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Bought a new house Yeah!! Questions about crawl spaces.
This thread has 15 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 00:23
Hi-FiGuy
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I have always lived in homes with slab foundations (So. Cal), so everything is up the wall into the hot box.

We recently moved to the PNW (Seattle area) and are about to close on a home.

I am planning my wire routing and since this house has about 5 foot of crawl space under it I am considering running everything under instead of dealing with the limited space in the attic.

So my question is, is this feasible to do properly or do I just not think about it any further.

Plenty of space to work, its clean and rodent free, vapor barrier covering all ground. Looks a lot more pleasant to work in versus in the attic which is very cramped.

Those of you familiar with this style of housing can you help a brother out!
Post 2 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 00:34
Mac Burks (39)
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Crawl spaces are great. Nice and cool in the summer. 5 feet means you can stand up and walk from end to end. I wouldn't even consider the attic if the crawl space is unfinished.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
Post 3 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 00:49
AVXpressions
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On August 29, 2016 at 00:34, Mac Burks (39) said...
Crawl spaces are great. Nice and cool in the summer. 5 feet means you can stand up and walk from end to end. I wouldn't even consider the attic if the crawl space is unfinished.

Agreed. I use crawl space as much as possible.
OP | Post 4 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 01:16
Hi-FiGuy
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On August 29, 2016 at 00:34, Mac Burks (39) said...
Crawl spaces are great. Nice and cool in the summer. 5 feet means you can stand up and walk from end to end. I wouldn't even consider the attic if the crawl space is unfinished.

Ha, I don't know about you but I am 6 foot 3, 225 lbs so it will be a pretty funky walk, but preferred over attic crawl digging through 24 inches of insulation.

Is this a mandatory conduit situation?
Post 5 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 01:34
AVXpressions
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On August 29, 2016 at 01:16, Hi-FiGuy said...
Ha, I don't know about you but I am 6 foot 3, 225 lbs so it will be a pretty funky walk, but preferred over attic crawl digging through 24 inches of insulation.

Is this a mandatory conduit situation?

Conduit not mandatory, at least not in my area. Just keep your cables tacked up off the ground and fill your holes with a can of great stuff foam or something similar after you finish running your cables.
Post 6 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 08:29
Vertical AV
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Definitely crawl space over attic, you'll stay much cleaner and cooler. In the past I've used the plastic cable hangers to make things easier if your doing lots of cables (and keep them off the floor). Close any the penetrations with spray foam or duct seal and try to fix any tears in the vapor barrier on the floor. Humidity/water vapor are your enemy in these spaces, along with any furry little friends.

If you get really motivated you can even put in some lights down there with a switch a the entrance location.
Electrician, Engineer, Installer
North Country
Post 7 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 08:43
highfigh
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On August 29, 2016 at 00:23, Hi-FiGuy said...
I have always lived in homes with slab foundations (So. Cal), so everything is up the wall into the hot box.

We recently moved to the PNW (Seattle area) and are about to close on a home.

I am planning my wire routing and since this house has about 5 foot of crawl space under it I am considering running everything under instead of dealing with the limited space in the attic.

So my question is, is this feasible to do properly or do I just not think about it any further.

Plenty of space to work, its clean and rodent free, vapor barrier covering all ground. Looks a lot more pleasant to work in versus in the attic which is very cramped.

Those of you familiar with this style of housing can you help a brother out!

If you have enough $ after the purchase, install a concrete floor. Doesn't need to be 4" thick, but it makes life much easier if you'll be working down there and it also blocks more moisture infiltration than a simple vapor barrier. Plus, it would let you move on a mechanic's creeper or a stool that has wheels. It shouldn't delay your installation much, either. Add a dehumidifier and it becomes a good storage space that stays cool and you can make it secure for things that need to be kept safe.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 8 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 09:09
GotGame
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You can lay some 5/8" sheathing boards down on the vapor barrier to get you where you need to be and protect your vapor barrier if it is just over sand.
keeping the humidity level and insects/rodents out are you biggest problem in a crawl space.
Just this year, one of the builders I work with had to replace a central support beam in a house with a crawl space. the vents were plugged and the dryer vent dumped into the crawl space. It was so damp that the wood below became wet and insects ate it apart, on top of the huge mold issue.


Make sure the ventilation is working and/or check the insulation if you are heating the space.

Congrats on the new house. Let us know what you are going to put in.
I may be schizophrenic, but at least I have each other.
Post 9 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 13:15
Trunk-Slammer -Supreme
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Cable hangers or D rings are the way to go.

Need to find a stud cavity from below?

Either follow the electrical where you can, or use a piece of insulation support wire to drill down from above, go into the crawl and find it, measure from it to determine where to drill up into the wall, drill and use some glow rods to fish it.

After fishing, stuff the hole with insulation, or fill with fire stop caulk (both are code compliant).
Post 10 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 14:29
Ernie Gilman
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There's an installation product that is a stiff piece of steel wire, maybe 20 gauge, that's used to drill down through a floor. You locate the wire under the floor and use its position as a reference. It's not a drill, just a piece of stiff steel wire with its end cut at an angle. It leaves a really tiny hole.

I've worked in a crawl space that was paved with concrete. It was way worse than dirt. If you get a rock under you, it sort of pushes in to the dirt. This crawl had a few rocks here and there, and a rock does NOT give when it's on concrete!
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 11 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 15:37
Audiophiliac
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Dig out another 3' and build out a basement in the mother. Perfect place for a theater, game room, dungeon, whatever. :) I know several people who have dug out their crawlspaces to create basements. A friend in high school and his brothers dug theirs out by hand over the course of 3 or 4 years. I think that was their punishment when they did something bad....go dig in the basement!
"When I eat, it is the food that is scared." - Ron Swanson
Post 12 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 18:36
highfigh
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On August 29, 2016 at 14:29, Ernie Gilman said...
There's an installation product that is a stiff piece of steel wire, maybe 20 gauge, that's used to drill down through a floor. You locate the wire under the floor and use its position as a reference. It's not a drill, just a piece of stiff steel wire with its end cut at an angle. It leaves a really tiny hole.

I've worked in a crawl space that was paved with concrete. It was way worse than dirt. If you get a rock under you, it sort of pushes in to the dirt. This crawl had a few rocks here and there, and a rock does NOT give when it's on concrete!

So, why wouldn't you sweep the concrete, to get rid of the stones and rocks? It might take a couple of minutes to eliminate the hours and years of frustration over the wheels stopping. The concrete floors in the crawl spaces I have worked in occasionally had wires and conduit, but I just raised the wheels to allow myself to pass over. It was really no big deal. Flat concrete is great- it's like working under a car in a garage. It takes a helluva lot more force to move a creeper on dirt, too. On sand or gravel, you would need a sled.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 13 made on Monday August 29, 2016 at 19:30
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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Somebody said "pave." When the house I saw was done, nobody said "grade."

The concrete under that house went up and down with the grade under the house; nothing was too terrible but you sure couldn't use a crawler. The height under there was about three feet, so sweeping would have been quite a pain. Add to that... it wasn't my house. I was a visitor under there for about 48 hours of labor.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 14 made on Tuesday August 30, 2016 at 08:47
Fred Harding
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Re fishing wires. When you know the location of the device in the living space, cut in a ring. Take your beaded chain and put it into the hole. Put just enough in the hole to have chain touch the stud. Attach tone generator to chain. Go down stairs. Use tone detector to find hole. Drill up. Use magnet to pull chain down.

Lather, rinse and repeat.
On the West Coast of Wisconsin
Post 15 made on Tuesday August 30, 2016 at 09:08
buzz
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I've been in crawlspaces with concrete, but they were only interested in sealing, not leveling. Think of the concrete being installed upside down -- with most of the aggregate exposed. It was best to skate across with a couple sheets of plywood.
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