crawl space/foundation opinions & suggestions.

All-thumbs · 01-12-2012, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mae-ling

You could dig say 1' down and 4' out from the house, put in clay and slope it away from house, then dirt on top.
Sorry can not think of the proper slope at the moment. Anyone else know it?

that leads me to my next question...

does anyone have a good link for how to properly install a drainage/runoff system around the foundation?

ive got access to a mini excavator from my work so digging isnt an issue. i would just like to understand what is involved so i can decide after i got the eaves fixed up. is there a code for this sort of repair that i need to follow?

i was down in the crawl again a little while ago and can see water coming in below the bottom row of blocks in 3 areas all along the one wall that gets a ton of rain runoff on the ground from 2 roofs.

PhilMac · 02-01-2012, 06:06 PM

Thumbs, when you get all that done, paint your walls with Thoroseal per the directions. It will do a great job of sealing the walls and give you a nice bright white finish. I did mine 20 yrs ago and it has never mildewed or needed painted again. It is a masonry type product and goes on with a little rough texture. You can just slap it on. Beware: wear rubber gloves. It will eat holes in your fingertips if you do enough of it.

PhilMac · 02-01-2012, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecaption

Black fungus on the floor joist is very very bad. The fungus eats the cellulose holding the wood fibers together.
Many many times we have had to go under the house and sister all the floor joint because you could easly snap one off by hand or stick a screwdriver through it.
It going to have to be treated with boric acid. Any real exterminator can do it and it's not that expencive to get done.

You are so right about this. If you search on www.BOATUS.com magazine's website they did a recent feature on the types of wood rot, with pics, very descriptive.

All-thumbs · 02-01-2012, 07:52 PM

thanks for the tip!

i havent gotten much done down there lately besides sealing up the vents and anything i can find running through the foundation. i am trying to tackle a few issues all at once around the house but im gettin there..

.

its drying out pretty good down there now and once i get some gutters installed and some re-grading around the foundation, i think i will be ready to start with the crawl space.

the plan is to clean and treat all the questionable lumber down there and ad some new stuff for good measure. all prior to encapsulation and dehumidifier setup.

i think i got a good plan.... now i just need the funds to implement it...lol.

i will keep this thread updated as i get things accomplished. i certainly have appreciated the opinions i have recieved so far.