DBS Before & After Photos

Homeowners in Ely, MN noticed that cracks in their foundation were worsening. Quite of bit of water was reaching the basement, causing mildew and undesirable conditions after rains and spring thawing. Additionally, the home's crawl space was sagging causing uneven floors in the rest of the home. 

DBS Design Specilist Rich Johnsen visited the home and provided a free, no-obligation estimate for the foundation support system. It was determined that our GeoLock™ Wall Anchor System would be installed, and well as our SmartJack® System to support the crawl space.

A DBS Foreman and production crew installed our GeoLock™ Wall Plates and Earth Anchors to the failing foundation wall. This system uses the heavy-duty anchors in and connects them to plates on the wall interior wall. Connected with long, galvanized rods, these anchors are tightened to straighten the wall over time and provide maximum support.  

These homeowners were happy with the work done and now have a safe and dry basement to enjoy!

This Ely, MN homeowner had a basement space that was framed out but needed to be properly insulated. Uninsulated space underneath the main floor of the home can cause a host of issues, such as freezing pipes and uncomfortable living conditions. Looking for a permanent solution, they reached out to DBS.

A Dr. Energy Saver® Design Specialist went to the home and provided a free, no-obligation estimate. After measuring energy loss in the basement, our expert recommended closed-cell spray foam to decrease heating and cooling costs. A DBS Foreman and their production crew applied 3-inches of spray foam along walls as well as the rim joists in the basement. 3-inches of our spray foam creates an R-value of 7 which is the recommended amount for our region. 

This home is overall more energy-efficient during all four seasons!

This Ely, MN home was significantly sinking on one end of the home. This caused settling in the foundation, creating cracks in the basement floor and allowing water to reach the home. Worried about the issue getting worse, they reached out to DBS for a permanent solution. 

DBS Design Specialist Henrik Makitalo is an expert in foundation repair. After visiting the home and providing a free, no-obligation estimate for the work done, Henrik determined that the home needed assistance from our structural, waterproofing, and concrete repair teams. 

First, our Basement Repair Production Manager Kevin Steffey and his crew excavated the exterior of the home in order to perform a lift procedure. Our team installed 32 push piers total at the base of the home on the exterior and interior of the home. These galvanized steel piers were then hydraulicaly driven into the ground to weight-bearing soils. The weight of the home was then transferred to the competent soil.

After this was completed, our team was tasked with protecting the outside of the home against water and condensation with SentrySeal® rubber membrane. On the home's interior, our concrete repair production crew was able to work through specific areas targeted by Henrik that needed to be raised and leveled. 

The homeowners were happy with the work done and can now depend on a safe and comfortable home for years to come. 

A homeowner from Ely, MN reached out to DBS for help with their damp crawl space. One of our Design Specialists went to the home to run a free no-obligation estimate appointment. After a thorough inspection, our Design Specialist gave the homeowner a free quote for our Crawl Space Encapsulation Service. One of our crews installed our crawl space products to thoroughly waterproof and insulate the space, giving peace of mind to the homeowner. 

This Ely, MN cabin was drafty during the winter and humid during the summer. The owners knew they needed to do something to improve the cabin's energy efficiency and get rid of pesky ice dams during the winter months.

DBS Design Specialist Henry Jungbauer visited the cabin and provided a thorough inspection, including the attic and crawl space. Henry designed an insulation project that would prevent energy loss in the form of the stack effect. The stack effect is essentially the process of outside air entering your home via your basement or crawl space, in this case, traveling through your home and leaking back outside via your attic. This free flow of air means the cabin was working hard to keep itself warm, driving energy bills up and creating ice dams.

DBS Foreman Orrin Sundberg led this insulation project of this Ely, MN cabin. After insulating the crawl space rim joists with spray foam, our insulation crew moved into the attic. They removed the existing batting insulation and air-sealed the space with an inch of closed-cell spray foam. From there, they applied 18 inches of Tru-Soft™ cellulose. They also installed Tru-Soft™ in the attic's hard-to-reach vaulted ceiling using a technique called dense packing, to provide a consistent radiant barrier.

The insulation installed in the attic and crawl space will prevent the stack effect from reoccurring, resulting in less money spent on propane. You'll see in the before and after photos the difference in ice dam build-up from 1 year to the next.

The homeowners were happy with the work our insulation crew did and now have a solid solution to stand up to cold Minnesota winters.