Before & After Photos

This Williamsburg crawl space had high relative humidity, falling insulation, mold growth, and a failing vapor barrier. The old insulation, vapor barrier, and debris were removed. We then applied Mold X-2 to kill the mold, installed a new vapor barrier, applied spray foam insulation to the walls, and installed a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier to control the relative humidity. 

This crawl space has a full-size door as an entry, this creates a large gap in the insulation on the crawl space walls, and it is not airtight. Regardless of how large the crawl space door is, this is always a concern when encapsulating. This is why we always installed a custom friction fit door behind every exterior crawl space door. It meets code by filling the gap and ensuring a continuous R-10 of insulation on the crawl space walls and also air seals. Keeping as much air carrying moisture as possible out of the crawl space. 

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.