Nancy, I've looked and looked through the This Old House website. They have thousands of products listed and I haven't found the one you were talking about yet but I'll keep going through the list. GGG, thanks for the info. I totally know how a crawl space "should" be insulated but this one is so shallow no one can fit under there to do the work. That is the reason the weatherization guy said dirt is the only answer. It truly does need more dirt to create a slope away from the house for drainage but I think it needs something more. I am just imagining something added to the base of the house and that will stick out from the stucco siding and look weird. See the stucco goes all the way to the ground and then has dirt over the bottom edge. Thin Man, when you are thinking about modern building practices you have to take into consideration that this house was built 126-145 years ago buy the pioneers. The county records show that the age is unknown which means that it was built before the town incorporated. We are celebrating the 125th birthday of our town this summer. I would bet that the house was framed with cottonwood or lodge pole pine and that at least the base of it is made from red cedar. The lodge pole pines are indigenous to this area and the other two were planted by very early settlers and during the homestead period and were called tree claims. I would also bet that the stucco on the house is made with river sand and probably wasn't added until the 20's or 30's. The pioneers used what materials were available to them. The houses here all have numerous additions to them because during good times people added on or they added on out of necessity to house their children or to take in boarders. It's kinda funny, it's like a time warp here. Honestly, people are finally having to re-roof their homes and buildings to get rid of the original shake shingles that were used way back when. Those who didn't do the re-roofing when it needed to be done now have buildings that are rotting and caving in. We have low rainfall, sandy soil and no termites in this country and I think that is the reason for the longevity of these houses and buildings. Oh Sierra, I feel so badly for what you are going through. I had a neighbor just like that when I lived in the city. She went so far as to accuse my husband of running her off the road. When it went to court she was 70 and my husband had longish hair and though they had no proof at all, the judge bought her story and sentenced my husband to six months. I had just had my back surgery and was not able to care for my self yet and there I was with three little kids. It was AWFUL! I say it isn't worth it. Move now and find your dream house somewhere else! Really!! Irene, very good information, thank you. I did read up on EIFS. There were numerous lawsuits and class action suits in 2003-2004 because the product, while being an excellent insulator was so good that it didn't allow any trapped moisture to escape. This caused the studs and other woods used in the building to rot. They used the product on almost all new buildings for a period of time. I know that the product system now has a weepage system built into it to eliminate that problem but you are correct in that it must be place 6-8 inches above soil level. So after much research and a sleepless night, what I have decided to do is: move my gardens to the veggie area, let my Aunt go ahead and pile dirt up around the foundation. Close up that weird crawl space area they dug out and fix the cellar door and insulate it as much as possible. When I buy the house in two years I'm going to finance it with a USDA Rural Housing loan. This will allow me enough money to buy the house and do any repairs up the amount that I qualify for based on my income. In this case it will give me about $10K for repairs. At that time I will pull the dirt away from the house, insulate with the highest R-value sheets that are available and then build raised beds with stone all the way around the house to cover the insulation. I would have to put a drip edge along the top of the insulation and seal it all very well and then check it frequently to make sure it staying sealed. The other option is to stucco over the insulation and have a little ridge all the way around the base of the house, which might look weird but may be the more long term way to go. Of course I could add the raised bed against the stucco too and that would cover the ridge. Any thoughts on that? MeMo

ShadyAcres, what was the outcome here? I have a similar problem; however, I have a sagging concrete lintel and there is a void between the lintel and a concrete slab on which two footers are sitting. Three years ago I noticed cracks in the mortar under a small bump out in our kitchen, which has a small crawlspace underneath. When a foundation company excavated to put in three piers, gravel came tumbling out beneath the lintel. What we found was a concrete slab on which two footers rested, with a gap under the lintel. Three piers were placed under the slab and the bumpout was raised. The contractor placed cinder block slides on the slab underneath the lintel to hold the gravel in the crawlspace and recommended pouring a concrete footer under the lintel from the INSIDE. I haven't had a footer poured yet, and shortly thereafter, staircase cracks appeared in the mortar among the cinder blocks resting on the concrete lintel. I'm trying to decide whether I ought to pour the footer or have a foundation company actually pier the lintel with a steel plate.

Worthy, would you please clarify your response above: "The Building America series shows a conditioned crawl in mixed-humid climates and unconditioned crawls are advised against..." Does that mean that in a mixed-humid climate, conditioned and unconditioned crawls are both advised against? I'm seeking to warm up a bedroom. I live in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, climate zone 4A, in an 1800 SF house, built in 1968, and heated with forced air oil furnace and a/c. It is a rancher with a developed lower level on a concrete slab, built with concrete block foundation walls about 8' high. A bedroom was added on a separate foundation with foundation walls 4'4" high. The crawl space under the add-on bedroom has fiberglass insulation between the joist. has 2 small openings that I close in winter; dirt floor. It is very dry and shows no issues with moisture, bugs or mice/snakes/etc. The add-on bedroom is really cold in winter. I will increase attic insulation. What are the options for improving the bedroom's winter temperature by improving the crawl space? Can the crawl space's cement brick walls have foam panels or should I add more insulation in the crawl space's ceiling? A 6 mil plastic sheet over the dirt floor? There are two insulated duct pipes in the crawl space. Is it advisable to seal the crawl space's two little openings and condition the crawl space? However, if it is infeasible to install a return, is a conditioned crawl space not an option? Thank you.

The 2012 International Residential code says: R408.3 Unvented crawl space. Ventilation openings in under-floor spaces specified in Sections R408.1 and R408.2 shall not be required where: 1. Exposed earth is covered with a continuous Class I vapor retarder. Joints of the vapor retarder shall overlap by 6 inches (152 mm) and shall be sealed or taped. The edges of the vapor retarder shall extend at least 6 inches (152 mm) up the stem wall and shall be attached and sealed to the stem wall or insulation; and 2. One of the following is provided for the under-floor space: 2.1. Continuously operated mechanical exhaust ventilation at a rate equal to 1 cubic foot per minute (0.47 L/s) for each 50 square feet (4.7m2) of crawlspace floor area, including an air pathway to the common area (such as a duct or transfer grille), and perimeter walls insulated in accordance with Section N1103.2.1 of this code; 2.2. Conditioned air supply sized to deliver at a rate equal to 1 cubic foot per minute (0.47 L/s) for each 50 square feet (4.7 m2) of under-floor area, including a return air pathway to the common area (such as a duct or transfer grille), and perimeter walls insulated in accordance with Section N1102.2 of this code; 2.3. Plenum in existing structures complying with Section M1601.5, if under-floor space is used as a plenum.