Atlanta, GA Crawlspace Drainage System
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Crawlspace drainage solutions are the last thing you ever thought you'd be spending your time and energy on, but when you've got standing water or even a little bit of moisture, it needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. If you are new to crawl space repair industry or have no idea what the process of encapsulation entails, you are going to be very confused as to why a drainage system is even necessary. For the sake of understanding what is about to take place in your crawlspace, let's go through what's actually going on in that deep, dark, part of your home.
We love the south as much as the next person, and wouldn't trade Georgia for any other place in the world, but all good things also have their challenges. Georgia and Atlanta specifically is notorious for being incredibly humid, hot, and wet. It's no secret and unless you are reading this from another state, considering moving into a home with pre-existing crawlspace issues, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Due to the hot summer, and the naturally cool temperature of your crawlspace, it is a perfect breeding ground for condensation to occur. From elementary school, we all know that condensation means moisture. Moisture isn't a bad thing, in fact, it's the moisture that makes Atlanta such a beautiful place to live and keeps everything green and healthy. Moisture in the crawl space, however, is trouble, and never something that should be taken lightly. |
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If you've never been underneath your home, you have to understand that in your crawlspace there are piers that help hold it up properly. When water sits on these piers or in your insulation or even on your floorboards long enough, mold begins to flourish. Except for when you are sick and need penicillin, mold isn't something you want to see. The mold and the moisture over time are what wreak havoc on the home. The first step when encapsulating and solving the problem is to remove all the water and moisture and set up a solution so that if water makes its way back into the crawl space down the road, you aren't in the same situation. Therefore, even before we remove the moisture in the first place, we like to have our crawl space drainage system planned out and ready to implement.
We've been called to jobs and home in the past that have tried to encapsulate the crawlspace themselves using DIY techniques found on YouTube and other websites. There's absolutely nothing wrong with doing the repair yourself, especially if money is funny, but we commonly see the same mistakes made over and over. It's common to get a call from a desperate and confused homeowner that just can't seem to figure out why he or she can't keep their crawl space dry. They usually proceed to inform us that they've done everything by the book, including the installation of a vapor barrier they purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot. We shake our heads knowing exactly what has happened and start designing a drainage system the moment we physically see the space.
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Crawl Space Drainage System Cost
By now you're dying to get the answer to the question you came to this website with. You, like every other homeowner with a wet crawl space, want to know how much this service is going to cost you so you can make a decision on whether to even contact us. Everyone appreciates transparency because it's so hard to come by these days. In all our years in the crawl space industry here in the Atlanta area, if there's one thing we've learned above all else, it's that transparency usually ends up creating a greater trust between both parties.
If you are in a bind financially and scratching your head wondering how you are possibly going to pay for an encapsulated crawl space, we've got a bit of advice to give you. In every home improvement or restoration service, there are parts of the service that absolutely cannot be done effectively by oneself. In this industry that is certainly the case as it is in many other industries. If you are looking to save money but absolutely need to have your damaged crawl space repaired as soon as possible, this would be the one service you could probably get away with doing on your own. Yes, we just said that and went against the unwritten rules of this business. We are a business and are certainly here to make money, but as we said from the beginning, we are in the people business first and in the crawl space encapsulation business second. We want you to help you solve your problems, that's what gives us satisfaction and makes our jobs meaningful. Again, if money is an issue and you cannot afford what an encapsulation is going to cost, we recommend you doing the drainage and setting up a drainage system on your own.
Of all the pieces of the encapsulation puzzle, this one is the most self-explanatory and easiest to do by yourself. All that this entails is getting the water out of the crawlspace and then setting up a system so that if water gets in again, there is something there to stop it from pooling up. Whatever that means and however you can accomplish that is in your hands, just get the crawl space moisture out so we can come in and lay down the vapor barrier.
All that said, let's go over just a couple of things to keep in mind as you create your own crawl space drainage system. Please refer to our overview of the encapsulation process before you take any action whatsoever. It's important for you to understand how the process takes place and what our job is going to include so that you don't take any actions that may impede or hinder our progress. For example, since you understand that at some point we are going to lay moisture barrier throughout the entire crawlspace, it's probably not a great idea to dig multiple massive trenches that go from floor to ceiling to get the water out. Doing this is simply going to make our jobs harder which takes us more time, which ultimately costs you more money. Educate yourself on how the process works and then build your drainage system around that information.
If you are in a bind financially and scratching your head wondering how you are possibly going to pay for an encapsulated crawl space, we've got a bit of advice to give you. In every home improvement or restoration service, there are parts of the service that absolutely cannot be done effectively by oneself. In this industry that is certainly the case as it is in many other industries. If you are looking to save money but absolutely need to have your damaged crawl space repaired as soon as possible, this would be the one service you could probably get away with doing on your own. Yes, we just said that and went against the unwritten rules of this business. We are a business and are certainly here to make money, but as we said from the beginning, we are in the people business first and in the crawl space encapsulation business second. We want you to help you solve your problems, that's what gives us satisfaction and makes our jobs meaningful. Again, if money is an issue and you cannot afford what an encapsulation is going to cost, we recommend you doing the drainage and setting up a drainage system on your own.
Of all the pieces of the encapsulation puzzle, this one is the most self-explanatory and easiest to do by yourself. All that this entails is getting the water out of the crawlspace and then setting up a system so that if water gets in again, there is something there to stop it from pooling up. Whatever that means and however you can accomplish that is in your hands, just get the crawl space moisture out so we can come in and lay down the vapor barrier.
All that said, let's go over just a couple of things to keep in mind as you create your own crawl space drainage system. Please refer to our overview of the encapsulation process before you take any action whatsoever. It's important for you to understand how the process takes place and what our job is going to include so that you don't take any actions that may impede or hinder our progress. For example, since you understand that at some point we are going to lay moisture barrier throughout the entire crawlspace, it's probably not a great idea to dig multiple massive trenches that go from floor to ceiling to get the water out. Doing this is simply going to make our jobs harder which takes us more time, which ultimately costs you more money. Educate yourself on how the process works and then build your drainage system around that information.
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Drainage Problems In Crawl Space
Many Atlanta homeowners with drainage problems frequently ask how they could possibly have a drainage problem with a brand new home. To one that is unfamiliar with how crawl space drainage systems work, it can be frustrating and confusing. By now, if you've read about any of our other services like encapsulation or moisture removal, you probably have a general understanding of how this whole crawl space problem in Atlanta starts in the first place. If you don't, put simply, we live in a part of the country that gets a tremendous amount of precipitation each year. It just so happens that because of the hot summers and the way most homes are constructed, there is condensation being created in the crawl spaces that are not properly sealed. Water in a crawl space can be detrimental to the health of your home and your family in terms of structural damage and mold.
What all this means to you is that if you have water seeping into crawl space, you need to come up with some crawl space drainage solutions as soon as possible as the first step. A residential drainage contractor can be funny in the way he has his own unique style and twist on even the littlest details. As long as Atlanta Crawlspace has been in business we have seen a wide variety of under house drainage solutions. We've seen everything from a simple crawl space drain pipe to a crawl space perimeter drain to a french drain. It's hard to judge whether one solution is better than the others. What's important is that you as the homeowner and the customer understand what is going on with your home and why keeping crawl space dry is detrimental to the longevity of your home.
What we see all too often here in Atlanta and Marietta is a well-intentioned homeowner that goes out and buys his or her own materials and tries to fix the problem. That's all fine and well and for those that know what they are doing and that have the patience and resilience to see the project to the end, all the power to them. What we've typically seen in these situations is a nothing more than an attempt at removing the water currently in the crawl space, and a cheap vapor barrier installed on top of the damp soil. This isn't a solution. At best something like this is like putting a bandaid on a wound that requires surgery. It will not go away on its own and it is anything but solved.
If you learn or take nothing else from the time and effort we have spent here on our website trying to educate you, please search the following phrases before you attempt to do anything on your own:
With a little bit of effort and time on your part you can understand and at the very least conceptualize a water leak under crawl space and with the help of YouTube, you may even be able to perform crawl space vent well installation. Remember that in order for our company to grow here in the Atlanta area, we need referrals. The only way we get referrals is by providing a great service to you. This means that it's in our best interest to give you the most affordable, efficient solution we possibly can. Call today for a free estimate and give us a chance at earning your business.
What all this means to you is that if you have water seeping into crawl space, you need to come up with some crawl space drainage solutions as soon as possible as the first step. A residential drainage contractor can be funny in the way he has his own unique style and twist on even the littlest details. As long as Atlanta Crawlspace has been in business we have seen a wide variety of under house drainage solutions. We've seen everything from a simple crawl space drain pipe to a crawl space perimeter drain to a french drain. It's hard to judge whether one solution is better than the others. What's important is that you as the homeowner and the customer understand what is going on with your home and why keeping crawl space dry is detrimental to the longevity of your home.
What we see all too often here in Atlanta and Marietta is a well-intentioned homeowner that goes out and buys his or her own materials and tries to fix the problem. That's all fine and well and for those that know what they are doing and that have the patience and resilience to see the project to the end, all the power to them. What we've typically seen in these situations is a nothing more than an attempt at removing the water currently in the crawl space, and a cheap vapor barrier installed on top of the damp soil. This isn't a solution. At best something like this is like putting a bandaid on a wound that requires surgery. It will not go away on its own and it is anything but solved.
If you learn or take nothing else from the time and effort we have spent here on our website trying to educate you, please search the following phrases before you attempt to do anything on your own:
- crawl space drainage
- drainage problems in crawl space
- drain tile
- installing drain tile
- how to remove water from crawl space
- how to keep water out of crawl space
- how deep should a french drain be
With a little bit of effort and time on your part you can understand and at the very least conceptualize a water leak under crawl space and with the help of YouTube, you may even be able to perform crawl space vent well installation. Remember that in order for our company to grow here in the Atlanta area, we need referrals. The only way we get referrals is by providing a great service to you. This means that it's in our best interest to give you the most affordable, efficient solution we possibly can. Call today for a free estimate and give us a chance at earning your business.
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How To Keep Water Out Of Crawl Space
Since we all know it's easier to prevent something from happening than it is to try and clean up a mess, let's talk about some preventative measures you can take to ensure you never have to deal with crawl space water removal. We are simple guys that believe success in anything comes from first doing the basic, little things. For this reason, we ask you to bear with us as we cover some of the very basic best preventative practices when it comes to avoiding a crawl space encapsulation down the road.
The first and most obvious tip for any of you reading this is to first go in and give your crawl space a little love. You'd be shocked if you knew the number of people that call us that have never stepped foot or cast an eye on their crawl the whole time they've lived at the house. Consider checking your crawl space a few times a year. A good way to remind yourself is to think of it like the doctor or dentist. Every time you go in for a cleaning or well check, go down and see if your crawl space needs a cleaning. It takes very little time to do and the returns can be enormous. The earlier you catch a crawl space water leak, the easier it is to find a solution that is cost-effective.
The next thing we advice is to consider taking action and installing a crawl space drainage system before the water even thinks about getting into the crawl. We want you to be optimistic, but there's a lot of upside to going in and cleaning up, installing a drainage system, and laying some crawl space vapor barrier, long before a problem arises. If installed and executed properly, you may never have to call us.
The first and most obvious tip for any of you reading this is to first go in and give your crawl space a little love. You'd be shocked if you knew the number of people that call us that have never stepped foot or cast an eye on their crawl the whole time they've lived at the house. Consider checking your crawl space a few times a year. A good way to remind yourself is to think of it like the doctor or dentist. Every time you go in for a cleaning or well check, go down and see if your crawl space needs a cleaning. It takes very little time to do and the returns can be enormous. The earlier you catch a crawl space water leak, the easier it is to find a solution that is cost-effective.
The next thing we advice is to consider taking action and installing a crawl space drainage system before the water even thinks about getting into the crawl. We want you to be optimistic, but there's a lot of upside to going in and cleaning up, installing a drainage system, and laying some crawl space vapor barrier, long before a problem arises. If installed and executed properly, you may never have to call us.