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Home Repair Basements

Crawlspace dirt and concrete

2 years ago

Hey just prurchased a cabin and half the crawlspace is dirt and half is cement. I realize the dirt and walls should be covered with a vapor barrier but should i just seal off the dirt part off at the opening to the cement part or should the cement also be covered in a vapor barrier thanks for any help!

Comments (4)

worthy
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
In general, crawl walls should not be covered with a vapor barrier, as per Building Science Corp., but instead, insulated and air-sealed.

If there is a vapor barrier under the concrete flooring, there's no need for a vapour barrier. But if there's not, I would still be inclined to leave it as is. Otherwise, water vapour moving upward into the crawl may be trapped and become water feeding mould growth.

Keep in mind that crawls in the Pacific Northwest are best treated differently.
lindzblake
Original Author
2 years ago
I’m in Canada - Alberta, with cold winters and very warm summers( this year at least!)

The building inspector suggested fixing the vapor barrier which was ripped. He said we are getting the ”stack effect”

There seems to be a little mould on the walls of the concrete part of the crawlspace. There is no vents or anything in the concrete part. Im going to check the humidity and put a dehumidifier down there this weekend.

Thanks for the help I will look more into the vapour Barrier
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What would that entail in my situation? Applying something to the exterior of the foundation wall? Could I just do that to the problem area? I don’t currently have the funds for excavating my whole house to install complete exterior waterproofing if that’s what you mean. More than that, I want to know if just filling the dirt space with gravel and concrete might prevent water from getting to the foundation’s problem area in the first place. If it won’t, then please do elaborate.
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Thank you for the advice. I think issues around the exterior of the house are solved, I had put in channel and French drains and the grading is good, the house sits on top of a slope. I have recently pulled up the floor to do the kitchen and bath and the crawl is bone dry even in heavy rain, the 140 year old wood has zero rot except one joist over the area where it was dug out and water was allowed to pool. I really think digging below the water table in loam/sandy soil means the water just easily seeps into the ground and right into the hole in heavy rain. I am thinking the gravel solution to above the water table and the sump pump stays. I have been on the fence about the vapor barrier, but maybe this is a preferred route to take? The floor is about 2' above the crawl with wood flooring directly on the joists, no sub floor-though no rot or mildew smell. I am in the eastern side of central VA, 7b climate sandy soil.
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kelli_ga
2 years ago
My AC company referred me to an exterminator who encapsulates/seals crawl spaces and installs dehumidifiers. Totally different climate, but if I were you, I would call around to foundation, hvac and exterminator companies in your area, and get someone reputable to come out and do an assessment on your space. Or at least look at their local websites to see if they have information on the best crawl space solutions for your area.

I am getting ready to install floor tile and the health of the subfloor above the crawl space is a big deal for me.

I think the company used a special type of vapor barrier (8 mils) and a special type of dehumidifier. They drained it to the outside and gave me a remote meter. (We don’t have freezing weather here.)
worthy
2 years ago
Even in summer, Big Sky Country hits no more than 45% rh. Still, pretty much the same solution as in the humid US southeast where crawls seem to be a big thing. You just need more insulation on the walls.

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