Island County, WA Verified Foundation Repair & Basement Waterproofing

Like many older houses, Zachary W.’s basement leaked water on and off all through the wet months of the year. When you live in Langley, WA that usually includes nearly six of those months. He purchased his house from his grandmother in 1969 and she had owned it for 20 years by then, and he can’t remember a time when it didn’t leak. He consistently found trace puddles and on occasion the water damaged items he had been storing down there. Whenever the weather did warm up, the wet basement turned into a humid basement and facilitated the growth of mold. With no intentions of moving ever again, Zachary sought an expert for a more long-term solution for his basement troubles.

Rainy Day Basement Systems installed a WaterGuard sub-floor drainage system to catch wall and floor seepage before it reaches the basement; and its unique design prevents it from clogging. A WaterGuard Inspection Port was also added for easy access to the system. A SuperSump Pump was installed to pump all of the water away from the house. The entire space was encapsulated in CleanSpace, an antimicrobial crawl space liner that completely isolates the home from the earth. When coupled with a SaniDry CX dehumidifier, the crawl space is kept at steady temperature and a low enough humidity that mold becomes dormant and new mold cannot grow.

Zachary no longer has to worry about water sneaking into his basement and he can now turn it into a workshop like he always wanted.

Steven and Patricia lived in their Clinton home for 8 years before they started noticing the signs of a leaky crawl space. Steven accesses the crawl space on a fairly regular basis and the water in addition to rodents and pests was becoming a more serious issue.

Rainy Day Basement Systems went and completely encapsulated their crawl space with CleanSpace, an antimicrobial lining that was made specifically to prevent against water and mold from penetrating into the space. To assist in keeping the space dry, a SaniDry CX Air System dehumidifier was installed. this will further help regulate the temperature and humidity. A TripleSafe pump system was added along with a LawnScape outlet to lead all the water to a safe distance away from the home. Finally, an IceGuard was installed to prevent the discharge line from freezing or clogging and causing flooding.

Steven and Patricia now have a clean and dry crawl space they can now access at any time without having to worry about standing water or rodents.

Barry and Constance own a manufactured home with a permanent foundation. Recently, a pipe broke in their crawl space and made a great mess of the blown insulation and of the space in general. They hired someone to remove the previous insulation and the road barrier and were looking for new possibilities with their crawl space. Barry had heard about Rainy Day Basement Systems and their crawl space encapsulation system, he was drawn to the fact that with the system he would not have to re-install new insulation.

Instead, Rainy Day was able to isolate Barry and Constance’s crawl space, leaving no reason for insulation. Using CleanSpace, an antimicrobial lining, they were able to separate the space, and ultimately the home, completely from the earth below. This greatly reduces moisture from entering the space and the opportunity mold and mildew growth. To further the control of moisture, a SaniDry CX dehumidifier equipped with automatic drain was installed. Finally, an EverLast CrawlSpace Door was added to finish off encapsulation process. The EverLast doors are made of durable inorganic material, they are waterproof, resistant to mold and have a heavy weather seal strip to effectively seal off outside air.

Barry and Constance now have a moisture-free crawl space they won’t have to worry about and Rainy day is pleased to have been a part of their positive outcome.

Dave and Kelly S. had lived in their Oak Harbor home for 21 years. In the more recent ones, their East basement wall had started to leak water, especially during heavy rains. They had seen up to two inches of water in their basement at one time. Because of the frequent water, the carpeting had been damaged badly and was eventually removed. Dave and Kelly planned on moving at some point in their future and knew that the damages would bring down the value of their home. By making the investment in a Rainy Day Basement System, not only did they increase the value of their home, but their quality of life as long as they remain there.

To prevent water from reaching the basement walls, Rainy Day installed our WaterGuard drainage system. This piping system was specially designed to prevent clogging by separating it from the soil underneath the floor. Seepage is also prevented by installing our crawl space encapsulation lining, CleanSpace. By completely isolating the space from the earth below, the antimicrobial lining is highly effective at lowing the amount of moisture in the crawl space, and in turn, lowering the possibility of mold and mildew growth.

All captured water is pumped through their newly installed SuperSump pump, equipped with a cast iron pump, airtight lid and WaterWatch Alarm System. The alarm system alerts the homeowner if water rises above the point where the pump should be on, allowing them to intervene before serious damages occur. The water is then pumped out through their LawnScape outlet, a buried discharge line that safely carries the water a safe distance away from the home.

Margaret C. contacted Rainy Day Basement Systems because she began noticing water seeping in on the Northwest wall of the daylight basement in her home. She had lived in her Freeland home for 21 years, during which time she never had any water seepage problems before. However, the wall was leaking frequently leading to pools of water on the floor. Concerned about her home, Margaret was searching for a long term solution.

To help prevent water from pooling in Margaret’s daylight basement, we lined the leaking Northwest wall with CleanSpace. CleanSpace is a highly durable antimicrobial lining made up of high and low density polyethylene and polyester cord. The CleanSpace will effectively reduce the amount of moisture vapor allowed from the wall. We also installed WaterGuard at the footing of the wall to capture the moisture seepage. It does this by using a special wall flange that creates a small space between the floor and the wall. When the WaterGuard is installed, it is separated from the soil by a layer of gravel. This helps filter the ground water that reaches the drainage trench and prevents clogging.

The WaterGuard leads to a SuperSump pump we installed at the lowest point of the basement. The SuperSump is equipped with a high-end 1/3 hp Zoeller cast iron pump with a mechanical float switch. It is capable of removing 2,650 gallons of water every hour, and it does so efficiently and quietly. The SuperSump also includes the WaterWatch alarm system. In the instance water rises above the point where the pump should turn on, the alarm will sound off, sounding similar to a fire alarm. Margaret also opted for the UltraSump, a backup battery pumping system that will automatically turn on if the primary pump fails to operate.

We are so happy we were able to help Margaret out with her daylight basement, and the peace of mind knowing her basement will be staying dry this upcoming winter. 

Joan and Charles gave us a call because they were concerned about the amount of water coming into their Camano Island basement. The basement had an existing sump pump, however, water had formed a small creek across the floor to far side of their basement. The homeowners revealed that at one point, they were without power for three days and accumulated nearly a foot of water in their basement.

After performing a thorough inspection, our system design specialist determined the water was seeping through small fractures in the foundation walls, as well as the chimney. It was clear that the fractures had been made worse by the water seepage over the years. The homeowner’s objectives for the basement were to minimize moisture and to keep the floor and walls dry all the time.

To keep Joan and Charles’ basement dry all the time, we installed WaterGuard Drainage Trenching. WaterGuard is a sub-floor drainage system that is installed along the interior perimeter of the foundation walls. It effectively captures water from the soil below, in addition to wall seepage from basement walls. The trenching then directs the water to their upgraded sump pump. We installed the TripleSafe Sump Pump system, which comprises three pumps in one. One pump being the UltraSump, a battery back-up pumping system that automatically activates upon failure of the other two pumps, like in the instance of a power outage. 

Judy W. contacted us through our website for a free inspection and estimate of her basement and crawl space. She told us that water was seeping into her basement between the floor and wall even though there was a sump pump in the crawl space and a new french drain had been installed in the late 1990’s. The water seepage and moisture vapor had to be eliminated to best avoid mold growth, wood rot and other water related damages residential homes are often vulnerable to.

We added drainage trenching along the interior perimeter of the foundation walls to capture the ground water seepage and direct it towards the TripleSafe Sump Pump we installed. The TripleSafe incorporates three pumps in one, including a back-up battery system, providing the homeowner with the best protection available. We then encapsulated the crawl space in a highly durable lining called CleanSpace. More than three times as thick as a traditional 6 mils. black polyethylene vapor barrier, CleanSpace combines high and low density polyethylene reinforced with polyester cord. The lining greatly reduces moisture and humidity and comes with a 25-year warranty. It also has an antimicrobial agent built right into the material to add another element of mold and mildew prevention. Finally, we installed a SaniDry CX Dehumidifier to further control the moisture. The SaniDry CX is completely automatic. It activates, deactivates and drains its reservoir based on its setting and the humidity of the space.  

Lynn and Wayne decided to have one of our system design specialists out to their home to perform a free inspection and estimate after seeing our booth at the Anacortes Shipwreck Fest. They had purchased a home in Coupeville two years prior and were having issues with water leaks and musty odors in their crawl space.

To turn their dank messy crawl space into a dry healthy one, we first installed a SmartSump Pump in the lowest spot to capture all the ground water seepage. We added drainage trenching along the inside perimeter of the exterior wall footing to direct the ground water seepage towards the pump. We then installed a new vapor barrier to help prevent evaporated moisture from damaging the floor joists. Lynn and Wayne were thrilled to have their crawl space problems addressed and resolved.

Kathy and Kris live in a farmhouse in Greenbank that was built over one hundred years ago. Their crawl space was lacking insulation in the floor joists, the vapor barrier was well weathered and proving to be ineffective. They were becoming more concerned about their “wonky” crawl space, as they were starting to notice musty odors throughout all levels of their home.

Kathy and Kris opted for the best sump pump around, the TripleSafe. The TripleSafe provides homeowners the most protection by incorporating three pumps in one, including a battery backup system made specifically for worst-case scenarios, like a power outage. We then used our extremely durable CleanSpace Crawl Space Lining to encapsulate the space. Because the lining is 20 mm thick, it is much more effective at reducing moisture and humidity levels than the minimum requirement 6 mils. barriers. In addition, CleanSpace is strong enough to be fastened directly to the foundation walls. It won’t ever tear down or shift around, keeping the space clean and the air dry. Kathy and Kris can be sure that damaging moisture vapors and musty odors are a thing of their past.