Job Stories

Every project in this Ridgely, MD home was done by the new homeowners. However, when it came to the crawl space, they had no idea where to start! With hanging insulation, wires, and efflorescence on the brick foundation, they knew they were going to be hands-off. They learned that DryZone trains and empowers experts to do the work they were unfamiliar with. After a free inspection with a design specialist, DryZone got to work cleaning and encapsulating the crawl space. With the installation of a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier and TripleSafe sump pump, this couple is ready for their next project!

Noticing sinking and crooked concrete slabs around the house inspired this homeowner to call DryZone for some repairs. The slabs leading to the driveway and entrance of the home were leaning in different directions and had large gaps in the seams. After DryZone took some photos and did some measurements, they scheduled a day for the PolyLevel team to come out and repair the sidewalks. Now, the slabs are level and the seams have been sealed to protect the ground underneath from eroding further. 

This homeowner's sidewalk was dangerous and hard to navigate. When dealing with settling of this nature, the typical response is to either rip up the concrete and replace or to use mud jacking to raise the slab. Ripping up the concrete and be costly and can still have settling down the road. As well it takes time for the concrete to cure and the pathway wouldn't be passable for some time. This is a huge inconvenience for the homeowner. Mud jacking is an old approach to leveling concrete that that is not always reliable and causing a huge mess and clean up. This involves drilling a hole into the concrete and pouring more concrete under the slab.  Rather then using these two approaches, the homeowners chose to use PolyLevel. This is an innovative way for DryZone to lift and level the concrete. Using a 2 part compound, we drill a small, dime sized holes in to the concrete, inject the PolyLevel compound and slowly raise the slab to the desired level. This takes a matter of minutes and is ready for traffic within 15 minutes of curing. Josh Richmond our PolyLevel foreman was able to successfully raise the slabs and create a safe walking area for the homeowners.  PolyLevel injection has so many uses. Similar would be the application used to raise 300 feet of busy Route 1 highway near Middletown and Dover. 

This homeowner in Newark started to notice creaky floors and doors that were not shutting correctly. Understanding they they had structural issues they called DryZone to see what they could do. After their home inspection they realized that the best solution would be to install Smart Jacks. These will help to stabilize and lift the home. Structural damage like this is usually caused by wood rot and moisture in the crawl space. As the moisture enters the crawl space, mold can grown and begin to break down the organic wood material. The weight of the home begins to crumble fro the ground up. Smart Jacks help to stabilize the home so that for years and years this homeowner won’t have any issues with the floor joists. The clean space system will insure that no more moisture will enter the crawl space. 

This home had serious signs of water damage and water seepage through the walls. When water seeps through the walls this means that the soil outside of the home if rich in moisture and during large periods of rain seep through the concrete. Concrete is a not a waterproof material, so then they build homes they add a water proof tar outside of the home. Over years that barrier breaks down and water can begin to leak in through the walls. Many times contractors will suggest that Derek, their system design specialist, suggested a few things that will help keep their basement dry and rid of moisture that did require digging up the whole yard! First, they needed a place for the water to drain, installing the WaterGuard Systems gives the water a space to go that will direct it to the SuperSump. This ensures that the water will be directed to the correct place. In addition the homeowner choose to instal bright wall. BrightWall Panels are durable 4 by 8-foot sheets of rigid plastic paneling that are clean, bright, and won't come off the wall like paints and sealants will. BrightWall stops water vapor from getting through your walls and also drains away any wall leaks down to your WaterGuard. BrightWall is perfect for a clean and bright storage area or work space.

These reading were taken in November. You can see that the reading just out side of the crawl space has low humidity reading. The reading taken inside of the crawl space is much higher. Mold grows at 60% humidity and is sustained at 50%. For this homeowner the solution was to install SaniDry and to encapsulate the whole space. 

Ever wonder why you have higher heating bills in the winter? Once reason could be the warm air escaping through the floor joist and into the crawl space Our system design specialist bring with them various tools to help illustrate to homeowners various issues in and under their home. This image taken by a thermal imaging camera shows that there is a significant heat loss coming through the floor joists from the main part of the home. On this day the relative temperature outside the home was 72 degrees. Inside the home you can see that the blue is the coldest reading at 57 degrees, the green is the heat that is coming from inside the home into the crawl space. Lucky for this homeowner the problem was noticed before the winter. Now they will be able to keep their feet toasty and their heating bill low by insulating the crawl space with SliverGlo. 

This homeowner in Newark, DE wanted to seal their joints around their pool before the winter months. With NexusPro joint sealant, we sealed the joints to keep the water out! The flexible joint sealant also tolerates a wide range of temperatures, helping preserve your concrete longer and reducing cracking.

This homeowner called DryZone with some concerns on her front sidewalk. She wanted to improve the look of her home by leveling the sidewalk slabs and sealing the seams between each slab. DryZone inspected her home and suggested PolyLevel for her front steps as well as entry sidewalk.

This homeowner noticed their front sidewalk seemed to be separating from their house. After an inspection, it was discovered that the sidewalk was sinking on one side causing a noticeable gap in the seams. Once the gap was formed, water intruded the seam and washed away dirt underneath the sidewalk, causing it to sink even faster. With PolyLevel, the sidewalk slab was lifted back to its original height. To complete the project, DryZone sealed the seams to prevent water from going underneath of the slabs.