Fixing a Leaky Crawlspace in Evansville, IN

Challenge

This 3138 square foot single family home has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms with a crawl space and block wall foundation. One of the challenges in resolving this leaky crawl space was the sheer size of the crawl space and number of alcoves throughout the below grade area. The crawl space began leaking periodically when it would rain and that was causing a serious musty odor to rise through the floorboards. The homeowners stated that the odor was apparent immediately upon entering the home and that it was a concern that mold was growing in the crawl space from the leaking groundwater.

Upon entering the crawl space, the Healthy Spaces crawl space Specialist, Steven noticed that the exposed dirt floor was muddy in places, especially along the perimeter. He noticed that the recent rain had caused water intrusion along the perimeter and the wood subfloor boards were showing signs of mold growth near the rim joist.

There were two important things that needed to be addressed immediately: isolating the home from the groundwater and preventing future water intrusion.

Solution

The homeowners decided that they wanted a more energy efficient crawl space that was dry all the time. They elected to utilize the Cleanspace crawl space encapsulation system with rim joist insulation and dimple roll beneath the Cleanspace.

The dimple roll would create a nice barrier between the dirt in the crawl space and the Cleanspace system, allowing water to be directed into the water removal system. The removal system will be a full perimeter drainage system with sump pump. Once the Cleanspace was installed, the crawl space was fully isolated from the ground, creating a sealed system.

Additionally, the Healthy Spaces installation team installed rim joist insulation to ensure that the crawl space was as energy efficient as possible. Now, the crawl space is a fully conditioned, energy efficient system that will be dry all the time.

Project Summary

Crawlspace Lead Specialist: Steven Joseph, JR