CRAWLSPACE SOLUTIONS

• Surface Water:  Water from above the surface can enter your crawlspace due to overflowing gutters and poor grading around the perimeter of your home, roof drainage, and leaky windows.
• Groundwater:  Water can trickle in from cracks, this is due to heavy rains and saturated soil around your home.
• High Humidity:  Crawlspaces become notoriously humid, and should be regulated, over time this can affect the surrounding structures.
• Plumbing Leaks: leaky pipes and fixtures can cause water to pool and collect in your crawlspace.

Crawlspace moisture or other issues can cause a wide array of problems ranging from mildly annoying to hazardous to your health or your home’s structural integrity. Here are several:

• Musty Odors: The high levels of humidity can lead to a musty odor that rises from your crawlspace and invades the rest of your house.
• Mold and Mildew: Worse than an annoying smell, however, are mold and mildew. Mold loves dark, damp spaces, and a wet crawlspace is a perfect place for it to start to grow. Among other problems, mold spread from crawlspaces can be a cause of childhood respiratory issues.
• Sagging Floors: Moisture has a nasty habit of rotting wood. And what part of your home that comes in contact with your crawlspace is often made from wood? Your floor joists. Rotting weakens them, causing sagging spongy floors that will need additional support even if the moisture problems are solved.

There are several options when it comes to fixing damp and wet crawlspace, and often depends on the level of repair needed.  We offer the following solutions to our customers:

• Moisture Barriers:  Moisture barriers, or vapor barriers, consist of sheeting that covers the inside of the crawlspace. The moisture barriers are thick enough to keep water and humidity out of the crawl space, ending further problems associated with moisture.
• Crawlspace Encapsulation:  Moisture barriers are a key part of a larger scale Crawlspace Encapsulation. This combines a moisture barrier with other waterproofing solutions to create a comprehensive encapsulation.
• Crawlspace Jacks:  If the crawlspace has caused the floor joists to rot, you are going to need more than just waterproofing and moisture barriers. You will need something to provide support for those joists and stabilize your sagging floors. That is where crawlspace jacks come in. They are placed strategically within the crawlspace to provide support for the joists.

At IWP, we also offer other options depending on your unique situation, including diverters, drainage systems, sump pumps and air quality control systems. We have the expertise to make sure you have the right solution for your crawlspace.