HomeSpec Waterproofing and Foundation Repair Before & After Photos

These homeowners wanted to have their crawl space encapsulated in order to restore their peace of mind. The odors and the debris were beginning to really affect their quality of life and this is what led them to reach out to us in order to install the CleanSpace Crawl Space Encapsulation System. 

Everyone dreams of having a beautiful cottage on the lake to escape to every summer. These homeowners loved their vacation home in the quiet town of Otter Lake, Michigan. But on a recent visit, they noticed a musty smell coming from the basement - and they found water pooled on the floor. 

They decided to call around get estimates for the repair, but ultimately chose HomeSpec to waterproof the basement. Our experts proposed a WaterGuard Below Floor Drain connected to a TripleSafe sump pump - a powerful system that can pump out over 2,000 gallons of water from the basement every hour. 

Since the homeowners don't live in the cottage year-round, we also suggested installing a sump pump alarm. A battery-operated alarm alerts you when water is rising in the sump basin, but the pumps haven't turned on. This allows you to figure out what the problem is, potentially preventing the flooding that would have occurred had you not known the pump was not working properly.

The drainage system was installed around the perimeter of the basement and connected to the sump pump with the alarm. Since the homeowners spend months away from the cottage at a time, they are so relieved that they don't have to worry about their basement while they're away. 

Most people don't know much about what goes on in their crawl space. It's a small, dark place that no one wants to venture into. But when awful smells start wafting up from the crawl space and into your home, it's quite alarming. These homeowners in Lexington, Michigan experienced just that.

Because they live near water, their crawl space was very wet and muddy. They had a makeshift "vapor barrier" in place which was actually just some tarps on the ground/walls that were only making the problem worse. With the water and humidity, mold began to grow. This created a foul stench that could be smelled throughout the entire home. Mold comes with many other health concerns, so the homeowners wanted the problem properly taken care of - so they called HomeSpec. 

Most importantly, the mold needed to be removed so we used our Mold-X2 to clean the contaminated surfaces. The crawl space had obvious water issues, but encapsulation alone would not be enough. The crawl space needed a waterproofing system as well - a perimeter drainage system connected to a powerful sump pump. This would control the ground water and funnel it away from the home, preventing a flood.

Then the walls and muddy ground needed to be sealed with a CleanSpace encapsulation system. The vapor barrier blocks water vapor from entering the crawl space and paired with a dehumidifier that controls the humidity in the air, also prevents mold growth and musty smells from occurring. This system includes vent covers to prevent cold air from entering in the winter (and drifting up into the home) and to prevent hot, humid air from entering in the summer (and bringing in moisture). 

These new homeowners had a big obstacle to overcome as soon as they bought their beautiful new home - the damaged foundation. The block basement walls were bowing inward and severely cracked, which was letting water in as well. The floors above were sagging due to the lack of support in the basement. It was a big project, but HomeSpec was ready to take it on!

Our professionals designed a custom solution for this basement. Our crew installed our PowerBrace and CarbonArmor Wall Stabilization Systems to repair the walls and potentially even straighten them over time. The cracks were then sealed to waterproof the block walls. Support posts were installed to raise the floors and prevent them from sagging again in the future. 

This Marlette, Michigan homeowner was very worried about the foundation wall in her basement. The wall was not only severely cracked and bowing inward, but also shearing at the bottom of the wall. 

When a wall is bowing (and shearing) it's because the wall is under stress and being pushed inward, usually by hydrostatic pressure or expansive soils. If left alone, the wall could collapse and have to be completely rebuilt. 

Fortunately, that didn't happen in this case. Foreman Ryan Loop and his crew were able to repair the wall with the PowerBrace™ Wall Repair System. This consists of steel I-beams that prevent further inward movement and can potentially straighten the wall since the braces can be tightened. 

The horizontal and stair-step cracks in the mortar were filled, and the shearing was also repaired. The homeowner can now rest easy knowing her foundation is no longer at risk, and she's very happy with the results!