I spent over 25 hours in my crawl after watching this the first time. Went from vented with roll bat underbelly, no sump and exterior access to sealed, conditioned, rigid foam perimeter, interior access and a sealed sump pit at each end. Watching again because noone else cares but us

@Tomtom9401

3 жыл бұрын

Can you share in photos?

@pullingweeds-managingcptsd252

2 жыл бұрын

I am The same as you… and a 49 year lady who uses a walker and wheelchair. I cannot afford to hire anyone and and I care about my home, my mortgage makes me be able to afford a decent but modest place to live. There are wires all over the ground and that frightens me- the ductwork and plumbing are nicely hung/ supported… but past workers left old materials scattered, it went and moist.. a couple of 12inx12 in (6 in depth) shoveled? Areas… that have little pools of water.. the rest is just damp and thick muddy by the back side of the house brick foundation line. I am overwhelmed and not sure where to begin. Cleaning for sure. Checking for any dangerous wiring, I have installed a French drain in my front yard and am thinking I should put one in along the back of the home. Alternatively, my home slopes downward, so perhaps a vapor barrier and concrete poured over. Being disabled and on a fixed income is not ideal right about now! 😂

@thepinkerton657

2 жыл бұрын

@@pullingweeds-managingcptsd252 start with outside grading and extending your gutter down spout run off drains

@pullingweeds-managingcptsd252

2 жыл бұрын

Yes I can take some photos it’s raining today so I was going to do a little bit of investigation depending on how hard it rains I was under there yesterday and did find a couple of skeletal remains luckily not human but I’ll joking aside last time I was down there I was electrocuted by a live wire which we had an electrician come out and cap off. I now know that I need to turn off the main breaker and clean the wire mess up I think mostly as a lot of cable wire that’s just been cut through the years and satellite dish wiring at Cetera. Anyway I will see if I can get down far enough today I’m a little achy due to the rain on top of my normal issues but if not I have a window that was busted out that I built a frame and put in a pane of glass and I’m insulating the glass and getting ready to put that into the brick area that contains the metal frame for the window that is actually embedded into the construction so I am also adding a layer of foam insulation board to the back of it and installing the window in front of it. But I will not install the insulation board until I finish working because until I permanently install the window that I built and then caulk it in etc. I can take it out for work purposes and ventilation. I can actually crawl through the little holes that divide up the old window that had acrylic in it if I really wanted to which I don’t but since I can crawl through it means that I can also lean through to take pictures and at least zoom in so you can get an idea even if they’re not the best quality. One question that I do have is that I want to replace the insulation because it is just hanging down probably from aids and rodents or other critters in some places the wooden floor joists and the wood flooring are still sound I have already checked. This past winter we did actually have a Water main break and the city just left it for a week because they said that the man who needed to cut the concrete was on vacation mind you they only needed to cut 2 ft.² but anyway it flooded our yard which I trench to my French drain which I had already installed and then hi later had to go back and trench from the backyard where the French drain lets out which is actually the side yard and it’s past the house of course I had to trench down to the woods behind our house and we live on 3/4 acre so it was a very tedious long job. I re-graded the front yard when I had to repair all of the trenching that I had to do to save my crawlspace because it was so very flooded but the area most affected is the area that I didn’t have to trench and so I actually was able to quickly add soil and build up the front side yesterday in the area that is most affected. I totally went on a bunny trail there but anyway insulation so I want to tear down the old road yucky insulation and I’m thinking insulation board. Opinions? By the way I apologize for the run-on‘s and grammar issues but I have nerve damage and can’t feel my hands although they are functional but typing on my iPad is really creepy so I speak and it turns into a book unfortunately and it turns into conversational writing::: so I just wanted to explain I’m not just being a flake. Lol

@pullingweeds-managingcptsd252

2 жыл бұрын

@@Tomtom9401 I am not sure how to share the photos here?

I used to have a really nasty crawl space under my house... That is until my street's sewer line backed up, and back pressure forced the entire street's sewage into it once it popped the main line off. I couldn't even get a plumber to go down there to repair the broken pipe until I had a restoration company come in, which is basically a hazmat team to clean up the mess. What they did in the process was basically totally modernize my crawlspace, installed a vapor barrier, put down clean fresh sand to replace all the contaminated debris they removed. The best part was because it was caused by a blockage in the city's lines, they footed the bill for the entire process. Almost 10k$ between the restoration and the plumbing bills, and now I've got a beautiful crawlspace that makes it a dream to get down in when working on plumbing and what not. I've never been so happy over a sewage backup before.

@rainmaker3700

5 жыл бұрын

LOL, the 10K you did not spend was a frigging deal!

@rodneyhammon1793

4 жыл бұрын

Forbidden User w wow

@shimes424

4 жыл бұрын

That's why they'll also pay to upgrade/update your sewer system to the street to avoid these problems

@Alex.Smoake

4 жыл бұрын

That’s a happy ending!

@johnknoefler

4 жыл бұрын

I just quit working with a plumber partially because of these issues. One house we were called to he boasted how he had done a main sewer line repair at the house but we had to go back to clear the drain again. What I found was that he had simply put in a cleanout just inside the access but when he ran the snake he broke the rest of the old 3 1/2 inch thin sewer. So, for years the sewer had drained into the very sloped crawlspace. The air was so bad possums had gone in and died from the gas. We had to pump out the sewage and then make the repair. Later the owner had to replace the rest of the drain all the way to the street. A large tree had put roots into the line. Crawlspace from hell. I get sick with just remembering.

I was a home inspector for 5 years in Georgia... Heard a story from an old-timer that actually found a human skeleton in a crawl space. He had to leave immediately and called the police... Turns out they buried grandma in the crawl space because they couldn't afford a funeral. Thanks for the video... I appreciate the info and totally agree that crawl space should be conditioned spaces.

@danrichards496

5 жыл бұрын

John Limongello I wonder if anyone is buried in my crawlspace.

@comcfi

4 жыл бұрын

Oh I hope she was ok

@88KeysIdaho

4 жыл бұрын

@@comcfi No. She was dead. Grandma was DAYD !

@Crysisplaya

2 жыл бұрын

@@comcfi she was she’s just chillin

@andreaberryman5354

Жыл бұрын

A husband murdered his step son and buried him in the crawl. The new owner's wife went down to check something and found shoes poking up. She tried to grab them but couldn't. Husband checked and discovered femurs, so cops were called.

I have to say that It is refreshing to hear you admit to things that you "used" to do that no longer meet your standards. A great quality for those that are always looking for the best which is an evolving benchmark. I look forward to learning from you, kudos!

The one takeaway from this video...is that money is no object.

@Joemama-km9np

3 жыл бұрын

Same thing I was thinking, when you got money then things will be done by the most expensive professionals. I've been to enough third world countries were I've seen people live in those nasty crawl space conditions and call it home.

@layicorn

3 жыл бұрын

Where's the money Skylar

@anotherdayforrj

3 жыл бұрын

@@layicorn Skyler..... WHERE IS THE MONEY!!??!

@AHPpilot

2 жыл бұрын

The whole point of the channel is for best building practices, though, not just the most cost effective. You can take these principles and make your own compromises based on your own budget.

Not a builder, just a homeowner. I had just changed my dehumidifier filter in my crawlspace when I came back up to you having posted this video. I’d been worried about it for a while, and this video was the straw that broke the camel’s back and got me moving. We had most of the problems you talked about. We found a company that encapsulates existing crawl spaces in our area. They just finished today. Not the most sexy space to spend money in the house, but I feel much happier about the sealed, drained, encapsulated area under the house now.

@sugumargovinda

Жыл бұрын

AND CONDITIONED

Matt...Most of the crawlspaces that I've ever seen, were in coastal communities in mapped flood zones where basements in these areas were prohibited, yet built prior to base flood elevation (BFE) standards being incorporated in the building codes. In certain communities here in the northeast, FEMA had recently completed flood map revisions, which placed existing homes with basements in a special flood hazard area (SFHA)...Those homes have lost significant value as the flood insurance premiums are cost prohibitive for most. The best recommendation for those facing this dilemma, is to move all of the mechanical systems, and fill their basements in to surrounding grade. That in itself will significantly reduce the flood premium, but not completely solve their issue as the (new) lowest floor elevation may still be under the BFE for that area. Flood insurance rates increase exponentially once a determined (by an elevation certificate) lowest floor elevation drops below the surrounding grade on all sides. Many people would benefit from you posting a good tutorial on how to accomplish an affordable basement to a FEMA compliant crawlspace conversion.

@sergii_contractor

8 ай бұрын

Right, can't build no basements by the coast. Also when you are in the flood zone, not everyone want to build houses on piers as it will require to climb staircase, so you can see tons of older houses built on 2ft ventilated crawlspaces that currently are getting encapsulated by local contractors due to high humidity.

I love retrofitting old crawlspaces with closed cell foam and vapor barriers. Massive benefits in efficience and air quality.

@ErnieTessein

3 жыл бұрын

If you have a vented crawlspace and want to convert it, what is the best way? Vapor barrier the ground (I have concrete) and close cell foam the walls?

You definitely have the best home building show around!…I’ll be moving to Florida in 2021...and I have so many notes and tips on new construction from this channel...I’m so very grateful for all your hard work on these videos, which in turn will help me when I have my home built!…thank you!...

I bought a house in upstate NY with a crawl space - its dry with concrete floor and cinder walls, insulated with spray foam under 1st floor but still has a few vents - not perfect (yet) but not wet and not cold. Since its my first house and haven't seen many crawl spaces before, I wasn't sure of quality of the space so its helpful to get a frame of reference for what is good and what to avoid or fix. Really helpful video.

This is so timely for me! I've got an old house with a really terrible crawlspace. Have been looking at encapsulation or maybe even a full dig-out. I love the drop-down ladder! It's like attic stairs in reverse.

Absolutely love this video! One of my primary resources for learning home improvement methods is This Old House. However, I've learned by now that crawlspaces are apparently non existent in the New England area and thus they virtually NEVER have episodes pertaining to crawlspaces. Thanks for making this video, nice to get some valuable info. You've given me a lot to research further now.

Really like this format Matt! So much information and multiple scenarios! Love it! Thanks for all of your videos and the knowledge you put out!

Great video. Lot's of details that educate. I really like examples of large budget builds and advice on retrofitting our current houses. You really do a fantasic job with these. Always look forward to the next one. Thanks

I've been in a crawl space here in Scandinavia in a house that was build the year 1900. It was great. It was well ventilated and the ground drained well. No plastic to trap water, so very little rot or bad odours even after 100+ years. The entire house was just extremely well built and throughout.

@SilverPlum

4 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see details, video & stills, of the construction of your house.

Thanks Matt! I'm not a builder but always wondered why you would do that. I'll do a slab on grade in Idaho with radient heat.

5:04 ditto! Was just about to suggest this! So glad the crawlspace is concrete, though a little rough and it's pitched to the corner sump pump but it could be better, lots of puddles after a water tank leak

you have so much knowledge and excellent presentation. ive watched many of you videoes. thank you so much sir

As a plumber I do hate crawl spaces however after crawling and them for years they become like a plumber's home. And all I can say is there is a reason that commercial is usually done on slab and has concrete slab. However I want to add to this then when you have a concrete slab that you lay all your pipes in there's ever any major issues you got to start chopping up that concrete slab. The project gets a lot more expensive and a lot more extensive when you don't have a crawl space. So from a maintenance perspective crawl spaces are often really handy.

I’ve watched this video before but it just didn’t click. Glad this resource is always here. Thanks a ton!

I don't build, but Matt's videos help me think about the kind of home I want to live in, especially if we hire someone to build us a home rather than buy a pre-owned home.

@grendelum

6 жыл бұрын

Dosadoodle - I’m in the process of tearing down my 100+ year old home here in SW Florida (it’s so grossly inefficient and while 4k+ sqft uses space terribly) and building a new one. These videos have been a goldmine for me as I’d never thought about these things until now. One interesting bit, I’m going with a company that takes my blueprints and builds the house shell in ~65 pieces out of a sandwich of concrete board and 8” of closed-cell foam... it looks and builds just like a normal house except it’s airtight with the windows in less than a week !! Not to mention the Herr (I think? The insulation score) score of 50 with the triple glazed hurricane proof windows... with the Tesla SolarRoof and PowerWalls (and a bunch of other whizbang renewable tech) I’ll never repeat the 11 days without power we suffered after Hurricane Irma !!

Crawl spaces are big here in Canada(Manitoba anyways) mostly ICF with ridged foam 4x8 around the perimeter. Poly inside with sand or pea stone on top and sump pit with weeping tile all around. Works great for the furnace , hrv , ducting, plumbing, electrical ran easy, hwt , jet pump, etc.

You just gave me a great education on a property that I'm considering. It has some serious moisture damage from accumulated time and probably venting down in Louisiana. I'm having an inspector go down and look at the damage to see if the entire floor joists need replacing or just several along with the subfloor. You convinced me to get that dried out, replace the damage and seal up the foundation to make it a place for my grandson to inherit.

@areyoujelton

4 жыл бұрын

sirwilliam51 you’re a great grandfather, just saying... My wife and I are currently living in my grandparents’ old house and we love it! Great memories and we are making new ones.

Thank you very much Matt very good segment on crawl spaces

Thank you for running this style of education class for us, I'm definitively gathering ideas for my next home build.

I want to build in Florida in a couple years and I’m interested in your series, I’ve liked the idea of a crawl space because the home is off the ground and away from ground moisture.

Best Building & Building Science info on the intranets! Thanks Matt!

You and your friends work looks phenomenal.👍 I love the indoor access to the crawl space. I hate going in mine it’s nasty, especially knowing I’ve found scorpions down there. In 2012 we were in a bind and decided to renovate this little century old farm house. I’m thankful for it but the crawl space is the number one reason why us throwing money in this old place bothers me because it’ll never be right. That said, I can’t really complain, and am thankful to have a roof over our head. But I agree, if at all possible steer clear, because if it bothers you to begin with, it probably isn’t going to get better.

Great stuff Matt. Wish I could do a retro on my house and my parents. Probably will. Perhaps a video on the proper way to insulate the slab edge.

I'm an engineer by degree and an industrial project manager by profession, and have been eager to get into home construction for awhile. As a segue into the field, I purchased an 1920's home a year ago and have been renovating it solo with immense study of codes and best practice, a lot of which comes from Matt's video's. It really makes me wish my early years were spent training under someone like Matt who clearly knows plenty of the tried and true methods, but is happy to entertain the up and coming technologies as well. I love the videos and appreciate the time put into making them - this is an excellent channel!

I recently came in contact with your cahnnel and you have some awesome educational videos!!!

Whenever I'm looking for a video on any subject, Matt akways has one. Thanks for this

You forgot to mention underpressure. That's how we do them in Sweden nowadays. Basically the blowout fan is in the crawlspace and the intake vents are in the house. That creates an underpressure which makes sure that the air from the crawlspace doesn't go up into the house

My 100 year old waterfront cottage in New York stands directly on bedrock and has a fairly short crawlspace. I turned this cottage into my year-round home so insulating and utilizing the crawl was important. I have done an encapsulated/ conditioned space using materials from Crawlspace Depot online. So far, so good through three zone 4 winters and summers. I am monitoring summer condensation and may decide to add a crawlspace dehumidifier in the future. (I added wiring to that area for lights and a future dehumidifier, if needed.)

Hey Matt you really have some awesome information one this channel ! Keep up the great work !

Hey Matt, I am a cabinet maker and trim carpenter so I'm not an expert in all building sciences (though I like to be well informed) but was wondering what advantages are there are to building a crawl space rather than a slab? I guess the slab house is less expensive to build and more accessible for aging people where steps would cause some mobility issues. I wish I lived in Austin I'd have a job on your crew. Love what you're doing. Keep up the good work and pushing quality and craftsmanship.

Great video. Great information. Thanks Matt.

Great vid. I will say that a lot of people do a crawlspace Instead of a basement for concrete cost. I am one of those people. A question I have is what about a vapor barrier then back fill with gravel? Cheap and should take care of any moisture from the ground.

You didn't mention anything about air movement in a sealed or conditioned crawl space. I do believe a sealed crawl space is the way to go, I have completely sealed my crawl space and it is fantastic, (no shoes in my crawl space, Lol), but also it is now part of the air of the entire house, so part of the heating and cooling system. without air movement you can have moisture build up? Yes? or adding a dehumidifier in the crawl space to regulate the humidity. Love your input, Thanks for the video.

I really like your channel. I've learned a lot.

I have a crawlspace 2000sqft built 12yrs ago. The walls are 8inch x 4ft poured on a 2ft x 6inch footer. I am in the middle of retrofitting it now. I sanded and sealed the whole underneath and floor joists. I installed a sump pit in case of an emergency line leak. The crawl floor has plastic then 4inches of pea gravel. When it rains alot water will seep a little around the edge on top of the footer. I have used hydraulic cement to slow it down but still not 100% so I need to fix that before I encapsulate. The vents I have been opening when it's under 45% humidity. I am going to install little windows in front of my vents as a easy way to vent or seal.

I know a few places where I live on Vancouver Island that have a heated slab on grade with 2 heat pumps. One for the heated floor and the other for forced air up stairs. It could also be a geothermal system run on solar power. On top of that, you can have a heated driveway, so you don't have to shovel snow. That would be handy if you had a steep driveway and you need to "get going".

8:36 looks like a dream down there

Hi Matt, thanks very much for the information. The explication is very clear and helpful. I own an old house with wooden floors on a moist crawl space of dirt. The house was built in a very moist area. I have watched many videos and read a lot about this topic because I would like to fix some problems with the house. The wooden floors are rotten, three bedrooms need the floors changed, but I want to do the right thing. I understood from another video that if I stop the moisture by insulating, the moist will find its way out and climb the walls. It has already done that. Any ideas? Thanks again.

Matt, Awesome video lots of great information

Matt I love the videos and seeing how to build something in the best way, but I would love to see more videos of fixing older systems. I have a 1955 house with vented crawl and not sure what to do. I live in NC, so moisture is an issue in the summer. All I have is a crappy "moisture barrier" from previous owner.

@stevescherer4954

5 жыл бұрын

When I bought a used home with crawl space in GA , the first thing the seller, and the inspector, told me to do was to keep a dehumidifier running 24/7/365 and repair the encapsulation (moisture barrier). There's evidence of old mold on some joists and subfloor, but no new issues. BTW I also keep sticky bug traps along all the walls down there to reduce bug populations.

Hey Matt. I've been watching your videos for some time now and I just want to say thank you for always staying up to date with current code and practices. I live in Texas as well and I built my house as a pier and beam foundation. Do you have any suggestions for a self builder about finding the balance between a well vented crawl space with skirting vs just leaving the crawl space complete open to the elements?

Thank you Matt! We bought a fixer upper and the first thing we did was spray open cell in the attic, 2nd thing we did encapsulate the crawl spaces, We have yet to insulate the spaces, still researching the most economical way to do it right i.e. closed cell vs. XPS with spray foam gaps, remodels can get out of hand cost wise, and we aren't sure if we want to invest in quality and stay here or do it well and sell, so much of what we do is determined by the market and our jobs. Thanks Matt for everything you are doing especially recently.

crawl spaces are excellent to vent RADEON gases ! It's amazing to see...: - cheap particle floor joist when you consider labor cost - cheap plastic vapor barrier instead of a rat-slab to prevent uninvited winter guests - slab on grade needs to be well insulated to prevent condensation or moisture migration and ground radeon Besides wood structure will want ho wick moisture until it simply rots right around 10YRS 🤗

Dimple Mat. It's so simple! Breaks the hydrostatic pressure. Nice!

Mine is beautiful and typically dry, but it's an old one, when homes were built a little better. Basements are subject to hydrostatic pressure which isn't great. My footers are partially exposed in some places-can't find anything about whether that is bad or not. I really like the job done here with the concrete support piers.

I'm the second owner of a Southern CA house built in 1959. I bought it in 2019. One of the first fixes was to replace the closet mounted heater with an attic mounted HVAC system. This was to allow us to use that heater closet to extend the small shower in the master bedroom. Imagine my surprise when I removed the heater only to find that for 60 years it has been drawing the air in from the crawl space! No return air! That means all the air that comes in has to go out so it leaks like a sieve! Lots of work to do!!

I live in southern BC, right on the WA border. Climate Zone 4. The 3' high crawl space in my 25 yr. old home has poured concrete slab and walls. The walls are always dry but there are lots of damp spots on the floor (no puddled water), a fair bit of efflorescence and some mold spots. There are no rodents or termites. The perimeter drain pipes are fine - I have them inspected/cleaned every 5 yrs. The heating system is forced air so I had the furnace guys cut vents in the supply and return air ducts a few years ago. After tons of research, I am DIY'ing a clean-up with Concrobium, and then sealing the concrete with a chrystalline sealer like Xypex High'N Dry. My question is about the rigid board insulation for the walls. I'll probably use R10 but I can't get a consistent answer on whether I need it to be foil-faced. I'd appreciate your opinion on my plans and on the insulation. Thanks! Jon

love your knowledge!

Coming from a slab foundation in CA to my house with a crawl space in TN soo far I dislike the noise from walking around. A benefit is my plumbing lines are all easy accessible vs being under a slab.. my old house was all old cast iron, woulda been a lot of money had i had to repair it.

Matt I love your videos I'm 23 I have installed Windows for 5 years and I love building science! How do I transition to this type of Career..

Thank you for your honesty!❤😂

As usual, very helpful!

Okay... tell me if this sounds right. I live in Michigan and I didn't use to have any water issues in this home. There was card board on the basement floor to make crawling easier so I would have noticed. Then my neighbors HUGE tree fell down and now I DO have water issues. The tree can no longer soak up all the water I guess. If it matters, we live in the middle of a hill that's built like steps. I'm thinking before I do any sort of crawlspace renovation I need to install a french drain in the backyard to get the water to go around the house down to the street. Water from my neighbor's yards runs into mine I think given that I'm downhill. The crawl only has 3 openings: a tiny air vent that might be needed by the furnace, a much larger opening that I think might have been needed to install the furnace, and the door (which is also not very big). I plan to close the second opening (I've kept it in case I need to pump in fresh air before going down there.) and I'm looking to buy a better door than what I built for the entry. Do I need the other opening? Doesn't the furnace need oxygen to burn fuel? If it helps I can run a pipe straight to the vent and spray foam that. After that I was planning on doing a thin layer of concrete on the floor and possibly enclosing the furnace in a box of some sort. There is definitely some crawlspace air being pumped into the house! I've taped HEPA filter material over the vents to reduce it but that's just a bandaid. I was planning on going down there with a leaf blower to clean out any old dust and stuff, sealing up the holes, running an air filter under there for a few months, and replacing all the old sheet metal pipes with insulated ones. Would I be better off trying to move the furnace to the attic which is also open air? Would I then also need to enclose the furnace up there? Or should I abandon the furnace and install a heated floor? Or do something else, etc.? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I have no idea how I got here, but thanks youtube reccomendation, I will consume this content

Great video. My thought is that when you finish your crawl space this well (and you should), you could just as well build a split level home. That gives you the best of both worlds.

@gfriedman99

5 жыл бұрын

Sheri Schneider how

@6willis

Жыл бұрын

@@gfriedman99 it was a joke

I was going to ask Matt about the foam and or the insulation board covering the top of the wall preventing termite inspections but after looking down through the comments it's apparent he doesn't answer any comments. I'm sure he's busy.

Matt/BuildShow team, recommend that you add a note about possible need for radon mitigation along with crawl space encapsulation perhaps with a link to some of your content on that topic. After watching this video (several times) I encapsulated my crawl space and later discovered that in doing so I created a radon issue. Thanks

One thing I would really like to hear more about is how to deal with up-gassing requirements. I get the theory of 'seal everything and condition the crawl space' but many municipalities will not allow you to fully seal a vented crawl space under the argument of up-gassing. How can these concepts be put into practice?

Moisture/vapor condenses on the warm side of an insulated partition. Closed cell on the floor of a south crawl space that also has cold winters, such as zone 4, Tennessee, South and North Carolina and many miles north or south of there can cause condensation above the insulation. Be sure you take these comments with a very specific knowledge of your local conditions.

@jean-clauded5823

3 жыл бұрын

I'm in Dallas and I'm about to replace all of the beams under my house because of wood rot. The sub floor is fine, but the prior owner did a closed cell foam under the floor, sealing in any moisture that migrated down from the living space. Anyone ever spill a glass of water? If so, now you have moisture that will get stuck on top of the closed foam, and rot it. This is why my beams failed, but the plywood decking did not.

Great video.. thanks for the info

Thanks for the infor great education for everyone.

Very informative. Thank you. I have a nice conditioned crawl space, but I'd like to put some kind of coating on the concrete floor (it is chalky and I track grit back into the house after I go down there). Do you have any recommendations?

Great information

Real nice video, thanks!

Awesome content as usual 🌸

Your information is invaluable. From an Australian.

Hi Matt, This brings a lot of questions to my mind. We bought a home in NW Pa a few years ago that was built on a stem wall with a crawl space. There is an addition on the back that is used as a "sun room" (all windows) that is not set on the original stem wall. Here is the scenario. The original owner/builder vented the crawlspace according to local code. When he added the "sun room" it was placed on pillars with cement board sheathing. Prior to our purchase he was required by inspectors to vent that space as well, due to mold issues. The original building with venting has no insulation in the floor joices, and strangely/oddly/hysterically, he placed batt insulation on the stem walls (obviously doing nothing since the space is vented (correct?)), there is no moister barrier either.. There is a return air duct in this space, but the warm air runs through the attic. This is a very short crawl space and to be truthful I doubt the local code enforcers ever heard of a "conditioned" crawl space. I was considering putting batt insulation under the floor but after watching this video I'm confused about that. The floor is cold year round, and of course very cold in winter. I'm not sure if "conditioning" the area is possible because one of the concerns in this area is Radon gas. Most of the codes I've seen require venting to prevent Radon build up. Fact or fiction? I don't know. So what can I do to insulate the floor in this climate? Thanks for any advice.

Curious what you think about the construction of my house's floor... My house was built in 1935. It has a unique floor. The walls are adobe bricks but there is a cement slab foundation which goes up about a foot around the perimeter, and the adobe outer walls were built on top of that. There is sort of a subfloor -- they had laid lumber skids across the whole house interior, right on top of the cement slab, and then did tongue-and-groove boards on top of that at a 90 degree angle, then oak floorboards on top of that at 90 degrees to the tongue-and-groove boards. Most of it has fared pretty well. Still very solid, except where there were water leakage issues around the bathroom (turns out the old tub overflow was not connected to anything for decades).

Matt... I’m in the Midwest, and currently have a vented crawl. Spray foam the deck and the walls?

The thing in Florida about slab on grade, construction puts dead trees under the house and doesn’t have hardly any rebar in the slab.

I’m looking for a home to live in right now and sooo many have crawl spaces and time after time they have foundation issues... I’m looking at a home from the 1920s right now that’s gorgeous it stayed it had a basement but the posting was wrong it has a crawl space and I’m worried to find foundation issues I’d feel so much safer buying a crawl space constructed the way I saw in this video

Your video is very helpful and informative. I am renovating the crawlspace of an existing home. Many questions along the way but I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. A question on the foam board to use on the cement block walls. I’d like to use 2 to 4 inches of Thermax TuffR, but if I use multiple layers I will have multiple vapor barrier’s on the wall. Does that create any problems? Also, can the bottom edge of the foam board be in contact with the soil surface, or should their be a gap between bottom edge and soil, or should the foam board extend below the soil surface? Thanks.

It would be good if you had video showing exactly how you do it especially with the vapor barrier because I’m wondering do you have a concrete slab or do you have stone under the vapor barrier

Slabs are terrible in Houston's gumbo soil. Your concrete floor idea is very interesting. Here in CA I am building a full basement/garage.

Great video. We have an old brick home in Denver CO and are remodeling our half basement. the crawl space is sealed and i guess could be called a short basement (3.5 feet high). does anyone have any ideas how to insulate it or should we? thanks

Th for your videos Matt I'm up north now lived south so I recognize a lot of the architecture . I'm wondering about your position on icfs even for a southern climate add a thin reflective outer barrier geo thermal a.c. ?

So, I've got a 12 year old house in Midwestern Tennessee and I've got one of those nasty, wet crawlspaces where the pink fiberglass insulation is falling out of the floor joints due to moister build up and we're starting to see the first signs of mold. I'm a 100% disabled veteran so I'm on a very fixed budget of just my VA Disability, so I can't afford a $30,000 makeover/renovation (what I was quoted for encapsulation). What would you recommend that I can do or have done to mitigate that nasty air leaking into my vents and to eliminate the moisture underneath my house? Thanks for all the great videos Matt!

When rehabing an existing crawlspace what would I do for the entrance? It is currently accessed through the outside. Should I try to build an airtight door out there or should I move the access point?

If you install 2 inch foam on the outside of a basement wall up to the dirt line should you also install foam board on the inside wall of the basement to the joist?

You said “I will show you bad crawl spaces and show you how to fix them” you advertised for yourself and the company the whole video. Thanks for the help 👍

@CharlesWilson-zs3vd

Жыл бұрын

Totally agree.

Great video! I actually just found a builder after talking to 5 that actually does a conditioned crawl space. Pretty happy with his quote to build my house now just waiting on a soil amendment from the county.

matt can you please make a video about spray foaming floors in a crawlspace and the arguments about how foam hides potential leaks

What about a 3" gap at top of wall for termite inspection? I see spray foam up all into rim joist.

Most places in the south you can’t spray the foam all the way up to the joist you have to leave a gap, usually about 6 inches, for termite inspection.

LOL I find your video funny and educational at the same time.

Hi Matt, I've been learning a lot from your videos. In a crawlspace retrofit situation (Northern California, vented space, high winter ground water can make the space damp)...when using spray foam isn't condensation on the joists a concern since the top of the joist might be warm while the bottom would be cold? Would it not be preferable to spray foam the underdeck and entirely around the joists? Separate from insulation, putting in ground encapsulation, part of our area is "rat proofed" with uneven concrete splashed around. It is rough enough that would likely tear the plastic sheeting when repairs are needed to plumbing or electrical. Is there some sort of waterproof pad that can be placed between the "rat proofing" and the plastic sheathing to prevent the sheeting from tearing? Complicating this, that section of the crawlspace is sloped so adding something like sand would likely not work. Finally, any comments on using active ventilation to place the crawlspace in slight negative pressure? Thanks in advance for any ideas/suggestions!

Matt, I have a 20 mil vapor membrane in my crawlspace, but it is damaged and inconsistent. Instead of ripping it up, could I simply overlay a new membrane?

What about putting vapor barrier under your footings, and leave the footers, piers, stem wall, everything within the vapor envelope? Bring the vapor barrier up exterior foundation wall and shingle/seal the exterior sheathing to foundation vapor barrier

Great video Matt. But one question. You seem to prefer closed cell foam to open cell. Is that true? And when might you consider using open cell foam?

Great stuff. Thanks bud

Amen,, from the south here as well,, was practicing building sealed , waterproofed conditioned crawl spaces 30 years ago,, folks thought it was crazy then,, and had more than a few debates with different building inspectors back then,,, best practice for a crawl space is a graded ,, base, stone sub base,, heavy moistire membrane,, insulation board under a lean concrete slab,,, perimeter drain below footing level,, waterproofed sstem walls,, with continuous perimeter foam insulation starting at footing level,, continuing up to stay in same plane as exterior wall foam board insulation,, ,,, also have plumber install a floor drain or two in crawlspace slab ,, minimal concrete slope in case of leaks,,, but have a trap primer installed in those floor drains,,, In our high humid climate ,, have mechanical design to include a portion of return and a small supply air to keep the space de humidified.. it works,, saves energy,,, more comfortable house,, IAnd more importantly compltely stops mold mildew issues to structure,, and as you said ,, eliminates the critter problem,,, just be sure the crawl space entry doors are insulated and instaaled with same care as those at the living space !

@fm15243

5 жыл бұрын

I got a house from 61 and the crawl space is mint sound like everything you said

With encapsulation, you still need a dehumidifier to prevent changes in humidity in the crawlspace.

Hey Matt would you ever do an episode on showers or tile in general? Maybe even heated floors?

How do you add piers from an old home that needs additional piers or replacement?