Your crawl space may be out of sight, but it shouldn’t stay out of mind. While your crawl space is quietly collecting old paint cans and forgotten shelving, it could also be hiding moisture damage that can affect your entire home. If there’s standing water in your crawl space, it could lead to mold growth, sagging floors, wood rot, pest infestation - the list goes on and on. Cleaning up and protecting your crawl space helps prevent and control moisture issues that affect your home well above the basement level. Not to mention it can significantly increase your home’s value.
At StayDry®, we love looking after these pint-sized lower levels. We offer professional crawl space repair and encapsulation in Michigan, including sealing, structural repair, and sump pump installation.
Michigan's climate isn't friendly to unprotected crawl spaces. Heavy rains and spring snowmelt can oversaturate your home's soil, and constant freeze-thaw cycles put an immense amount of pressure on your foundation walls, allowing moisture to enter your crawl space. Open vents are another culprit, though more common in older homes, because they pull in moist air from the outside. If you notice any of the following signs, you need to get your crawl space inspected as soon as possible:
Here is what to expect from StayDry® when you entrust us with your crawl space repairs:
Our expert technicians evaluate your crawl space to determine exactly where the water or moisture is entering your home and the extent of the damage. From there, we start the repair using proven methods we've learned from our 20+ years of experience that will permanently fix the problem.
We inspect your crawl space and outside area to determine the source of the water entry and take measurements. We tailor our repair services to your specific needs to identify the best locations for your water basin, sump pump, and discharge system.
We dig trenches along the interior perimeter of your crawl space, install perforated drain tile, and drill weep holes to prevent water pressure from building up on your foundation wall. Then we surround the drain with gravel.
All collected water then flows into a basin (often called a sump crock). Unlike many of our competitors, we use a sealed basin, rather than a perforated one, which prevents soil from entering the basin and reduces stress on your sump pump.
Once everything is connected and secured, we cover the entire dirt floor and walls with a thick, 21-mil vapor barrier and underlying drainage mat to block ground moisture and humidity from rising into your living space upstairs.
Lastly, we permanently seal all exterior vents to prevent any more humid outdoor air from entering and add insulation.
Check out this video to see our process step by step >>>
Crawl space issues can seem minor at first, but in no time, you can have quite a situation on your hands. Moisture problems can quickly progress and, before you know it, you'll be looking at costly repairs and serious time consumption. Your best bet is to put an end to any issues before they arise with one of our quality and effective crawl space repair services.
At StayDry®, we also offer crawl space encapsulation for dirt-floor crawl spaces. We will come in, cover the dirt floors, and install a heavy vapor barrier. Our professional team can complete the installation process within a few days for most homes. We provide a free quote, and 0% financing is available in many cases for qualified homeowners.
We also offer one of the only lifetime transferable warranties in Michigan. At the time of the quote, we will provide a complete estimate of your crawl space needs based on your home's needs.
The integrity of your home demands a safe and secure crawl space. Call us at 1-800-STAY-DRY® or fill out the form below, and we’ll provide you with a free, no-hassle assessment of what’s going on and what your options are. Also, be sure to check out our cost resources page to get a sense of what it will take to fix your home.
Founded in Lansing, MI in 2005, StayDry® has become Michigan’s most trusted name in basement waterproofing and foundation repair. We’ve helped over 15,000 Michigan homeowners protect their properties from water damage with reliable, long-lasting solutions. We are a family-owned and operated company committed to doing business the old-fashioned way: listening first and delivering honest inspections and lasting repairs based on your needs and expectations. When it comes to wet basements, leaking walls, or foundation cracks, our team of experts have your back, with over 100 years of combined experience in waterproofing and foundation repair. Our reputation is built on trust, transparency, and thousands of satisfied customers across the state.
The StayDry® team has 100+ years of combined experience with basement waterproofing, foundation repair, crawl space repair, wall repair, and mold control. Give us a call or fill out the form here, and we’ll get in touch to schedule your free inspection.
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Besides the obvious signs of puddles on your floor or water trickling down from your wall there are several different indicators where you will know there water damage in your home:
Your basement may leak for several reasons. The drain tile installed, or lack of drain tile, may become clogged with silt and settlement, causing it to fail. The parging done on the outside of your home may have deteriorated causing water to enter the foundation. Your sump pump may be working improperly. A professional inspector from Stay Dry Basement Waterproofing is trained to notice these signs and will help determine exactly why your basement is leaking.
Water can enter a foundation many ways; the most common source is through the cove area (where the floor and the wall meet). The cove area is a natural seam where the water can most easily penetrate your foundation. A second common source is through hydrostatic pressure. This will cause water to penetrate through cracks in your floor and/or walls. Many other sources are common, though not as easily visible. Call us today at 1-800-STAY-DRY® for your free inspection and consultation!
Unfortunately, the water you see in your basement is the least of the problem. This water will evaporate into the air eventually. The water that is not escaping through the foundation wall is the source of trouble. This water that can’t escape will cause lower wall deterioration, cracks, efflorescence, and many other concerns. Our licensed basement waterproofing inspectors are trained to notice these signs and convey their knowledge to you in an understandable way so you know what is best for your situation.
We don’t seal the walls on the inside. If your roof were leaking you wouldn’t nail shingles inside your attic. It’s sort of the same thing. We’ve inspected hundreds of basements over the years and over 90% of them will already have tried sealing the interior walls with no success. Trapping water inside block walls can cause excess pressure on the walls, deterioration of the block and increases the chances of mold growth on the organic paints. If you want to solve a basement water problem you have to get rid of the water. All of our basement waterproofing systems are designed to do that.
Obviously, the musty smell you have is much more than just a bad smell. Most musty odors in the basement or crawl space are caused by moisture. It could be mold growing on some organic surface in the basement. Solving a moisture problem in the basement will usually solve the odor problem. Our basement waterproofing experts will inspect the effects of the mold situation, mildew, and musty smells in your home and come up with a mold removal solution.
Most stains are caused by moisture. The white chalky stains are efforescence, which is a deterioration of the cement as the water passes through the block. The brown stains could be mold or they could be acid stains from water passing thru a highly acid soil. The black stains could be mold and mildew. Mold will grow on painted surfaces more so than it will on a bare block because most paints have organic properties which gives the mold something to feed on. Any of the stains indicate the presents of water.
Cracks in your walls can be caused by several sources, resulting in several different effects. Cracks can be a sign of settling in the foundation. However, cracks can also be caused by pressure built up of water around and/or under your foundation. A crack in a foundation wall is a sign of movement. With an average of 47 tons resting on your foundation walls, the integrity of your walls must be maintained.
Depending on the situation, correcting the problem yourself is not a good option. You want a trained professional basement waterproofing expert to take care of the problem. If our trained inspector feels the problem is minimal, they will give you tips and idea as to how you can take care of it yourself. However, if the problem is one that would need professional services, they will review all of the options available to you so you know your home is in the best condition possible.
Absolutely! If you sell your house, you can offer a clean, dry basement, warranted for the life of the structure, regardless of ownership. Money spent for a permanently dry basement will pay off in an immediate increase in the market value of your home. The large investment in a home dictates that you protect it by waterproofing a wet basement. It also makes sense to utilize the square footage of your basement as additional living space. It’s the least expensive area for you to improve.
The cost depends on the method of repair that is best to correct your basement problem. For this reason we offer our inspections and estimates free of charge. This way you can get the information you need to make a knowledgeable decision that you can feel good about.
