Enclose crawlspace
According to a friend who helped with my electric and plumbing and this article https://www.homeinnovation.com/~/media/Files/Reports/TechNotes-Floors-above-Crawl-Spaces-June-2014.pdf I should enclose my crawl space under my house. I was having white-grey mold under my sheet vinyl flooring, so I put down some lauan. The vinyl floor is floating, so I didn’t glue it down or seal edges. Somehow water got around the edges and molded the lauan and subfloor under it. I’m removing all the lauan around the edge and replacing but concerned that I should enclose the crawlspace according to above website. I live in south MS. Thoughts? I have not installed any insulation yet…
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Replies
Robin,
Though it is still a contested subject among building professionals and even code officials, in most cases a sealed crawl space is now generally considered best practice. There are exceptions, flood zones for example. Here is a good article on the topic and on how to detail a sealed crawl well: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/building-an-unvented-crawl-space
>"Though it is still a contested subject among building professionals and even code officials..."
Really? Who (pray tell) is arguing that a vented crawlspace in an air conditioned house in southern MS makes any sense at all?
Even in flood zones automatic flood doors/flaps to relieve pressure on the foundation during flooding events can be installed in sealed UNvented crawlspaces. eg:
https://www.icc-es.org/wp-content/uploads/report-directory/ESR-3560.pdf