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I'm looking to buy an old 1908 single family house to use as a rental. It's in very good condition, and the price is right, but one thing scares the heck outta me.
The crawl space is very narrow. There is about 12" of space between the dirt and the bottom of the floor joists. It's literally impossible for a normal sized human being to get under there.
To do any plumbing/wiring repair would require ripping up the sub floor to get access, and the house being over 100 years old I'm concerned about the condition of everything down there, even though there is no evidence of problems currently.
That would definitely be a concern for me. My house was built in 1927, and has about a 24" crawlspace, which has been totally conditioned (dehumidifier, liner, french drains, sump pumps, etc.). The plumbers love it! For this area, it's actually kind of high. However, none of the wiring is in there - it all runs in the attic, and there is relatively little plumbing because this is a small house. I often look at old houses (older than mine) in the town close to mine because I'm an old house junkie, but a lot of them have crawl spaces like the one you're describing, or none at all. Is there a way you could consider moving the pipes and wiring to an upper floor one time at a cost that would be commensurate with a rental?
Since you can't get under it, you can't really tell if there are problems or not. And if there are, then it may be very difficult (and pricy) to resolve them.
All things being equal, I would move on and find a house that will be easier to work on should the need arise.
Since its so low, termite inspections are very limited. Unless it was a steal, I would pass.
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