Many homes have crawl spaces that, unfortunately, are ignored by contractors and the homeowners alike; they embody that out-of-site / out-of-mind non-liveable part that is not even considered a fraction of your home or living environment. As we find out more about health in the home, the experts have learned that this is not the situation. You share your living environment with your crawlspace.

Because warmth rises in your home, the cooler air from your crawl space is sucked up into your home, just similar to a chimney. Based on a normal house in the United States, the E.P.A. figures that the air in your dwelling is changed almost every hour and about 50% of that “new air” comes from the crawlspace! That simply means that the quality of air within your house is greatly affected by the condition of your crawl space. It might be out-of-sight and out-of-mind, but it is a great part of your breathing environment and quality of air that you and your children breathe.

Most Crawlspace contractors can offer you a free inspection and assesment in making your home a healthier environment.

Features of a usual crawlspace
· A wet and dirty environment
· Source of damaging black mold and moisture
· Source of Radon gas within the home
· Causes dangerous air property in the home
· Breeding ground for insects, spiders, small animals and termites
· Loss of heat in so doing increasing heating costs
· Source of moldy smells from moisture and mold
· Source of harmful airborne allergens
· Source of sub-floor damage to the home from high humidity, dry rot, and mold
How can builders solve your crawlspace problem and create a healthier environment for you and your family?
Expert builders use thoroughly time-tested approaches to close up your crawl space and resolve all the health, foundation, and air-quality issues inherent in crawl spaces. The end result is a crawl space that is not only uncontaminated and healthy, but can even be used for storage.

Wall Reinforcements

If the walls in your basement have moved beyond normal settings, our practiced technicians can set up metal or carbon fiber beams to fortify the walls. We will inspect your walls to decide the most reliable type of beams for your reinforcement project. Both steel beams and carbon fiber wall reinforcement systems are strong and established. All beams are installed to FHA specs. Tie backs can also be used to strengthen or fix bowing, buckled or cracked foundation walls on existing structures and realign perimeter walls that have shifted. All Crawlspace builder workmen are highly skilled with a number of tie back installation procedures using top-of- the-line products.

Basement water seepage can cause lots of problems to the homeowner – both financially as well as from the viewpoint of the health of the residents. A basement that has an ideal basement waterproofing system in place has the following advantages: Helps maintain robust foundations, especially foundation walls Keeps the ambiance in the home clean and hygienic Lowering the ’stack effect’ – the rise of toxic gases into the upper floors of the home Frees the basement of disease causing germs such as mold Helps in increasing the resale value of the home by several notches

Therefore, the need for crawl space waterproofing is imminent for all homeowners. A crawlspace can be waterproofed by a basement waterproofing contractor or a basement repair company in the following ways:

Under Floor Drains are the traditional and the most effective way to channel out water from flooded or wet basements. As most of the excess water either rises off the floors or seeps down the fissures in the cracked walls of the basements, a underground drain system is a great way of keeping the basement dry in a cost-effective way.

Crawl space encapsulation systems, including basement drainage arrangements are another popular method to keep water off your basements. French drains, crawl space liners, etc. are some of the other efficient waterproofing measures for a basement. However, if not installed properly, these drainage systems can cause a lot of inconvenience to the homeowner with water clogging and other issues.

Sump Pumps, one of the most recent technological marvels in the basement waterproofing industry, sump pumps are efficient dehumidifiers. Sump pumps are used especially to take out stagnant water from flooded basements as well as to dry up a wet or damp basement. Sump pumps too, have to be professionally installed by basement repair contractors.

Finishing products such as wall insulation systems and flooring products, that are used to provide supportive heating to the basements in order to keep them dry and comfortable are also a long-term option used by basement waterproofing experts.

However, before choosing a basement repair contractor or a crawl space waterproofing services provider, it is always necessary to check for credentials as well as the track record of the company. Choosing a local basement repair company is always beneficial as they are well-acquainted with the climate than companies located outside the specified region. References and personal checks are also important before you settle on a final waterproofing deal. However, as most basement waterproofing companies offer free analysis of your basements and subsequent free quotes, shopping around for a waterproofing company is not at all a waste of time or energy!

Any Crawl Space that is lower than the surrounding outside grade is a potential problem. A crawl space that is deeper, to about 48 to 60 inches is generally called a Michigan Basement. By nature ground water rises evenly so your crawl space can flood to the outside level. Our installers are certified and trained by Basement Technologies Headquarters in Boston. Our technicians will provide a complete crawl space waterproofing. We are also experts in wet and flooded basements.

Due to the overwhelming problems associated with crawlspaces, crawl space air rises up into your living space. Crawl Space Encapsulation with Super White Vapor Barrier is used to keep ground moisture from evaporating. Service people can crawl on it without worry of putting holes or tears in the liner. As a result of the lowered humidity levels, the system helps to prevent future crawl space mold growth and wood deterioration. It has been determined that up to 50% of the air we breath in the main floor of a home is produced from the crawl space. Over the last few years, we’ve treated a lot of mold problems in conventional crawl spaces.

The heart of any basement-waterproofing project is the drainage system to remove the water below the floor and is responsible for controlling water in Basement Waterproofing and crawl spaces. We have been solving homeowners wet basement, wet crawlspace and leaky foundations problems with our patented waterproofing and foundation repair systems for years.

We fix wet basements and concrete and dirt crawl space problems, moisture ventilation and crawl space liner systems and repair wall cracks

In the rainy season, sump pumps are required to keep the water out of crawl spaces. Wet crawl spaces can cause mold to grow and insects to flourish. The food they need to live on is the very same stuff you use to walk on. Water makes the difference. With no water the problem is solved because the mold and insects will have to move on.

An unconditioned or unwaterproofed crawl space creates an unhealthy environment. Crawl spaces do not have to be wet or flooded to be extremely unhealthy. Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters produce unhealthy air quality. Mold spores, odors, humidity and critters create a very unhealthy environment for people. Since air rises up, the mold and odor from crawl space come up to the living area causing an unhealthy environment throughout the house.

Oakbridge Construction is the basement waterproofing and crawl space contractor in Michigan. we offer permanent solutions for wet basements and dirt crawl spaces we also do the insurance and restoration repairs to get you going again.