Maybe the fig roots are doing you a favor by sucking up the water from the leak, if there really is one. My neighbor had a drain pipe from his shower that unbeknownst to him became detached from the shower pan, so all the water from every time he took a shower was draining under the house into the crawlspace. It caused the soil to get so soggy that one end of his house sunk three inches, making his house unlevel, which cost him big bucks to fix. BTW, I have a Chinese Elm about 20 feet away from a rental house in the backyard that's roots grew under the house about 30 feet wide and came out another 15 feet in the front yard, for a total length of about 65 feet. My neighbor had a Eucalyptus that had roots 50 feet long that grew under the fence and were sucking water out of my garden.

**Follow up - Okay, it's been one day since I posted. (Practically) and the neighbors started up again with their music. This time, rap, with their bass so high it was shaking my son's bedroom door. So, I opened my door, and knocked to tell them to just please turn it down. Of course, no answer. Called my hubby, he told me to scream out in the hallway to tell them to turn it down or I'd call police and they would make them turn it down. So, I followed his advice. And before I could even shut my door, Mr #4 screamed at me, (with beer in hand) And said he could do whatever the *^ he wants, and if I give him any more problems he will see me in jail and hurt my son. So, I said bring it &!!hole and locked my door. (Hubby, heard the whole thing, over the telephone) So, with that said, I called the police. Of course, as I dialed, I had a panic attack - and fianlly the police showed up. I had them come to my door FIRST (or at least one officer) Because for some reason I just did not feel safe anymore. Told the police what had happened, they actually called me down - So, I made an incident report. I asked for an order of protection or something, they told me no - I guess it's only used for couples, boyfriend girlfriend type things ect. BUT - I made an incident report. Then they asked me about my landlord. I told them about the Landlord, and they said to tell him one more time, and if he doesn't listen to call them back and THEY will talk to him. So, they knocked on their door and of course no answer. So, like usual. The cops left. Twenty minutes later someone pounded on my door. I figured it was Mr #4 so I ignored it. My brother was over, and he took a peek out of my kitchen window (It faces out to the front where their bicycles are 'parked') and seen them scurry off down the street. I figured good. Now I can take me and my son out of here. I got him dressed, and as I eft, the stupid idiots put a note on my door. This is EXACTLY what they put. I have the letter right here. "Well, since you have become a problem, Harrassing me, I am telling "Landlord" & DCFS that you and "Hubby" have other people living with you and also MARIJUANA smoking in the house with a child present and all the traffic coming and going! Drug dealing - and aslo have DCFS give "Hubby" a Drug test screening. Also - it is a FELONY for filing a FALSE POLICE REPORT - I will file ANOTHER complaint with DCFS since you have a case already. =] It's not 10:30PM. I can play music ^$@^$!!!!" I have never touched a drug in my life. Ever. My hubby was a dumb teenager back in the day, but ever since he graduated hiughschool he left it in the past. As for 'traffic' coming and going, sure. I have company. But never really on a regualr basis. SOmetimes a babysitter here, a friend there. My mother-in-law shows up..That's it... As for "Other people living with me" There is none. Just me, hubby a toddler. Sometimes my brother comes to spend the night (He lives in wisconsin, comes down for visits for a week, and leaves). Filing a "False" police report is a felony. But it wasn't false. I just don't understand these people. I took the letter to the police station, and they said it's enough evidence to book him in jail. But, the cop told me (It was the same guy that was over earlier) "Fine. We can put him in jail. But his bond is $100, He'll be there overnight, get out on bond...and slash your tires, or burn the place down or worse..." So, he basically gave me a choice. I didn't know what to do. So I chose not to. I want to move so bad... I guess for the meantime my landlord can eat crap - My life is in danger, as well as my son. I already paid November month's rent, I'm leaving tonight. I'm putting everything in storage, and staying with a friend a few blocks down until I can save up and move out. As for my neighbors, I hope they rot in hell. I live in Kankakee County, Illinois. I live in Bradley.

So it's a vented crawlspace. A traditional bad idea. (See Building Science Corp. above.) But then you're using the crawlspace as the supply for the HVAC--in other words, forever sucking in humid air, but at the same time trying to dehumidify it. Sisyphus had it easier! Your crawlspace should be conditioned. In other words, it should be treated as part of the living space. You already are using it as a source of supply air for your HVAC. That means no vents, non-fibrous insulation at the perimeter (none on the crawl ceiling), a high-quality ground cover (not just sheets of poly) and provision for dehumidification, at least for the first few months after occupancy. Here is a link that might be useful: Green Building Advisor on Unvented Crawl Spaces

I agree with randy427's overall advice. Plumbers and electricians often talk very badly of someone else's work (what a hack job!), and they have very little patience when something is hard to reach or the layout is hard to figure out. It is probably pretty bad down there, but maybe not as bad as they have led you to believe. I think your first repairman should be a competent handyman or general contractor who can go into the crawl space to clean out any debris and junk, and try to figure out what has been done over the years. You need someone who understands plumbing, wiring, and insulation, but you don't really want he/she to fix anything right away. You just need a good assessment of all the work that will be required. It may be a challenge to find that person, since it requires competence in multiple areas. Once you know what has to be done you need to write out a detailed task list, set priorities, make an initial estimate of the work required for each task, and build a plan/sequence for what should be done in what order. You could hire a GC to figure it all out, but it would be great if you really understood it yourself and could make the decisions about how to get it done. Bruce