Advanced Crawlspace Inspection

The crawlspace can be conditioned in one of three ways:

supply air from the home to the crawlspace, return air to home via transfer grille or to outside via exhaust fan, or connect the crawlspace to a conditioned basement.

. Basement, Foundation & Crawlspace I. The inspector shall inspect

A. The basement. B. The foundation C. The crawlspace. D. The visible structural components. E. And report on the location of under-floor access openings. F. And report any present conditions or clear indications of active water penetration observed by the inspector. G. For wood in contact or near soil. H. And report any general indications of foundation movement that are observed by the inspector, such as but not limited to sheetrock cracks, brick cracks, out-of-square door frames or floor slopes. I. And report on any cutting, notching and boring of framing members that may present a structural or safety concern.

To meet code requirements, the crawlspace floor should:

be covered with a ground cover consisting of 6-millimeter plastic that is overlapped and sealed at the edges and secured to the side walls; perimeter walls should be insulated to code-specified levels (e.g., rigid foam on the exterior or rigid fiberglass, spray foam, or rigid foam on the interior); and perimeter drainage should be provided just like a basement when the crawlspace ground level is below the ground level of the surrounding grade.