The Situation
A Thornton homeowner called us after their water heater failed and flooded the crawlspace directly under the main level. Standing water was reaching the insulation, the vapor barrier and the structural components in the crawlspace.
Keeping dust and airborne particles out of the living space mattered to this household. That shaped the plan from the start: we worked with containment and air filtration in place the whole time.
What We Did
Here is the work, in order:
- We shut off the water heater and extracted the standing water.
- We set up containment zones and HEPA air scrubbers to keep airborne particles from reaching the living spaces.
- We removed the damaged insulation and the old vapor barrier.
- We installed a new vapor barrier across the crawlspace floor.
- We reinstalled insulation where it had fallen away or was saturated.
- We monitored drying and humidity until the materials were dry.
- We finished with a walkthrough with the homeowner.
A vapor barrier is a sheet laid over a crawlspace floor to slow moisture rising from the ground into the home. Containment is a sealed-off work zone, and a HEPA air scrubber is a filtering machine that pulls fine particles out of the air while we work. Together they keep the mess in the crawlspace and out of the rooms above.
The Result
The crawlspace was dry and clean, with a new vapor barrier on the floor and insulation back in place. We closed the job with a walkthrough with the homeowner.
Water heaters fail without warning, and the water often goes where you cannot see it. If you have water in a crawlspace, basement or utility area, call us any time at (720) 534-1001. Our water damage restoration crews handle extraction, drying and documentation.