Mold
This home was inspected by a pest company. When they were down in the crawl space they noticed that there was significant mold and damage done to the structure of the home. the homeowner needed a solution to get this corrected.
Dirt Crawl Spaces
Dirt crawl spaces are notorious for having moisture issues. Especially here on Delmarva. Year of ground water seepage can cause major damage to the home. As seen in this home.
Wood Rot
Over time the moisture and the mold will start to break down the wood that is under your home. This can cause sagging floors and eventually will need to be replaced.
Damage to the Structure of the Home
When you start to notice that your floors are sagging, doors not shutting properly, or cracks in walls you can almost always be assured that there is damage to the foundation and to the structure in the home.
Mold on the Floor Joist
Homes have something called the stack effect. This is where air comes in the through the bottom of your home and is vented up through the top of your home and out through the roof. When mold is in your crawl space it is very likely that the mold spore can make their way inside your home. This can irritate allergies and cause other adverse reactions.
Starting to Correct the Problem
The first thing that we needed to do was to remove the insulation from the home. The insulation was holding in moisture that was one reason there is mold on the wood.
Clean Space Liner
The CleanSpace is our vapor barrier. It is 20mil plastic that is sealed at the seams and up the walls. This will separate the crawl space from the ground water that is seeping up and not allow it to enter the space.
Dehumidifier
Once the space is separated from the ground water with the vapor barrier and is sealed up we can bring in a dehumidifier to dry out the space and dry out the wood. This will also help in the future by eliminating moisture and humidity that will enter the space. Keeping it moisture and mold free.
Damage you can see
The damage to the structure of the home caused by the moisture is undeniable and is in need of saving.
The Dry Crawl Space System
This is a long term solution for the homeowner. And will annual service will allow the space to stay safe and dry.
Just in Time
After the wood and crawl space was dried out, we came back out to the property to replace the floor joist and girders. When we returned to the property this is is what we found in the crawl space. The important girder had been do damaged and eventually fell.
New Floor Joist and Girders
The other issue that needed to be address was the rotting wood. This homeowner needed to have multiple floor joist and girders replaced. First the wood and the space needed to dry out so that we can make the necessary repairs.