Ada County, Idaho
Crawl space repair in Garden City
Garden City is small and sits right along the Boise River. A lot of the city is in the river’s floodplain, and in high-water years the low-lying areas near the river feel it.
You’ll find older small homes and newer infill on the same street here. The common thread is how close everything is to the river.
What we run into in Garden City
River-level water
When the Boise River runs high, groundwater in nearby crawl spaces can rise with it.
Older, smaller homes
Tight crawl spaces with old plastic or none, and insulation that has seen better days.
Infill next door
New construction and regrading nearby can change where water goes on your lot.
A recent Garden City job
[A real Garden City job: neighborhood, what you found, what you did, one photo]Why it’s dry in March and wet in August.
From roughly April to October the canals run full for irrigation. In parts of Garden City, that pushes the water table up, and it comes into the crawl space from underneath, not through the walls.
Exact dates vary by irrigation district and by year. So does how much it affects a given street.
What that means for you: a crawl space that looks fine at a spring inspection can have standing water by midsummer. If you put a new barrier down without handling that, the water ends up trapped under the plastic.
If yours is wet in summer and dry in winter, it’s probably groundwater, not a leak. That’s the first thing we check. Water removal and sump pumps
What we do in Garden City
Selling a Garden City home and the inspector flagged the crawl space? Here’s how home-sale repairs work.
Water removal and sump pumps
Pump it out, find where it comes from, and give it a permanent way out.
Call when: Standing water, wet dirt, or a pump that runs all summer.
Vapor barrier replacement
Pull the old plastic, fix what’s under it, and put down a barrier that’s sealed and fastened.
Call when: Torn, thin, or missing plastic, or an inspector’s note about the barrier.
Crawl space encapsulation
Sealed liner on the ground and walls, vents closed, and the air dried.
Call when: Repeat moisture, ductwork in the crawl space, or you want it done once.
Mold remediation
Clean and treat the framing, then fix whatever kept it wet.
Call when: Dark staining or growth on joists and subfloor, or a musty smell.
Crawl space insulation
New insulation under the floor or on the walls, with old, wet, or damaged insulation pulled out first.
Call when: Cold floors, no insulation at all, or batts hanging down, wet, or torn up by rodents.
