Crawl space encapsulation, foundation repair & more in Vancouver!

    When a crawl space or basement isn't properly waterproofed or protected from moisture, issues are going to arise, especially in the northwest. Vancouver, WA home owner Al and Patricia H. have a large crawl space with a large amount of water, giving them a large problem. The issues have been around long enough to create a significant amount of dry rot in the load beams. Knowing they had an issues that wasn't going to fix itself, they called TerraFirma after seeing numerous positive reviews on Yelp.

    Design Specialist Josh Anderson suggested that after the mold is removed using Mold X spray, that the crawl space be encapsulated to eliminate the chance of further dry rot or mold development. By controlling all groundwater seepage, uncoupling the earth from the house, blocking off the vents and installing a dehumidifier, Al and Patricia are able to control moisture, water, and temperature levels under their home.

    By performing this service to their home, not only are Al and Patricia restoring market value but creating a more comfortable, healthier more energy efficient living situation.

    The benefits to properly conditioning your crawl space are endless, and like all home improvements, the earlier you have them performed, the sooner you can enjoy those benefits. Whether the reasons be for energy conservation, high performance home systems, money savings, health, home comfortability, there is no wrong answer so take your pick. For Vancouver, WA home owners Jim and Gail, their crawl space was in great condition already. The waterproofing system was working great, and there was virtually no moisture in the area. Their goal was to insulate their crawl space and provide more comfort in their home.

    SilverGlo wall insolation is installed on the interior siding of the foundation walls in the crawl space. This solution is designed to reflect warm air back into the crawl space. By retaining warmth, not only can you, your family and guests enjoy the comfort, but also reduced energy consumption and expenses through not having to heath the home as much.

    Like before, there are countless benefits to crawl space repair and conditioning. Just take your pick.

    Cement slabs will settle for two main reasons. The first is the weight of the supported structure is too much for the soils or two, water will wash out soils from underneath and create voids that the slabs will settlement into. Vancouver, WA home owner Scott C. was experiencing uneven and cracked slabs throughout his property. After searching online for a company that could help him level out his property, he found TerraFirma and the concrete leveling solution.

   Our concrete leveling solution is a lightweight polyurethane that is injected under the sinking slab into the void. Once injected, the polyurethane foam expands and fills the void completely. Because of it's high capacity and light weight, the slabs are lifted and no extra weight is added to the soils below to encourage more settlement. 

    This is a perfect residential and commercial solution with quick and easy application. Scott is happy to have a level yard again that he can be confident will stay like this for many years to come. 

Many times our team inspects homes that are continuing to have water issues in their basement because they hired some other contractor who only finished the job half way. That's when they call us. Deryl George inspected a home in Battle Ground, WA and found this exact scenario. 

To some extent the waterproofing system was working; however, there was no proper removal of the water and it was draining right back into and under the home. The solution was to up the fire power of their sump pump system and install proper discharge line. Deryl designed a two sump pump system at opposite ends of the basement and a discharge line that properly removed water out of the basement and away from the foundation.

Michael G. is now happy to have a waterproof, livable basement, increasing the square footage and value of his home.

The Northwest is a beautiful place to live. The landscape is so diverse and green because of the year round heavy rain fall. Although these conditions are why our terrain is so beautiful, it can be harmful to your home and specifically the foundation. A Vancouver, Washington home has suffered from years of moisture problems causing the humidity and mold levels to rise, and the floors to sag due to rotting supports. To restore the value of the home, the foundation will need to be stabilized and the crawl space environment conditioned. 

To achieve the first goal, Smart Jack posts were installed and secured to the support beams under the house. These easy to install and adjust steel supports will not only stabilize the foundation from continuing to sag, but will also raise the floor up to eliminate the "bounce" in your step. To achieve the second goal of conditioning the crawl space environment a combination of products were installed; Cleanspace liner isolates the air from the Earth, SilverGlo wall insulation regulates air temperature reflecting warm air back into the home, insulating and heating at the same time, and a sump pump and dehumidifier to regulate the moisture and humidity levels.

the Rauch's are very happy with their new crawl space, all the while improving the comfortability for their family and increasing energy efficiency. A win-win all the way around.