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I'm in the process of buying my first house in the Northwest, after having only owned previously in California where if there was water in your crawl space it would be considered unusual.
Of course it rains a lot here, and the inspector said the water table is high in this town. I'm told there is water in the crawl spaces of a majority of the homes in town, although I guess that doesn't necessarily make it okay. In looking at the inspector's photos, there is water in maybe 20% of the crawl space, ranging from vaguely wet to 1/4" deep? No mold or any real problems yet, but I assume that is the concern with water in the crawl space?
The inspector recommended having a drainage specialist come out and give a free estimate as to the cost to repair. Sounds like a costly repair.
In a perfect world all crawlspaces would be bone dry 24/7. In reality, they are not.
There are so many issues that come into play, it is not easy to give an absolute answer without a lot of other information.
The obvious is: is the roof drainage system clear, and draining well away from the foundation/house? This is very important.
Is the ground (bare earth and concrete slabs) around the house/foundation, sloped AWAY from the house with at least a drop of about 6" over 10'? That's pretty important too.
Does the crawlspace have a foundation drainage system installed? You may not be able to see it (buried pipes). The drainage system may also be installed on top of the footings on the exterior of the house. Again, not really visible.
Did it just rain? If so, a fair amount? That little amount of water may not be that big of a deal.
Does the moisture seem to go away in a day?
Signs of past moisture issues, such as stains on the foundation walls?
The inspector recommended having a drainage specialist come out and give a free estimate as to the cost to repair. Sounds like a costly repair.
Agreed! The only place I expect to find water under a home in this manner are the Bayous of Louisiana, or other similar locations and situations. Standing water under a home is never a good thing. Proper grading on the exterior and under the foundation, foundation air vents, as well as water management on the exterior, (i.e. properly installed and run gutters) should handle most standing water issues.
Standing water has the potential for the creation of mold, moisture damage to foundation and floor framing members and sub-floor. Also depending on what utilities you have it can always affect their materials as well.
As for the cost it could be as simple as basic regrading. Won't know until you obtain an estimate.
You should be able to have a company come in and install a perimeter drain that feeds into a sump pump, which will then pump water it collects out a good 10-20ft away from your house. They should also lay a layer of 6mil (at least) plastic over the dirt (ideally, it would be glued and taped at all seems and up around piers and walls) to hold water vapor from rising up into your house. Even a "dry" crawl space creates moisture for the air above. It wouldn't be a deal breaker for me, but I would DEFINITELY get an estimate to do the above and ask for an allowance.
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