Serving Southeast Michigan — Macomb, Oakland, Wayne & St. Clair Counties5.0on 44 Google reviews
(586) 569-6327A huge 1960s–70s build-out on clay, with foundations now well past the life of their original waterproofing. Insured, lifetime transferable warranty on waterproofing systems, free inspection.
Sterling Heights is full of quad-levels and split-levels from the 1960s and 70s, and a great many of them have a crawl space under the family-room wing while the rest of the house sits on a full basement. Those crawls were built vented, with a dirt floor, over clay that stays damp for weeks after rain. The result is a space that pulls moisture up into the framing and pushes it into the living area above through the stack effect — the musty smell in the family room, the cold floor, the humidity the furnace cannot seem to beat.
Crawl space work in these homes starts with the water, not the plastic. If the crawl floods or stays wet, a vapor barrier laid over it just hides a drainage problem; the fix is a drain and sump, or grading, first. Where joists have softened or insulation has fallen, that repair comes before anything is sealed. Then the space is encapsulated — sealed liner, closed vents, and dehumidification sized for the volume — so the clay below stops setting the humidity of the house above.
Because the crawl in a Sterling Heights quad-level usually sits next to a finished basement, moisture in one migrates to the other. Treating the crawl fixes a problem homeowners often blame on the basement, which is why we look at both on the inspection.
No obligation. We respond within one business day.
People search it a dozen ways and mean the same job: getting water and water vapour out from under the house and keeping it out. Repair is the part that fixes existing damage — soft joists, failed insulation, standing water. Waterproofing or encapsulation is the part that keeps it dry afterwards. In a Sterling Heights quad-level the two are usually one visit.
In this climate, on clay, no. Open vents were meant to dry the space out and in practice they let humid summer air in and cold air under the floor in winter. Once the moisture source is handled, we close the vents and control the humidity mechanically, which is what actually keeps the framing dry.
We come out, look at the actual problem, and trace where the water or movement is coming from rather than quoting from the driveway. You get a written scope and a real number before any work starts — no pressure, and no obligation to book on the spot.
Looking for the service overview? See Crawlspace Encapsulation & Crawl Space Repair.
Schedule your free, no-obligation estimate and find out how we can keep your basement dry.
