Crawlspace Help

[Jon.]

Afternoon all,

About 2 months ago, we bought our first home. Overall its in the right condition for me, not too nice but also needing a bit of work. That's where the crawlspace comes in.

There is too much moisture in the crawlspace and its causing a very dank smell as well as creating issues in the wood. The previous owners did not have the vents open and closed at the correct time of year so that's a big problem. The gutters also dump directly onto the corners of the house which is where a lot of the ground moisture is coming from. The gutter dump problem is going to be fixed soon as the extensions come in from amazon. There is also the problem of the soil eroding away from some of the walls. The plan to fix that is to just get good dirt, pile it high and then get some solid grass growing to hold it there.

I have a feeling all of these will HELP but not eliminate the moisture. I had a very solid company come out and give me a quote for full encapsulation but at almost 9k, I cant afford it. Good news is that the foundation hasn't sunk much in the past 30 years so if I can get the problem on the right path, we should be solid. Is there any other options? I can install a vapor barrier myself but I am not sure if I will do it right and I don't want to do more damage then there already is. Do I need to also install a HD Dehumidifier and hard wire / plumb it in ? Should I just bite the bullet and pay them 9k to do it?

Thanks in advance,

-Jon

 

[Twiztid]

In the meantime, get some 2-6 mil plastic and enclose the dirt. Can be done for sub $200 yourself.

 

[Twiztid]

This type here: $60 for 10x 100ft https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-10-ft-x-100-ft-Black-6-mil-Plastic-Sheeting-CFHD0610B/204711639

 

[Shortcut]

Had mine encapsolated and all. Well worth it but very pricey. Vapor barrier at a minimum will help

 

[DADI03]

Look under there during a rain and see where it's coming from. Get the water as far away from the house as possible from your down spouts. Positive drainage helps but the dirt is a sponge that holds the water against your house. You should be able to do this on your own I would think. Before you cover it put some fans under there to dry it out as much as possible before you put down the poly. If there is a lot of water you might need to put some sort of french drain under there to get the water out, if it's just damp under there this shouldn't be needed. You should be able to do this for under 1k

 

[bigt61]

You sound like you’re on the right track

Baby Steps

You can do it yourself and save the rest of the $$$

 

[Eggmanmja01]

Did the home inspector not catch this?

 

[Jon.]

Did the home inspector not catch this?

He told me about it but he didnt make it sound like a big deal. "Just put a vapor barrier down and you will be good." was the basics of what I got. This was my first house so I learn alot on what I expect if I ever do it again.

 

[Eggmanmja01]

I understand. When I bought my first house, I was really surprised at the stuff I didn't look for because I assumed it was there such as 2 outlets in a couple bedrooms, switch locations, cable lines, making sure doors closed all the way.....etc..

Definitely learned a lesson of the simple things I guess I expected and try to pass it on to others.

Good luck

 

[killerv]

I'd make sure no waterproofing needs to be done on the outside of the foundation before worrying too much about underneath the house. You may need some french drains in some problem areas, etc. If you are confident none is getting in, then a vapor barrier may suffice.

I thought vapor barriers were pretty much a standard request for seller to provide if the house doesn't have one. Moisture under your house is a very big deal. Your realtor and inspector dropped the ball on that one. Maybe should have gotten quotes and negotiated with seller.

I got three quotes when we purchased our house and sellers agreed to pay 2/3 towards repairs at a tune of about 6900 towards waterproofing. Those jokers dug for 3 days to get to the base of my foundation along the front side of my house.

Funny, my inspector was extremely detailed, even mentioned a cracked toilet handle...you really think I'm worried about a $5 dollar handle.

It sucks and I feel your pain.