Homeowners don’t pay attention to crawl space. They don’t go there quite so often. Unfortunately, this place requires constant maintenance and attention. Soil movement and settlement underneath this space create many foundation problems. You probably notice foundation damage signs such as wall cracks, uneven floor, and ceiling joists issues.
What problems do you experience in crawl space?
Soil movement underneath space isn’t the only problem. The significant damage results from excess moisture. This water problem is due to leaky pipes or insufficient drainage.
Leaky plumbing pipes don’t require you to get help from contractors. Instead, you need to hire a plumber who will fix the issue.
However, when you have drainage problems, then your complete home foundation is at stake. It’s because water does not discharge from the home. Instead, it will start accumulating around the foundation, and from there, it will exert pressure on the walls. Hydrostatic pressures damage the wall. It either creates cracks or moves it from its location and creates a bowing wall.
Improper drainage also affects underground soil. It will saturate the soil as it exerts pressure on the soil and moves the floor up. As a result, you start noticing cracks on your crawl space floor. And if the soil underneath gets dried, then it shrinks, and the concrete floor sinks.
What is involved in crawl space repair?
When concrete floors sink then, experts offer concrete lifting services. Next, you need to hire crawl space repair experts. They will either do lifting by injecting polyurethane foam or cement slurry.
As far as crawl space cracks are concerned, you need to fill the gaps with fillers and sealants. Then, polyurethane injections will fill the cracks.
Waterproofing a crawl space
When you notice extensive water damage in your crawl space, you need to opt for waterproofing services.
It involves either interior or exterior waterproofing. In addition, it means working on the drainage of your foundation. As you experience problems due to extreme water pressure, keeping water out and away from the foundation will solve this problem.
Interior waterproofing
One of the best methods is to avoid cracks on walls and floors. The best thing about this crawl space repair solution is that it won’t take much time and offer a long-lasting fix.
Foundation repair contractors dig a trench all around the perimeter of your crawl space and basement and then install interior drainage.
In this manner, if water finds a way inside this space, it will be directed toward interior drainage. From there, the sump pump collects the water and channels it out to exterior pipes.
Exterior waterproofing
Sometimes interior drainage isn’t good enough as the water outside the home is the main problem. So, you need to make the best waterproofing plan that involves digging the soil around the crawl space and then installing exterior drainage solutions.
It is always suggested to opt for this solution when you are doing home renovation or construction. If you do it later, then hiring laborers means paying a good amount of money. Besides, it would help if you shifted to another place while contractors install exterior drainage.