Question about small crawl

[J_Alexander]

we have a new home that is only 3 yrs old. the house is a full basement but at the fron there is a smal crawl only about 3 long and runs the whole length of the front of our ranch house. it really only holds the entry way and bay window its that small . anyways we really dont have much of a problem with it. if we get some heavy rain for days one corner of the block will get wet but not to the touch you can just see the block is wet. i was thinking of drylocking the wall all the way around which is only about 4 block high and then putting some isulation on the walls.( feel free to recommend some) i also wanted to finish the floor with crete and was gonna put down a vapor barrier first. the crawl isnt vented other the a large cut about 3 by 4 under the stair case coming down so it does have some venting i guess. does everything above sound like a good thing to do? also from what i understand i dont need to insulate the floor joice just the wall. correct? thanks

jim

[richard]

Jim,

If you install a vapor barrier, then there is no need for vermiculite (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=vermiculite&btnG=Google+Search) (crete). If you're looking for a solid floor, as far as I know, crete isn't the answer as it is a very soft "concrete" that you can't walk on. With a product like the CleanSpace (http://www.basementsystems.com/crawlspace/crawlspace_products/crawlspace_vapor_barrier.php?utm_source=Forum%2BLi nk&utm_medium=Forum%2BLink&utm_campaign=Forum-Link-CleanSpace-Page) crawl space vapor barrier, you would be able to walk on and store things on it -- it's a very tough 20-mill thick liner with two layers of cord reinforcement. Once the crawl space is sealed, we would seal the vent or opeing shut.

If there's water seeping through your block wall making it appear wet, then you need to address the water, as this will not get better. Drylock will eventually peel off the wall as the water behind it will continue to force its way forward (the explanation I give is like the boy who sticks his thumb in the hole in the dyke, only to find the the water pressure simply creates a new hole in another spot).

Insultating the walls as opposed to the floor joists is the better practice.

If you'd like to have a Basement Systems dealer come out for a free estimate and inspection call 800-638-7048 or contact us online (http://www.basementsystems.com/forms/contact.php?utm_source=Forum%2BLink&utm_medium=Forum%2BLink&utm_campaign=Forum-Link-Contact-Page).

-Richard