Before & After Photos

This homeowner in Williamsburg was worried about how cold their first floors were. We found that the insulation in their crawl space was damp and falling out of place. There was high relative humidity in the crawl space, which can explain why there was mold growth and efflorescence present. We installed a 20mil CleanSpace vapor barrier to help protect the crawl space from moisture rising out of the earth, the mold growth was eliminated using an antimicrobial called Shockwave, and finally, we removed the fiberglass insulation from the floor joists until the homeowner decides to schedule a project for spray foam or foam board on the foundation walls.

This crawl space had falling insulation, mold/mildew, efflorescence from moisture and condensation, and a failing vapor barrier. We installed the CleanSpace Encapsulation System with closed cell spray foam insulation on the crawl space walls, sealed the rim and band and sill plate, and installed a SantaFe Dehumidifier, sealing the home off from the earth and controlling the relative humidity to help make this Williamsburg home more comfortable and energy-efficient.

Mold and mildew have grown on many of the wooden materials in this crawl space, such as the floor joists. This occurs on organic materials when the relative humidity reaches over 60% during warmer temperatures. Musty odors and mold spores can rise into the home above and irritate those with allergies and asthma. We applied an antimicrobial, called Shockwave, to the affected areas, which will eliminate mold growth but does not remove any staining left behind from the growth.

One of the reasons the relative humidity has been elevated can be attributed to the fact that the crawl space floor is not covered by any type of liner or vapor barrier. This allows the earth's moisture to rise into the crawl space and affects not only the relative humidity but the environment. We installed our 10-mil CleanSpace Light vapor barrier over the dirt flooring of the crawl space, wrapped it around all piers, sealed it with vinyl tape, and mechanically fastened it to the foundation walls six to eight inches above outside grade. This will help protect the crawl space from any moisture rising from the ground.

This Irvington, VA crawl space had microbial growth on floor joists, was missing insulation in many areas, and the vapor barrier was unsealed, allowing moisture from the earth to impact the crawl space. After cleaning all of the old materials and debris out, we treated the floor joists with Shockwave Antimicrobial and sealed the crawl space from the earth’s moisture with the CleanSpace Vapor Barrier. We sealed all outside penetrations to the foundation, including air gaps such as vents, the sill plate, and rim and band. Closed Cell Spray Foam is ready to be applied to the walls and a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier will be installed to control the relative humidity. The system will help protect the home from microbial growth and make the home more comfortable, improve indoor air quality, and reduce energy bills.  

The old vapor barrier in this crawl space was not effective. It was loose and unfastened to the walls or wrapped around piers and did not protect the crawl space from the earth's moisture. The vapor barrier was replaced with the CleanSpace Encapsulation System. CleanSpace is a 20mil vapor barrier with UltraFresh antimicrobial built-in. It is durable for service persons to crawl on without worry of tearing. CleanSpace is wrapped around and sealed to all piers and sealed to the crawl space walls 6-8 inches above outside grade.