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The conditioned space shared with these knee walls was sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter due to sharing a wall with an unconditioned attic space. We installed insulation in the wall cavities and covered it with Tyvec to create an air barrier and better insulate the wall. We also installed insulation on the floor of the space to prevent air loss from the room below.
This crawl space had moisture issues and the homeowner complained about the floor creaking. We found that the crawl space had moisture entering through open crawl space vents, the exposed earth, and through porous block walls.
The homeowner opted to seal the crawl space, remove the old vapor barrier and insulation, install a new vapor barrier and seal it at the seams and along foundation walls, sealing all vents, and insulating the foundation walls with closed-cell spray foam. And finally, a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier was installed. This system helps to seal the crawl space from outside influence including moisture, which had caused much of the damage in the crawl space. The dehumidifier controls the relative humidity, helping to prevent future mold growth.
This Richmond, VA homeowner contacted us because they noticed moisture issues in their crawl space that they wanted to be addressed. At our inspection, we found microbial growth on the floor joists, no vapor barrier covering the ground, and falling, damaged insulation.
Once the homeowner's belongings were removed, we cleaned all of the debris out of the crawl space and treated the microbial growth. We then sealed all the vents and air sealed the sill plate and all penetrations through the foundation walls to the outside. Next, our team rolled out a heavy-duty vapor barrier called CleanSpace, it was attached to the foundation walls, wrapped and sealed around all piers, and overlapped and sealed at all seams to seal the crawl space off from the earth's moisture. Now, the space is ready to be insulated with closed-cell spray foam on the foundation walls and in the rim band. Then a dehumidifier will be installed to control the relative humidity.
Keeping air carrying moisture out and controlling the relative humidity in the space will help to prevent future moisture damage in the crawl space. It also creates a clean dry storage space for the homeowners and will help to keep their floors warmer in the winter and can even reduce energy bills.
This Dewitt, VA crawl space is encapsulated with a 20-mil CleanSpace vapor barrier, closed-cell spray foam, a SaniDry Sedona Dehumidifier, R-11 along the perimeter of the crawl space, and an Everlast Crawl Space door.
This homeowner wanted to add insulation to their attic to improve the comfort and energy efficiency of their home. We installed a blanket of blown-in cellulose insulation in the attic. The Cellulose insulation used is 85% recycled material and contains a borate that helps to deter pests.