Ayers Basement Systems Before & After Photos

David has a senstitive nose and couldn't tolerate the musty smell in his home any longer. He checked the crawl space thinking he would find a decomposing critter, but all he found was moisture and some mold. David researched his options online and called Ayers to hear about our waterproofing solutions. Our specialists visited his home and recommended the installation of CleanSpace. Crawl space vents often allow air and moisture to seep under the home and send the musty smell upstairs. CleanSpace is designed to prevent both moisture entry and mold growth, with antimicrobial-lined material that's applied entirely to the crawl space walls and floors. David feels much better in his home!

It might be hard to tell in the before photo of this cottage crawl space, but the ceiling is starting to slope. The ceilings of crawl spaces are called floor joists, and they are directly responsible for the structural integrity of the floor above them, along with anything else that depends on that floor. While a sloping floor is by no means a good thing, it isn’t a death sentence for your house, either. It’s pretty common for the wood joists in a crawl space to begin to rot due to exposure to moisture and other crawl space conditions. That is exactly why, as foundation experts, we use a permanent solution to stop sloping floors. The added support in the after photo is the SmartJack system. As you can see, the SmartJacks were attached at the top to the wood support beam that holds up the floor joists and secured into the ground with a backfill combination of gravel and concrete. The SmartJacks won’t start to sink or slip away, so neither will the crawl space. SmartJacks are the perfect solution for all sagging crawl spaces.

This summer cottage in Presque Isle, MI was built in the early 70’s, and over the years, the walls and floors in the home had become a little unstable. Our System Design Specialist entered the cinderblock-walled crawl space to install the SmartJack system to address this problem. Three high strength, steel support beams were installed along the floor joists then tightened in place to immediately stabilize the joist and lift the walls and floors back to their original position. The only system of its kind to address problem soils beneath the home, SmartJacks’ custom-designed structural footing base is engineered to effectively bear the weight of the home. This long-term solution will allow this cottage to see many more summers!

This crawl space in Presque Isle, MI was experiencing some issues with two walls where blocks were shifting. They had a contractor come in and lift the home but he only ended up making things worse. To paint and even more grim picture, once the problems got bigger, the contractor split. That's when the homeowner called us to fix the issue. The fix for this home was a couple of new steel beams to support the floor above. The beams were held in place by SmartJacks. SmartJacks are incredibly strong and their adjustable. They are a homeowners best option for lifting a sagging floor. Along the walls where blocks were shifting, we used wall anchors and PowerBraces. With wall anchors, large steel plates on the interior are connected to steel Geo-Lock earth anchors outside which help to hold the wall in place and possibly straighten it over time. PowerBraces work great when digging is not an option outside. PowerBraces are a sort of floor-to-ceiling zinc coated steel beam that support the home and offers a unique tightening option to possibly straighten the wall over time.

Shaun, a homeowner from Presque Isle, MI was experiencing significant utility bills in his newly purchased home. Shaun began to question the cold dungeon of a crawlspace below his home. He remembered his friends recently had work done in their crawlspace and began talking to them about it. Shaun’s friends told him Ayers had done their crawlspace and they couldn’t be happier with the work performed. One cold winter morning, our appointment center received a call from Shaun. He informed us of his desire to transform his crawlspace into clean, energy efficient space.

Upon scheduling an appointment and assessing Shaun’s crawlspace needs, we prescribed our CleanSpace crawlspace encapsulation system to resolve the issues in his crawlspace. The CleanSpace encapsulation product is a 20mm thick durable plastic lining that fully seals off the crawlspace from the harsh elements it faces below. To supplement the CleanSpace, we also installed the CleanSpace drainage mat to ensure maximum water drainage to the sump pump. Shaun also elected for us to install the SaniDry Sedona, a high-performance dehumidifier and filtration system. In his crawlspace, the Sedona will help prevent moisture, reduce musty odors, and produce healthy air. Thanks to this crawlspace encapsulation system, Shaun can feel better about the energy efficiency of his new home.