Crawlspace Encapsulation, Basement Waterproofing, and Push Pier Installation in Mahomet, IL

Challenge

Gary and June V. of Mahomet, Illinois experienced some water leaking in their half-basement, half-crawlspace, which began to pool in front of their furnace. Their home's foundation was settling and needed a solution to prevent further damage from occurring, as well as provide stability. Systems Design Specialist Kevin Estes visited the couple's home to design a solution based on their needs.

Solution

One solution was needed to deal with the Gary and June's current problem, but to help prevent problems from occurring elsewhere, the couple decided to also protect their crawlspace.

The Crawlspace Solution: Josh Bailey came out to complete the project in the crawlspace. The installation process involved first sealing off all points of entry for air, which includes crawlspace vents. Woods installed its SmartPipe drainage system along the bottom of the crawlspace wall, which collects water coming down the wall through its special wall flange, and drains the water to the sump pump. The SmartPipe also has holes on the top and front to collect water accumulated by the drainage matting. The dimpled drainage matting was installed over the crawlspace floor, which is designed to provide larger draining channels than simply covering the floor in a flat matting. Over the drainage matting and along the walls, the CleanSpace® vapor barrier was installed to provide the best protection against a leaky crawlspace and control the moisture levels within the crawlspace. Lastly, a SaniDry CX dehumidifier was installed to monitor and control humidity.

Foundation Solution: To fix the settling foundation, push piers needed to be installed to provide the proper support to the home. Miguel Ortiz and his crew came out to complete the installation. Installing the push piers began with removing the soil against the home to expose the foundation's footing. A steel bracket was properly placed below the footing. Next, the steel pier sections were hydraulically implanted into the soil until the team reached the stable soil below or load bearing strata. Depending on how much the foundation settled, the team could lift the foundation back to its original position. The room underneath the foundation, caused by the lifting, would be back-filled.

Basement Solution: Gary and June needed a solution that would rid their basement of the unwanted water. Dillon Lovell and his team came out to install a twin pack sump pump, which includes a primary pump and a back-up. The back-up works in the case the first sump pump fails or is overloaded during a severe thunderstorm. The team also installed a Cleanspace® vapor barrier on the basement walls to help control the humidity entering the basement through the concrete walls. The vapor barrier was mechanically attached to the wall using plastic fasteners instead of metal, so there is no concern about rust or the barrier falling off the wall.

Gary and June now enjoy a repaired foundation, a dry crawlspace, and a dry basement.

Project Summary

Systems Design Specialist: Kevin Estes

Basement Waterproofing Foreman: Dillon Lovell

Foundation Repair Foreman: Miguel Ortiz

Crawlspace Waterproofing Foreman: Joshua Bailey