can end up causing significant structural damage. This is why waterproofing your foundation is always money well spent.
By keeping the moisture levels in your crawl space under control, you can avoid nasty problems such as mold growth. The problem with mold is not that it looks unappealing. In fact, how it looks is the least of your problems. Mold can cause additional damage to your property and trigger health issues such as allergies, breathing problems, and even respiratory infections.
Waterproofing the crawl space is also rewarded with lower heating and cooling costs. Since your HVAC system doesn’t have to work so hard to keep your home warm or cool, your utility bills will be kept at an acceptable level. The biggest benefit of investing in waterproofing measures is the prevention of structural damage. Moisture in your crawl space can affect the joints and wooden beams and eventually threaten the structural integrity of your home. The tricky part about this kind of damage is that it happens out of sight and a lot of homeowners become aware of the problem when it has already advanced. Luckily, our customer from Huntsville, AL, wanted to be preventative and called us in time.
Although the homeowner didn’t notice anything too suspicious, he wanted to have his crawl space checked by professionals, just to be on the safe side. During our inspection, we were able to notice moisture problems. With our waterproofing solutions, we ensured that this home will stay protected against water damage.
Meeting the Homeowner
The home in question was built around 2011 and the homeowner has been living there for the past two years. Since he had no intention to move again in his life, he wanted to make sure that his forever home is in the best possible shape. Although he wasn’t particularly worried about the state of his house, he wanted to be preventative and avoid potential issues. The homeowner was asking around, looking for the best waterproofing company for this project. Although he did receive professional advice before and had a vague idea of what to expect, he still wanted to speak with AFS Foundation & Waterproofing Specialists.
The homeowner said he had been down to the crawl space a couple of times during the two years he’s been living there. He reported seeing very little water down there, which didn’t seem like a red flag. The homeowner also told us that his floors feel cold during winter which, we assume, was reflected in his heating costs.
Initial Inspection
When our inspector visited the Huntsville, AL, home, he was able to see evident signs of water intrusion. It seemed that previous owners did invest in a vapor barrier that was supposed to keep the crawl space dry and clean, but it wasn’t effective anymore. In addition, there were signs of efflorescence on the walls, which was another clue pointing to moisture problems. While thoroughly examining the crawl space, our inspector took time to explain the potential issues to the customer. Along the way, they developed a plan to mitigate issues. To prevent the moisture problem from occurring again, waterproofing and encapsulation were the best options. Our inspector took time to walk the homeowner through AFS’s line of products and patiently explained why these were needed as part of the solution. The customer gladly took our advice and our crew began waterproofing and encapsulating the crawl space.
Repairing the Damage
It took us four days to complete this project. During that time, our team installed not one, but two crawl space sump pumps to control groundwater seepage. This way, any excess water from the soil will be directed to the sump pit and then away from the house’s perimeter.
We also installed a specially designed crawl space drainage system because it includes holes on the top as well as the front. This way, the drains can accept water from the soil and surface of your crawl space. With this system, there is no worrying about clogging or drain failure.
Our crew also installed a 120-mil vapor barrier which ensured that the crawl space will stay dry and clean. Since this area was prone to moisture problems and the owner wanted to solve them for good, our inspector also recommended placing insulation panels on the walls. The customer agreed with our choice, and thermal insulation panels were installed to properly insulate the crawl space.
These panels look a bit different than other insulation panels. Due to the tiny graphite particles in the foam insulation panels having a silver shine. These particles have an important role. They reflect heat and lower the panel’s conductivity for superior R-value per inch. Another great thing about thermal insulation is that it reflects heat back into your crawl space and therefore acts as an energy saver.
In the end, our team also installed a dehumidifier in the crawl space that will regulate humidity levels and keep them under control.
With this combination of superior waterproofing solutions, our customer can live in this home peacefully, knowing that the foundation his home sits on is in the best possible shape.
Here is what the customer had to say about our services:
“AFS provides a superior solution in terms of technical knowledge and recommended products. AFS demonstrated a willingness to listen and do whatever was needed to satisfy the customer.”
Projects such as these should always be handled by trained, skilled, and experienced professionals. Waterproofing your home or addressing crawl space problems is not something you should do on your own. So, if you wish to keep your house safe from water damage, contact experts at AFS to schedule a free estimate.
