I like the glass door idea. Easier to see what you want before losing the cold. Most exterior doors are larger than i need/can fit though. Not sure on the gravel...i am sick of the sand being dragged everywhere but i suppose crushed stone would not be as bad. Wouldn't a cement floor hold more cold....maybe that is the issue...the crush would hold cold but allow pockets of it is slip bellow the stones Keeping the flood cold with out the cold sitting on the floor. I would have to sink post or use hanging selves to be sure they were stable, building on crush means they could be dug out and under mined. Further reading suggests that i should not use this room for both perishable food and canned goods. That the moisture needed for the perishables is not good for the cans and jar lids. What to do, what to do?

ok, a lot happened today-- my landlord (also a contractor remodels/builds homes) came by --always shows up when I least expect it, cuz he squeezes me in on his light days. anyway, first of all- the house is approx 650 sq' -- about 25x25' give or take he has listened to all my whining about the moisture and my bed, so he installed a nice big quiet exhaust fan in the bathroom!! VERY quiet and works AWESOME I gotta say. He also finished off the garage doors/mancave where my husband lives (literally) the doors had to be rebuilt and rat proof. did a good job I must say. --the garage is at least 20' from the back of the cottage. I asked him about the insulation: attic-- since a certain amount has already been blown in, he said 1 or 2 bricks of the stuff at most (his apprentice says he will help me blow the stuff in if I rent the blower and buy the bricks of the stuff and of course pay him, but he's cheap. just flakes out sometimes and doesn't show.) one of us blowing, one patting it down as he put it (i guess making sure the beams are exposed) the outside ice walls--he told me his apprentice can drill holes outside at top of under eave between each stud, and put foam in there, then plug back up the holes.They've done this many times on very old homes with plaster lath/board homes.The redwood siding is easy to patch back in the holes. He did it for a back door light. the crawlspace--he told me it would cost LOTS of money to have someone do that, but it can be done a DYI. He says R19 batts with metal clips under the subfloor between floor joists or whatever those boards are called (I forget) but it'll take daysssss. He has gotten under the entire house to all 4 corners, it is just a LOT of twisting,contorting your body and not being claustrophobic --which I have no issue with since I love cave spelunking!! I did one last year in the gold country and the roof of some of the cavern was literally right above my face,pitch dark, like being in a coffin i guess!so peaceful. but anyway, i could do it if i'm brave and take my time-it sounds like a month lol, but i'd had to be dressed the right way,have the tools,make sure i know my paths!! and maybe my "loving" husband would hang nearby in case i get stuck or something. well at least in cell phone range. so all this stuff sounds promising...I will be here a long time. My family does (who live around the corner) I have to say he's done a lot of work for a rental, and I've put in my fair share of my own money already.but it's my home and want to retire here (yes I'm only 51 but I'll work till I'm 65+ just give me good health!) so what do you think now? tackle which project first? oh and he's letting pick out the new color of this house that'll be painted in the spring!! pale grey blue!!cottagey blue! with white trim around the 2 front windows and the white front door that I am going to pay to replace it. so one project at a time, I'm not a Rockefeller in the least. heck i owe taxes ug. anybody live close by and want to help? I'll pay money and feed you, I can't pay normal contractor rates :( that's why I have to do these projects on my own. and husband wants nothing to do with the house. (he's fixing up his garage and apt man cave. so...what items to I need to do-keep in mind I can't do any of this alone I think too dangerous.--watch me get stuck under the house lol! attic-- equipments and protection and approx cost? crawlspace-- equipement and protection and approx cost outside walls--equipment and protection and approx cost? well a lot was accomplished today. I should take photos but have no clue how to put them on here.ok, so i now need opinions. THANKS guys!

Properly installed ducts will not sweat regardless of how humid surrounding air is. One red flag in your discription is "cheap tape was used". Flex duct is best secured with Zip-ties. The linner is normally taped to boot then insulation and outside cover pulled over linner and secured with Zip-tie. If you reconnect ducts to boots,buy the special tensioning tool to pull Zip-ties tight. It sounds like conditioned air is finding it's way out of the spirial wire linner then flowing against outside cover. There might be holes in linner or linner might be disconnected from boots. Another possibility is that duct is simply not well enough insulated.

Wow. So many places to start. Start with the dirt. Pour concrete to properly seal that thing. Now that it is capped, go ahead and get the whole thing sealed using a professional moisture remediation company. The cinder block foundation can be a massive issue. Crawl spaces are supposed to be properly "vented and cross vented" and proper use of moisture barriers over the dirt. It sounds like so much is missing here that the retro "fix" is going to be far more costly than if it had been made a proper basement in the first place. And no, I'm not kidding about that. So. Where do you want to start? It really all needs to be done. And yes, cinder block foundations are notoriously damp. They leak like sieves. Big, expensive, cement sieves. The cheapest thing to do is to do what needs to be done. The wood floors are not the disease, they are they symptom. You could put in thousands of dollars into that floor and still have the same problem - just a different day. You might as well spend the money where it is needed. Several thousand will start the process and calm things down. Bring experts that deal specifically with damp basements/crawlspace ventilation AND cinder block foundations (those are three specialties in one). Get them to write a flow chart as to what needs to be done with the most important items at the top. Then start with #1 and work your way down the list.