Purpose:

The vapor barrier helps keep the crawl space clean so that the dehumidifier won’t clog, and prevents some ground moisture from contacting the crawl space wood.

Installation: 

Make sure the crawl floor is clean of sharp objects and decently graded.

Measure the distances between walls and piers to plan the vapor barrier layout.  Pre-planning your runs and any cuts speeds up the install.

The vapor barrier should lap 6 inches up walls, be tightly trimmed around piers, and overlap 12 inches at all seams.

Place 6 inch sod staples every 3 to 4 feet, using a baby maul if you encounter hard ground.  Pin the barrier well around piers.

Run the vapor barrier under all pipes if possible.  If the pipe is snug to the ground go over it, or split if partially above and below.

Wide down, sweep, or blow off vapor barrier if dirty after installation.

Describe the item or answer the question so that site visitors who are interested get more information. You can emphasize this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.

Purpose:

Joist sistering means we are adding a joist to take the place of the original joist, using the original joist as a nail point to secure the new joist.

Installation: 

Cut your new joist so that it has 4 inches of overlap at each bearing point.  If a shorter joist is needed, aim for at least 2 inches of overlap, with no less than 1.5 inches.  Less than 1.5 inches at any bearing point is not acceptable and is against code.

The new joist should go on the side of the original joist where no other joist from the neighboring lane will be in the way at the girder beam.

If the joist needs to go into the wrong side lane, add blocking to ensure uniform spacing along the entire joist.

Hammer joists in tight if possible without causing damage. Tight is good, because we are trying to push the floor up to level since the old joist was likely sagging.  Rip the joist down only if it is too tight to hammer in.

Place 3 nails at each end, and nails every 16 inches long the joist run staggered top to bottom.  Stay roughly 2 inches from the top and bottom with the nails.

Purpose:

Girder beams are replaced when they have rot or sagging beyond what we could sister for a stable long term support.

Installation: 

Prepare the new girder outside of the crawl with crown sides up, and 3 nails every 12 inches.

Use 4x6 beams, (3) 20 ton jacks, and (3) Footing Pads to jack floor joist off of damaged girder beams.  Jack both sides if needed for heavy sections, or if joists don’t overlap.  Using (3) jacks prevents collapse of one jack gives out.

Use steel plates between jacks and 4x6 wood beam when jacking.

Jack the 4x6 beam up until the floor joists come off of the existing girder beam, or the existing girder lifts slightly off of the piers.  You only need about a ¼ inch lift.

Cut the damaged beam out with a saw zaw, using wood or metal blades to cut the beam and nails.  A baby maul may be needed to help loosen the beam.  

Slide the new beam into place and let the jack down.  Shim the new beam if needed using polymer shims.  Remove the jacking material from the crawl, or move on to the next beam section if replacing multiple sections.

Purpose:

The sump pump and drain line ensure that water that enters the crawl space is expelled.  The ⅓ HP Cast Iron Pump can expel over 3,000 gallons of water per hour. 

Installation: 

Dig a large hole 4 inches deeper than the height of the sump basin, that is 4 inches wider on each side.  Choose a spot close to the foundation wall at a low point in the crawl space.  If possible, locate it near the crawl space entrance so long as it is not a high spot.

Drill ¼ inch holes in the sump basin spaced 4 inches from top to bottom and around.  Wrap the sump basin in a drainage sock or drainage landscaping fabric.  

Place 4” of drainage rock in the hole, then place the basin in the hole and fill around it with drainage rock.  This typically takes 5 to 6 bags of rock.  

Run a 1.5” PVC line to the pump following the pump and check valve install instructions.  

Dig a 10” deep trench 15 ft out front the foundation wall, being careful not to hit underground lines.  

Convert the 1.5” PVC to 3” in the trench, and run it to a 3” PVC 90 connected to the 3” pop up emitter with turf restrictor plate from French Drain Man.  

Create a dry well at the end under the PVC 90 and backfill with drainage rock.  Drill a weep hole at the bottom of the PVC 90.

Install the pop up emitter at soil level so as not to obstruct lawn care and mowing.  Fill the tench in and compact the soil around it.

Plug in the sump pump and install the basin lid.  Make sure the pump is working by running water into the basin.  

Purpose:

The crawl space perimeter drain line channels water to the sump pump basin, which then pumps water out of the crawl space.  This design keeps the crawl space floor dry and keeps water from saturating the ground around the foundation wall.

Installation: 

Dig a trench around the entire crawl space, approximately 12” - 18” from the foundation wall.  The trench should be at least 6” wide, which is about a mini crawl space shovel width, and roughly 8” deep, which is roughly the height of the shovel head.  

Place the 4” corrugated 100 ft drain pipe in the filter sock, and tie each end of the sock.  Place the drain line in the trench.

Make sure the drain line feeds into the rock well around the sump basin.  Don’t cut the sump basin to insert the drain line as this could lead to dirt entering the basin.  Feedin the line to the rock well around the sump basin is sufficient.  

Backfill the drain line with .5 cubic ft. bags of grey drainage rock from lowes or home depot.  One bag per 3 ft. of drain line is typically a good estimate. 

Grade the dirt away from the drain trench to level in through the crawl space.  In addition, try to level the dirt around the crawl space so there are no low spots toward the middle.

The drainage trench rock should slightly overflow the trench.

When installing the vapor barrier, make sure to cover the trench and extend the vapor barrier slightly up the foundation wall so that water flows into the drainage trench.

Purpose:

Steel jack posts perform the same purpose as traditional cinder-block piers.  They simply support girder beams that support floor joists.  The benefit to steel jack-posts is that they can be cut to length, are adjustable, and won’t crack.  

Steel I-beams are superior to treated wood beams because they won’t shrink after installation or with humidity fluctuations, and they won’t mold or rot.  They can also span a longer distance, so they require less piers to be installed, saving money.

24” Footing Pads are polymer pads that are lightweight, rated for 9,000 lb. load, and international building code approved to take the place of poured concrete footers. 

Installation: 

Mark the center locations of the piers with a screw, nail, insulation rod, or grade stake.  Make sure it is lined up under the beam location.  If more than two are aligned in a row, use a string-line to make sure all piers are in line.  

There are typically two piers per 10ft steel beam section, spaced 7ft apart, with 18” of beam overhang on each side.  If the beam is cut shorter, move the piers closer to the ends of the beam.

Mark a 30”X30” square 15” on each side of the center marker, and dig a hole 12” to 18” deep down, with straight sides, to firm solid ground.  If the deep ground is saturated, alert the field manager, as we may need to install crawl drainage prior to completing the installation, because saturated footers will inevitably be unstable and sink.

Pour one bag of drainage rock into the hole and level with a short handle hand tamper.  Place the Footing Pad in the hole and check for level with a small level.

Place (2) Footing Pads outside of the holes to jack the beam into place with 20 ton bottle jacks.  Get the beam to the intended final level, and measure the length from the beam to the Footing Pad to obtain needed Jackpost length.  Make sure to account for the jack plate kit in the height of the post.

Cut the post to the desired length with a bandsaw or circular saw with a steel blade.  A bandsaw is recommended.  

Install the jack kits with posts in the intended locations and use a level to plumb, then tighten with a plumbing wrench to the beams.  Let the bottle jacks down.  If the beam drops due to footing compression, repeat the jacking process and tighten the jacks until movement ceases.