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Looks to me like the taped seams are done incorrectly on the white vapor barrier which would leave lots of gaps for soil gasses and humidity to enter the crawlspace. Was the foundation not treated for termites?

This one is actually infuriating. This is basically standing basement height too. They spend all this money pouring the concrete walls and then they use mixed cinder and brick footers, and dont full slab the floor... why... what happened here. what are those concrete walls anchored in becomes the question. are they just poured onto the dirt or is there something supporting them down, like 2-3 feet deep trench\base. hmm. its like they ran over cost and said that would do and that's it, moved on to the rest of the house. this one can be saved easily. looks like the termites gave up for now

Ahhh, you got me excited with the concrete at the entry - but then the vapor barrier in the rest. Tell the owners they should drop a rat slab in there along with some drainage tile...and then paint the walls with epoxy paint and they can help lock out the termites... The scrap wood are hor'derves for the termites...get rid of it and put in the concrete. Seriously, if the owner has the money for all that CC and glulams, then they'll want to finish it and put in concrete - and get rid of the snacks!

Its crazy how little wood bait it takes to get those termites going. Really good reason to avoid the foam and foam board insulation I've seen installed. Seems like termites and possible water damage are good reasons to avoid that stuff. On the topic of the thicker poly vapor barrier stuff do you know of a good supllier in the upstate South Carolina area?

@11:28 there’s hole ( mouse hole ?) in the flex duct. Therefore, humidity in this crawlspace. Source of some of the humidity I would think is that leaking dryer vent pipe over the HVAC.

Also there are no foundation vents for air exchange. Moisture needs to go somewhere with fresh air exchange.

Are those brick walls part of the stem wall and are they touching the soil on the exterior? If so the brick will collect water more than concrete. Because the brick and mortar leach more water continuously. The footers are the worst I have ever seen with concrete blocks that are open.

Nope, I don't do crawl spaces. Will never buy a home with one. Will never build a home with one

hah i got a proper dungeon crawlspace callout. manufactured joists in a crawspace.. thats rare. usually those are for basements on slabs and higher levels. so thats a somewhat new house say 20 years or so. doesnt have 60s ranch on crawl vibes. no obvious structural damage or termites so far. but its asking for it cinderblock alternating with clay brick footers... why. did they use them as shims instead of doing a proper design plan.. oh yeah 4 cinders too high. 3 cinders and 2 layers of bricks perfect. and they did the same to one wall too. i have a thing for mixing materials like that. i do like the spacing of the footers tho.. they have plenty of them for what doesnt appear to be too large of a footprint of a floor. bare non termite or moisture wood (not green) right on that brick wall.. doesnt even look sealed between it and the bricks with caulk.. just run a bead carpenters! 10:53 probably pressure treated but not ideal still. all my wood that contacts concrete is borate treated pressure wood (green goodness). if you dont see it, assume it isnt treated even if borate is clear. ive seen ppl swindle like that before - yeah its treated and they buy the cheaper regular one. thats why the dye is added, so you cant be scammed. protip for all budding buyers and builders out there. good thing here is i didnt see hvac or water heater decaying down here and no ducts. so thats one less thing to deal with. i'll go higher than 12 and the reason being is that you have to clean all that out and then you have to level the ground cause i see its not exactly smooth and you have low ceilings here. i dont know if it needs a drainage installed but you probably dont want to encapsulate without a drain system if you got water issues. i didnt see rivers from the walls like other places but that doesnt mean there isnt surface water weeping up through the soil. hard to say. if its just regular humidity then you might get away with it as it is. since he likes his insulation ill go with a thin layer of closed cell foam to seal the wood above and offer some heat block (after the wood is treated with bleach or such to kill the fungi and wash it off). not many guys doing spray insulation will be crawling on their back in there so any who do will upquote you. and thus we get to: assuming no lumber needs attention due to decay (again cant see all that without tearing the insulation etc out) ill go with 15-18 because its low crawlspace and everybody will be padding because of that. 15:24 is that a hole in the wall at ground level. and toss some screens over those air ducts to keep the critters away. homeowner could have done that themselves for sure. like you said, they just gave up

Curiosity has got me. What was the reason they looked you up to have you come out? Are they selling the home, was the odors running them out of their home, someone told them their crawl space was toast, they decided it’s time for an inspection.

Glad you had a mask on! love the voice over!!

Way off; I think, on the encapsulation cost. Much higher. $20,000 +. Heck, the dehumidifier can be $3,000 5,000. +

This calls for spontaneous combustion and whoosh, problem solved

At least $20K

buying a house is annoying

termite smorgasbord....

The wood rot is concerning, do you find untreated wood in crawlspaces commonly? Seems odd

Def one of the worst. And, yeah, I'd be wearing a mask and goggles in there. So much crud flying around in your eyes and in your lungs. Eesh.

If the slope is good, that is backwards crap that will hold that pipe for 100 years. Long after that strap deteriorates.

my fave game. how much would it cost. so this one, we have to start digging outside, deflect the water off the wall and install a barrier. thats about 5k id say, unless you have to take down a hill or there is water intrusion from all sides (looks to me its coming from 1 face mainly). if you actually have to install drains outside and run piping in the yard, double or triple it. on the inside, clean up, new vapor, id say 10k. so you are looking at 15 in it. and thats not with encapsulation. what concerns me is the spacing between some of those bricks... somebody built shit cheap and thats always fun. right, 15k to just make it manageable and possibly remove the water infusion.

Major surgery is required to keep this Hell- On - Earth alive. Like some people; fancy on the outside… pure hell underneath the facade.

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Love the crawlspace landfill concept....way to go contractors, you trend setters...lol.

I watch most your videos and I wish you would put a mask on! Its the dad in me but I worry about your health...

No this crawl space is not acceptable! Knew nothing about them until I purchased our current house. Spent the $ to encapsulate. Best $8k ever spent. Keep up your good work

You said the air gets sucked in from the left and comes out the filter side. Maybe just a slip but not true. Air gets sucked in through the filter. That's why the filter is there. My experience w Santa Fe has been good so far. That owner should expect a fail given the condition of the filters.

roach bro hanging out...lol.

Is no contractors problem is termite problem.

It sounded like you were releasing some gas yourself.

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That French drain has to be; at least, on its way to being plugged with soil / sand. No sock on the pipe. It is common to place the pipe 2 feet from the inside foundation wall, but that; to me, is a general guide and not a hard fact rule. These SC homes on piers bump away from the wall / skirt any drain pipe. One must be real and work with each unique system. In this area ( South East ) I would place the pipe closer to the so-called foundation wall ( actually a skirt in the case of many SC homes ). In my option; in that lies the problem with water penetration. Many of the SC crawlspaces are not real crawlspaces. Meaning, they are homes on piers with a brick skirt ( for looks ), and not really meant to support the home or stop water. No real foundation ( other than the piers ) that has an in the earth depth to them … acting to dam-off the water. As for Harry-The -Home-Owner not paying attention to the HELL ( crawlspace ) beneath them … mostly do to out of sight out of mind. One needs the proper mindset to image the components of a home in order to think of maintaining. Also, homeowners fear the crawlspace. Homeowners may not be physically fit enough or just to big to fit. Lastly, homeowners ignore what cost too much to maintain. Some think they’re smarter than others and hope to pass-off crawlspace problems to the next sucker that buys their house.

The really crazy thing is that the entire atmosphere of odors and suspended particles in that cavern is what the inhabitants breathe when the ventilation is on.

Made me remember - To be the “bearer of bad news” and “Don’t shoot the messenger”. Thank you.

I've heard that chipmunks like the taste of electrical wire insulation

This is worse than going to the attic!! So glad I have a full basement!

Thank God Elon Musk hasn’t created SMELL-O-MATIC.

I like to use strips of that black vinyl duct strapping stapled to joists to support insulation batts. It doesn't help with critters but it does stop it from falling allot better. I can't believe we still use those little metal rods, they've never really worked to hold up insulation lolz. the installers know it's gonna fall, they just keep doin' it that way.

nice dungeon but other than a cleanup i dont see anything actually horrible here. you can probably have that place cleaned out for like 1200$ tbh. 5k to make it spiffy

They look like squirrels to me, but it's hard to tell through a camera; dead animals smell really bad. There appear to be only two problems with that crawlspace; the big welcoming vent opening and other entry points for animals and the destroyed insulation. The equipment is reasonably clean, but the ductwork needs some help; the vapor barrier looks okay for the most part and there's not too much mold and fungus on the wood. A third problem might be water intrusion controlled by the sump pump. Clean all that out and eliminate the smell and maybe it will sell.

Kids got upset when I get rid of critters. I told them, " When animals destroy what you paid for you will feel the same as I do."

Double-sided or baged insulation is terrible for mold growth. Properly installed single faced insulation is best. Ive encountered signs of pests in both, more a doundation security issue. "Easy" comes with plenty of its own problems, keep your baged insulation for your motor home

My contractor refuses to enter my crawlspace, citing that being well endowered, there may not be enough room for the two of them.

I just don’t understand ??…if you have a fully encapsulated crawl space and air tight access doors, how do snakes find their way in ??? What avenues do they take ???

I went to an open house last weekend. The house was sitting on a crawlspace that had the small rectangular vents but no access door from the outside or inside. I can only imagine what a nightmare that crawlspace would be. I didn't put in an offer and will never own a crawlspace home thanks to you and your videos. THANK YOU, SIR!!!

You see encapsulation, I see shinola.

smells like money for someone..lol.

Shit stained floor joist.

Everything in the frame looks like shit

Surgery time get the jacks and stands

What mil plastic do you recommend for a craw-space coverage? Edit: I just watched your video on the best craw space you’ve even seen. Man that was beautiful work.