Crawlspaces: Vented vs. Encapsulated

‘Home Diagnosis’ hosts Grace and Corbett Lunsford bring you a short history of the crawlspace.

[macrapidito]

Non vented and encapsulated is the way to go? Do I still
Need a dehumidifier in there?

I will be digging, installing a perimeter drain, 4” of gravel adding 2” to 4” of insulation, moisture barrier and 2” of concrete

Edited
I fixing it because previous owners Didn’t even have a moisture barrier under the kitchen floor all of the dirt was exposed and the entire floor was rotted due to high levels of moisture and termites 🤷🏻‍♂️😩

[stringsandapick]

I am amazed how many builders here in the Midwest still vent their crawlspaces. Even ones that have direct connections to the basement adjacent to it.

[jl]

I didn't see that twist ending coming :) I thought you were going to say the best way is to NOT encapsulate the space, like mies van de rohe's Farnsworth house.

Interesting twist saying that the best way is to fully encapsulate. I'll stay tuned for more info, and visit your website

[MiguelinaAriasMIA]

how then do we bring the crawl space inside?

[townsendliving]

What about places that are pretty dry climates, I live in north west new mexico. I think our average humidity is below 30 percent.

[tweake]

Do you have any info on how much temp drop all that evaporating water makes? Thats one big swamp cooler!

[batmbe]

I was surprised by your comment on non-vented crawlspaces almost always being a better option. I’m a big believer in non-vented crawlspaces but I’m not sure they make sense (to retrofit at least) in dry climates. Sure, in humid climates vented are a disaster, no disagreement there. But if you live in a dry/mild climate with an existing crawlspaces and no HVAC down there I’d argue it’s better and more cost effective to simply add a proper air barrier at the subfloor level. New construction I’d still opt for non-vented but I believe retrofit is more nuanced.

[chrissilver]

My god this acting is so cringe…god info though.

[stevestach]

Still didn't answer the question.