Crawl Spaces vs. a Full Basement

Basements

• A basement offers many advantages to the homeowner. It provides extra room for living and storage and is a good place to put appliances that take up a lot of room, such as hot water heaters, furnaces and laundry machines. One potentially negative aspect of a basement foundation is the cost. The building materials needed for the basement, including concrete or masonry for the walls and extra plumbing and electrical lines, along with the labor costs, add a significant amount to the construction expenditures. Another problem with basements is the potential for moisture and standing water, which result from condensation caused by humidity and leaks in the floors and walls.

Crawl Spaces

• The crawl space foundation is one the least expensive kinds available. The design of a crawl space is simply a raised foundation wall, generally about 2 feet high, that separates the floors of your home from the soil. A crawl space area doesn't need to be finished, which also saves on construction costs. It's also a handy place to run electrical and plumbing lines so they are out of sight. Moisture and water are a potential problem for crawl spaces, especially when HVAC ducts, hot water lines and dryer vents are present in the sub area.

Basement Solutions

• Basement walls and floors present an especially big problem if groundwater seepage is a present. Builders are supposed to include footing drains and a vapor barrier -- thick plastic sheeting -- when they install basement walls. But these won't solve surface water problems, such as rain runoff and water sprinklers. It is important to have a leakproof rain gutter system, including downspouts large enough to keep water away from the foundation. You should also make sure the grade of the soil next to the foundation slopes down enough to drain water from sprinkler systems and rain away from the basement walls. Sump pumps are also useful in solving standing water problems.

Controlling Crawl Space Water Problems

• The geography and topography of your area have a lot to do with potential crawl space problems. Sandy and rocky soils allow groundwater to seep toward the foundation, which eventually invades the crawl space. The difference in air temperatures between the outside and the interior of the sub area will lead to high humidity and condensation. Vapor barriers installed on the soil and along the walls help to control and contain moisture levels. Insulating the sub flooring and the walls also helps to keep moisture levels at a minimum. Dehumidifiers are also available that are designed to control condensation in a crawl space.