Adirondack Basement Systems serving Schenectady, NY

Many people tend to overlook the importance of the crawl space when thinking about the health of their house. When it comes to air quality in particular, the crawl space is vital. Half of the air in the home originates from the basement or crawl space, so if that area of the home is in bad shape, then it could lead to problems throughout.  

A common problem homeowners face when dealing with their crawl space is moisture. Unprotected crawl spaces give water easy access inside, causing high humidity, damp air, and damage. One great product to keep moisture from entering is our CleanSpace system. CleanSpace is 20mm thick, comprised of a 7-layer polyethylene, meaning it’s super durable. CleanSpace acts as a vapor barrier to not only keep moisture out, but as an added bonus it also keeps heat in. Installation of this product for this crawl space (and any other job) is simple and easy. We start by gaining access to the crawl space and survey the area, taking careful, precise measurements of the walls and floor to gauge how much CleanSpace will be needed and how it will need to be cut. As evident by the first photo, sometimes the crawl spaces can be difficult to get in and out of, but it's no trouble for us! Once the prepwork was completed, our installation team ordered the proper amount of CleanSpace lining, then went in to lay it out in the crawl space. Once the desired area was covered and secured, we added some drainage matting to help deter any water that happens to find its way in and with that final touch the job was complete; a simple, effective installation that provides great protection from invading moisture.

CarbonArmor was the name of the game for this job. The homeowner was experiencing foundation issues and it was showing up in the form of bowing walls, which is what made CarbonArmor the perfect answer to this problem.  

The first step in the CarbonArmor installation process was to assess the walls and gauge just how much they’ve moved and how much support they would need. Then, we marked and measured precise locations for where the CarbonArmor would go. Once that was finished and everything is double-checked, it was time to place the CarbonArmor. This product is great because not only does it have ten times the strength of steel thanks to its fiber-reinforced polymers, but the installation process is super quick and the cure time is quite short, meaning it’ll be finished and working shortly after it’s placed along the walls. Also, despite its great strength, CarbonArmor is flexible and has the ability to mold to any wall. Finally, even though this product is already pretty noninvasive, the homeowner can totally cover it up with paint or whatever else they’d like to do to match the rest of the basement. CarbonArmor is a super helpful, unobtrusive solution to foundation problems in your home! 

This customer was having difficulties with both their foundation and a wet basement. Let’s look first at the waterproofing system and the steps we took to protect this basement from invading moisture.  

Upon first glance, it was evident that water had its way with this basement for quite some time. The walls and floors both had signs of water damage, along with structural issues (more on that later). The first thing we did was set up a WaterGuard system paired with one of our TripleSafe sump pumps. The WaterGuards were installed at the footing of the walls, creating an indoor gutter system of sorts that wraps around the perimeter of the basement, collecting any moisture that seeps in through the walls or floor and redirects it to the TripleSafe. This house had a pre-existing pump, but it could not handle the amount of water that was coming in, which is why we chose to remove the old one and replace it with a TripleSafe. The TripleSafe is a top-of-the-line product, capable of handling high volumes of water and isn’t something that you need to be constantly worried about failing even in cold weather or a blackout due to its built-in backup battery and the IceGuard—an add-on frequently paired with the TripleSafe to give it protection from temperatures below freezing. Then, to wrap up the waterproofing portion of the job, we installed a floor-to-ceiling CleanSpace system to act as a vapor barrier, keeping moisture at bay and redirecting it into the WaterGuards below, all while brightening up the look of the basement a bit. 

Now for the foundational portion of this job. The most noticeable issues were some sagging floors, bowing walls, and cracks between the individual blocks of the basement. While the waterproofing system involved a decent number of products, the foundation support only required two: PowerBraces and SmartJacks. The PowerBraces were installed to correct the slightly bowing walls, providing extra support and even the opportunity to set the walls back to their original position. A series of four PowerBraces were secured right over the CleanSpace with no added hassle or serious labor; all we had to do was get the right size and fasten them in their proper place. SmartJacks work in a similar way to PowerBraces except their job is to help with saggy, bouncy floors above. As foundations settle, the floors often get shifted out of place or start to drop inwards ever so slightly and can lead to more serious issues if not addressed in a timely manner. What the SmartJacks do is get underneath the floors and act as piers to hold the foundation steady. And like PowerBraces, they are fully adjustable which allows them to be tightened over time and lift the floors back to the correct level.  

This home is greatly protected on all fronts now, thanks to both their new waterproofing system and foundational support! 

This customer had a small basement window that was a bit on the older side and they wanted to upgrade and make it bigger with more protection. We surveyed the house, both on the inside and out, to determine if it was doable. We then recommended some products and conversed with the homeowner to create a plan that satisfied them. The end result was a large EverLast window paired with a RockWell and a covering.  

The house had a block foundation which did not pose a problem for installing a larger window. On the outside of the home, the soil was mainly loam and would be kept primarily on site after excavation at the owner’s request to help level a portion of the backyard in the future for a patio. We dug out a general area so we had room to work on the outside of the house. We carefully measured on both the inside and the outside, mapping out the proper dimensions for the EverLast window on the foundation. Next, we took a step back and planned out the location of the RockWell and covering based on the spot of the window. We then got the custom window order in and once that arrived, we cut out a new sill in the foundation and installed the window, making sure it was a perfect fit and that no water could get in and no heat could escape. Following that, we moved outside and installed the RockWell and covering, then filled in the area we dug out and evened out the surface so grass can start growing back. And the job was completed! The homeowner now has a beautiful EverLast window system that brightens up the look of the basement and more efficiently protects it from the elements! 

CarbonArmor is a unique, interesting block foundation solution.  Each type of foundation requires a different approach and set of products to get the job done, which is why it’s important for our design specialists to be directly involved, investigating every aspect of the basement to gauge what needs to happen. Once they got a plan in place and went over their proposed solution with the homeowner, they passed the job off to the installation team. 

The team marked off locations for where each strip of CarbonArmor was to go. Like our PowerBrace system, CarbonArmor has to be properly spaced out to keep one area from taking on too much weight and collapsing under the pressure of the house. After that prep work was completed, they carefully applied the CarbonArmor to the selected locations. CarbonArmor is super strong, yet takes up no room in your basement. It attaches right to the wall and you can put anything you want over it, whether it be insulation, walls for basement finishing, or even paint! Regardless of what the homeowner chose to do with their basement, CarbonArmor would be there to support their foundation. With its fiber-reinforced polymers, CarbonArmor is strong and reliable; the perfect choice for giving block foundations a boost.