Crawl Spaces

 

For proper access to crawl spaces, openings must be a minimum of 18" high by 24" wide. Before diving in (no pun intended), verification of the lack of some deadly issues should be made. Things like standing water, open electrical boxes or wires hanging down, vermin or snakes would be a big shock... 

For proper access, crawl space openings must be a minimum of 18" high by 24" wide. Where physical entry is impossible or dangerous conditions exist, with the use of a powerful flashlight and a digital camera with a zoom documentation of the hazards and conditions can  be made. 

Although many times the vapor barrier on the underside of the floor can be seen from the crawl space, properly installed fiberglass batt insulation should have the vapor barrier facing the heated side.  Many homeowners install it backwards because it looks neat or because they want to protect themselves from the raw fiberglass material while in the crawl space. 

Proper headroom in the crawlspace should include at least 18 inches below the bottom of the floor joists and 12 inches below beams, however some codes require 24" below the bottom of the floor joists and 18" below the beams so that inspectors and contractors can enter.  Most codes require 18" high access openings so if a beam is lower than that, the inspector should note it as a restriction on his report.  Columns and posts should be firmly centered on their footings, must be a minimum of 4"x4", connected to girders with approved hardware and be pressure treated if closer then 8" to the soil.

Where hollow concrete block or cinder block are used for piers, they should be installed with the hollow channels vertical to maintain their structural integrity.

Also, there should be at least 2 vents to the outside in enclosed areas such as crawl spaces. This would include at least one vent for every 300 square feet of floor area and near the corners..