crawl space question

8 years ago

We have a open system crawl space under our home that has a vapor barrier and insulation between the floor joist. We also have an area that used to be a back porch and was enclosed and is now part of the main house. The area is approximately 28' x 7' which is now a step down area from the great room, the crawl space underneath this area is cinderblock and the floor above is a concrete slab. There is a vapor barrier but no insulation on the walls or the concrete slab, the height between the vapor barrier and the floor is approximately 3 feet. Can we put insulation of some kind on the walls or flooring in the crawl space to help insulate the area above?

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Comments (2)

wmsimons85
8 years ago
Be careful with insulating the ceiling in a crawl space. We just had all ours taken out, it was creating moisture and a fungus. We had a new vapor barrier put on the floors and up the walls in the crawl space and so far no moisture.
Patricia Siegel
Original Author
8 years ago
After getting many estimates, ranging from $3000 to $20,000 we have made a decision with hopes it is the correct one!

We live on the lake in North Carolina and our home was originally built in 1971, but has gone through renovations in 1994. We moved in July 2017.

Our crawl space is now open, it has moisture issues, insulation hanging down and fungi. No standing water ever. Our floors are always cold. We had a vapor barrier installed over the dirt when we had some structural issues taken care of. There are no heating units, water heaters or duct work. Our choices are the following.

1. Total encapsulation, remove all of the insulation between floor joist, install a vapor barrier on exterior walls, French drain and dehumidifier. Close all vents.

2. Open cell spray foam between floor joist and a dehumidifier installed. Close all vents.

3. Secure any falling existing insulation, close all vents and install dehumidifier.

Our choice was 3 due to the option to adding to this if it does not completely take care of the issues.
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