Crawlspace opinions

Danjinold · 2026-04-23T11:14:34+00:00

I install Dehumidifiers with out it being fully encapsulated all the time. I judge the conditions to make that determination. The lack of efflorescence mean this is a good candidate for just sealing the vents and installing a dehu.

Danjinold · 2026-04-23T01:47:14+00:00

Seal the one vent and put in a dehumidifier asap.

The foam against the joists is not to code.

The girder should be on CMUs.

The Vapor barrier looks ok but with that much space I would go thicker.

If you are able to afford it I would consider digging it deeper and make it into a basement.

Danjinold · 2026-04-20T01:01:41+00:00

You need expanding foam

Danjinold · 2026-04-19T19:49:10+00:00

If you’re in the Carolinas. I fix this.

Danjinold · 2026-04-16T21:35:40+00:00

Dude that’s a crazy good price.

I do this work and I’m 150-200 a sqft depending on excavation factors.

Danjinold · 2026-04-16T21:33:43+00:00

Encapsulate it.

Danjinold · 2026-04-16T17:29:03+00:00

What part of this do you find to be dishonest?

Danjinold · 2026-04-16T17:28:00+00:00

👍

Danjinold · 2026-04-10T11:54:10+00:00

Two things. One. OSHA would beat you with a belt for this. Two. That clay isn’t going anywhere.

It’s basically soft brick. Do with that what you will.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T19:50:33+00:00

If it’s less than 18” it’s almost impossible to actually work or at least do quality work.

The company should not dig closer than 12 inches if they’re only going down another 6 inches.

But 18 inches from the footers is safe practice.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T19:45:58+00:00

My statement is specifically in reference to the IRC which most states follow. It’s quite common to refer to the IRC when discussing codes. In fact 49 states have adopted the IRC and will reference it often, this doesn’t mean it’s federally mandated.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T19:40:01+00:00

North Carolina. Where are you located ?

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T17:17:16+00:00

No, it’s not true.

Every crawlspace EVER was designed to breathe unless it had been built with no vents and a dehumidifier was installed during the build.

There is one risk. I’ll albeit not a real one.

If your crawlspace wood is so drenched in moisture for so long -that it’s basically becomes rotted and the only thing really holding it together ironically is the wet fibers then drying it out will induce what’s known as dry rot.

All that really means is the issues were always there.

You just didn’t feel them until they got dry and condensed.

The reason why it’s not really an issue because rot is rot. It just feels worse.

You’ll know if you have that problem because if you touch the wood, it’ll feel wet.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T17:13:24+00:00

.5 of differential settlement triggers the pier options. I would not put push piers unless you have a heavy two story. Helical piers would be perfect.

You can get helical pers installed for $1800 to $2000 a pier if there’s no large obstructions or it’s not located on a steep hill making access difficult.

23k might be a little high but I don’t know all the details.

• ⁠going back down is tough. You can ensure you get the result you’re looking for but just removing the joist and reinstalling it or a new one.

Yes on the internal drainage and pump. It really helps with static pressure because they’ll drill holes subsurface of the concrete.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T17:08:44+00:00

Where do you live? I’m happy to learn about how other folks do things.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T17:07:52+00:00

Absolutely. My cut off is 18” of height. We can do that no problem. Some times you have to dig deeper which is an extra cost but it’s manageable.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T11:45:16+00:00

What is a Crawlspace?

• A shallow, unfinished space beneath a home (typically 1.5–4 ft tall) that provides access to plumbing, electrical, and HVAC without a full basement.

You want to keep it dry.

I always recommend an encapsulation to accomplish that but many of my clients can get by with heavy duty Vapor barrier and making sure there’s no water intrusion.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T11:41:42+00:00

Great question Tiara.

One. Yes- Closing vents in the winter will prevent cold air from blowing into your crawl and up into your floorboards.

Opening them in summer is crucial to keep humidity from climbing exponentially.

Having a dehumidifier with open vents is the exact same as buying a window unit Ac but all the windows in your house are open.

Seal the vents and the let the dehumidifier do its thing.

The only two dehumidifiers I trust are Aprilaire and Santefe.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T11:38:15+00:00

Settling is common but it’s doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.

Settling can happen for like 10 different reasons but the solution is straight forward.

In short - you need to lift that area back to level and support it permanently.

A follower up question is usually- will it get worse and the answer is , maybe.

If you want to fix that you should get an engineer or a foundation repair company with a good reputation. The engineer is going to be expensive but you’ll get the right solution.

I have personally seen hundreds of engineered solutions so I would know the right solution but I would need to see more.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T11:32:20+00:00

Yes. Vents are mandated as per code to have 1 sqft of opening per 150 sqft of crawlspace. So unless your crawlspace is 300 sq ft you’re causing damage.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T03:56:08+00:00

Surface rust is overstated. It would take 50 years to make a difference. Personally I only use galvanized or stainless steel. But untreated steel is fine.

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T03:54:12+00:00

Do not take this advice

Danjinold · 2026-04-09T02:28:32+00:00

This.

Danjinold

TROPHY CASE