Glossary

A steel shaft screwed in to the earth to support structures.

Efflorescence is a usually white, powdery salt deposit that forms after water evaporates. Efflorescence can appear on brick or concrete walls or cement floors, or anywhere masonry materials are used. It can often be a sign your home has a water management problem.

A type of window homeowner need in the case of an emergency. The window must be large enough to enter or exit. Specific rooms, like basement bedrooms, are usually required to have an egress window by law.

An encapsulated, or conditioned, crawl space is a crawl space that has been sealed from outside air and included into the envelope of the home. Walls and floors are sealed with a vapor barrier and insulation and any water entry is addressed with a drain or sump pump. The air is often conditioned using a dehumidifier as well.

The process of soil wearing down by natural causes, like water, wind or ice.

Evaporation is the process when water turns into a gas or vapor. Water vapor can be especially damaging to a crawl space since it is an area that is infrequently visited, and therefor commonly ignored.

During construction when dirt is removed carefully to make a hole or channel.

A soil, clay for example, that is prone to expansion and shrinkage due to its amount of water content.