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This site is considered the bible on crawlspace environments. Read it and you will be well-informed and know how to deal with your own crawlspace.
Bible? Hardly!
There's one "very" specific point that seems to always be overlooked (a better way to put it- ignored) regardless of the author/authority. They all taut how to fix this; fix that. Install this or that this way, not that way (because this is what you're paying for when you purchase a book) etc., etc. And then builders and/or their sub's get blamed for this problem or that- It's the environment people!
40, 50, 70 years ago houses didn't have these problems. Why? Houses weren't as airtight, we had a billion less people living on the planet- living under some form of impervious surface. Which means less ground to absorb water. We're more mobile today- means more vehicles. More vehicles change the atmosphere- a changing atmosphere generally leads to more "severe" weather- whether it be drought or flooding.
These things can be changed...
I don't want anybody to think I'm some tree-hugging environmentalist; quite the contrary! I think it's imperative that the general lay-person understands how we got here so they'll further understand what can and can't be done to rectify or modify a faulty "system".
As elementary as this may sound, it's almost inconceivable to some people. Example, in my own small neighborhood- which has a very mature canopy of trees- we have on-going erosion problems that everyone complains about but isn't willing to do what is necessary. Which is to "weed out" "un-needed" trees and limb-up others so sunlight can get to the ground and promote grass growth. The erosion problems have even undermined a couple of driveways- most everyone in the neighborhood knows of my background, yet when I tell them the cure to their problem- they glare at me as if I were Satan the great tree killer of the south!
So, if your own neighborhood can be a source of environmental woes, imagine it on a global scale...
Hey guys, I've searched through the forums but have yet to find what I'm looking for.
My wife and I just bought a house, and the crawl space is about ~150ish square feet, about 7 feet high so it's walkable. It is in awful condition now, mold(and mushrooms) on the walls, lots of condensation, and we got an estimate to remove the mold, get a new vapor barrier put in, as well as vent seals for about $1,700. We would then buy our own dehumidifier.
My question is, would there be any advantage to getting the crawl space completely encapsulated? It would be great storage space, but we are concerned that a vapor barrier might not completely do the job while encapsulation would.
Does anyone have any input?
I am having the same problem. Just bought my house and found out my crawl space is holding water. I do have mold, and the companies I have got to come give me a quote, each one says something different! My water is from ground seepage you can see the water marks on the cinder blocks from the ground!
So they all are telling me I need a crock with drainage canals dug around the perimeter of the house.(in the crawl space)
Then recommend encapsulation with a dehumidifier or something they call EZ breathe which is about $1000.00 higher. And can you guess the cost of this!
$7700.00! And $8700.00 with EZ breathe
Then another company came out and said no encapsulation and add more vents! Complete opposite and just do a vapor Barrier and they charged about $5600.00!
So I’m at a loss! My house was built in 1953 and it has an old vapor barrier down. So why now, you know what I mean.
Clearly it could not have been that bad with the moisture or the house would not be standing! Wood rot etc...
My husband just passed in June and I don’t know what to do! I have no one to talk with and come to a conclusion with!
And people tend to try and screw a woman and a widow!
I do live in a high humidity area. The rain has been above average this year and we have not even hit our rainy months yet! I was hoping to get this done pretty quick, cause rainy season is coming quick!
So which way do I go?
I would love a builders input! I heard inspectors like to see encapsulation and then I heard they don’t!
So I’m at a loss!
I am having the same problem. Just bought my house and found out my crawl space is holding water. I do have mold, and the companies I have got to come give me a quote, each one says something different! My water is from ground seepage you can see the water marks on the cinder blocks from the ground!
So they all are telling me I need a crock with drainage canals dug around the perimeter of the house.(in the crawl space)
Then recommend encapsulation with a dehumidifier or something they call EZ breathe which is about $1000.00 higher. And can you guess the cost of this!
$7700.00! And $8700.00 with EZ breathe
Then another company came out and said no encapsulation and add more vents! Complete opposite and just do a vapor Barrier and they charged about $5600.00!
So I’m at a loss! My house was built in 1953 and it has an old vapor barrier down. So why now, you know what I mean.
Clearly it could not have been that bad with the moisture or the house would not be standing! Wood rot etc...
My husband just passed in June and I don’t know what to do! I have no one to talk with and come to a conclusion with!
And people tend to try and screw a woman and a widow!
I do live in a high humidity area. The rain has been above average this year and we have not even hit our rainy months yet! I was hoping to get this done pretty quick, cause rainy season is coming quick!
So which way do I go?
I would love a builders input! I heard inspectors like to see encapsulation and then I heard they don’t!
So I’m at a loss!
I can understand your confusion. I had an old house (recently moved due to health problems) that also suffered from ground water seepage as I was only 3 blocks from the river. I also live in a very humid area, especially in the summer. The key is to get as much of the water OUT of the crawlspace as possible, and vents will not do that. In fact, having vents will allow humid air into the crawlspace where it will condense, particularly in colder weather, and form pools of water and moisture which can swell the joists.
The solution for my house was to dig a French drain around the perimeter of the crawlspace, which emptied water into two sump pumps. The water table was so high that two pumps were necessary; you might only need one. The entire crawlspace floor was lined with heavy-duty liner that went up the walls to the sill plate, but allowed the termite inspectors to be able to see any problems. The liner also went up the sides of all the foundation supports. I installed a commercial dehumidifier from Santa Fe, which is top of the line as far as I'm concerned (I have one in the basement of my new home as well.) This arrangement kept the humidity at a consistent 40-45% in the crawlspace, well below the level at which mold grows.
I'm an elderly widow as well, and this was not an inexpensive solution for my 91 year old bungalow. But I was quite willing to do it as I loved that house and wanted to keep it sturdy and strong. The home and termite inspectors for the new owner were extremely impressed with the condition of the crawlspace and the foundation. I can only hope the new owner maintains the encapsulation system as well.
In 2015 I got a crawlspace encapulation bid done on our 1960 model ranch home, and the CS has 1350 sq. ft. in it. The bid for trash removal, mold kill, 10 mil vapor barrier encapsulation and a dehumidifier furnished was $8100.00.
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