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This homeowner in Ludlow, MA was working towards getting her home in better condition. She knew that the crawlspace had not been well maintained and knew that it had to get an overhaul. An improperly insulated and air sealed crawlspace can lead to cold floors and even mold if left unchecked.
We began by cleaning out the old insulation and any animal droppings that were present in the crawlspace. We then installed our SilverGlo EPS foam board on the walls, installed insulation and a vapor barrier to the floor, and lastly sealed the rim joist with spray foam.
Thanks to Dr. Energy Saver by Eco Energy Solutions, this home is more comfortable and energy efficient.
This homeowner in Hampden, MA called us hoping to find a solution for her mold problem. When our Home Comfort Specialist arrived, he noted that the dirt crawl space was uninsulated and unencapsulated. This was fairly common for the time the home was built. However, building science has changed a lot in the intervening 80 years.
We were able to help this homeowner by utilizing our CleanSpace™ encapsulation system. The CleanSpace™ encapsulation system features dimpled plastic drainage matting, TerraBlock™ floor insulation, and SilverGlo™ insulation on the walls. It is then finished off with a CleanSpace™ crawlspace liner. This ensures an insulated, clean crawlspace that keeps the entire home more comfortable and less prone to mold and moisture.
This homeowner in Coventry, CT called us because of her concern over her crawl space. She was concerned due to the possibility of rodents and mold that were in her dirt crawl space. This is something we see often. Millions of homes were built with vented dirt crawl spaces. Now all building scientists agree - that was a big mistake. Now building codes are changing. In the winter, vents let cold air directly into our home. Floor insulation sags away from the sub floor and the cold air gets above it - rendering the insulation useless. In the summer the vents let warm humid air in which is cooled by the subterranean crawl space. This caused the relative humidity to go way up and condensation to form all over the crawl space surfaces including floor joists and ducts. Mold grows and wood rots, while insect and other pests flourish. Musty odors can be noticed upstairs as mold spores travel upwards into the living space. Eventually rotted floor joist must be replaced and mold must be remediated. An unending stream of water vapor comes up from the ground adding to the moisture load in the crawl space and house. The damp air is harder to heat and cool. Result - condensation, mold, rot, pests and odors, cold floors, drafts, uncomfortable home, higher fuel and electric bills.
Fogarty's Home Services helped this homeowner by encapsulating her crawlspace. The vents and other air leaks to the outside were sealed, often using our insulated vent covers. Walls were insulated with SilverGlo™ insulation with a reflective radiant barrier face. SilverGlo™ foam has graphite infused into the foam to increase the R-value by 24% over standard foam. A dimpled plastic drainage matting was installed across the floor to create an airspace and thermal break, and TerraBlock™ floor insulation was installed over it. Finally the heavy duty, 20 mil thick CleanSpace™ crawl space encapsulation liner was installed permanently across the dirt floor - sealed with mechanical fasteners to the walls and spiked to the floor. CleanSpace™ features Ultrafresh™ anti-microbial ingredients in the product. Results - much lower humidity, much warmer floors upstairs, less drafts, more comfortable house, lower fuel and electric bills.
Crawl space sump pump installation.
The homeowner's crawl space was in very bad condition and affected the overall home health with moisture from the dirt beneath the home.
Fogarty's Home Services solution was to install a crawl space encapsulation system and sump pump filtration system in the homeowner's crawlspace to help make this home more comfortable.