Crawl Space - What would you do?

   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #1  

wedge40

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Oct 8, 2007
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Just a topic of discussion.
I live a small house, about 1100SF. It has a crawl space that is one block high. Yes about 8" when going under the floor joists and almost 16" when going between them. It's forced air heating with the supply duct work in the crawl space, return in the attic. There is a plenum or trunk made of fiberboard in the crawl space. All of the supply lines are 6" flex duct. I've done what I could over the years to keep critters out, but mice have always been a problem. Every few years I've had to go down in the "crawl" space and replace or repair the flex duct because the mice chew holes in it.
I would like to fix this problem once and for all.

I have a couple of choice that I can see. One if to find someone who will replace the duct work with all metal in the current crawl space and the other is to have the crawl space made bigger maybe even turning it into a basement and then putting in metal duct work.
I'm curious what the experts here would suggest? And if anyone could give guesstimates on prices.

I'm at the point that I'm at least going to have to patch the duct this winter. And man I hate going into that crawl space.

Wedge
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #2  
Shoot a picture of your house and where do you live?
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #3  
I would put Tom Cat blocks all over the crawl space.... this will force the mice to seek water and they should die outside your house. Or get a yard cat and do not feed it in the winter ...it will clean up the mice. Don't do both because if the cat eats a mouse that dies from the tom cat it could die also.
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #4  
I'm not going to ask why anyone would have built it this way:cool:
But an 8" cinder block high foundation is about equivalent to what is poured in concrete slab floor homes these days,;)
How is the house designed? with only one story one floor system?
if so! have you considered elevating/raising the house and adding a higher foundation? although you wouldn't be able to go with a basement hight using only 8"cinder block, perhaps 5 foot high,
here is an example of what I'm talking about, except doing a complete solid foundation,
 
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   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #5  
I would go for the full basement, 1100 square feet isn't that big so it shouldn't be that hard to do. Plus you could finish off the basement in the future and almost double your living space. The heating system and water heater could all move downstairs giving you more space upstairs right away.
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Ya I know the builder was an idiot, and maybe I wasn't the brightest for purchasing it. I've never understood why he didn't spend another 500 bucks or so and put a couple more rows of block to make the crawl space bigger. But he knew he was never going to live here, he built the place and then sold it. There are 3 1/2 homes here that are all pretty shoddy, and built by the same guy.

I have thought/dreamed of having someone come in an raise the house an put a real foundation in or basement. If I went with a basement it would be a 10 block at least. I guess I really should get some estimates. I've always thought that while they were doing that I'd have to live some place else during the process. Barn next year and maybe the basement the year after.

Wedge
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #7  
When I was a young man and worked for a contractor I put rigid metal duct under a house just about like you are describing. To go across joists one had to dig some dirt out and to turn from belly to back it was done between joist. On the first day I wondered why those other guys dropped me off and left the job site. :confused2:

Speaking of basements. A brother of mine bought a house without, had a basement dug and the contractor moved the house over. It worked out really well. You may or may not have that option.
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #8  
Under normal building code I would assume the footers are 10" deep and reinforced with double rebar steel, although with such shortcuts already been taken on the foundation this is evident that he most likely shortcut the footers as well,
so by adding more cinder blocks ( weight ) to the foundation might over stress the footers causing them to crack as well as future cracks in a full block wall foundation,
You would most likely need to form up over the existing footers and re-pour them thicker before adding additional weight to them,
you could also still use 8" cinder's up to 5 ft. and then frame wall 4 ft. using
2x6 studs this could give the ability to install windows having daylight basement, although could add windows as well with solid block wall, would just have to weigh out cost/materials/labor on doing it both ways,
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #9  
Raising the house or digging a basement under it would be great...BUT...real expensive. The most practical thing to do would be to move the complete HVAC system to the attic in my opinion. Putting duct work in an 8" crawl space is ridiculous.

MarkV
 
   / Crawl Space - What would you do? #10  
I would be tempted to remove part of the existing floor and put in a heat-able slab. 1100 sq. ft. is pretty small and you would not have to do the whole house. Granted it would take some engineering and probably would not be an "easy" fix, but those warm floors are great!
 
 
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