Are Dirt Crawl Spaces Always a Problem?

A dirt crawl space can be a huge problem for several reasons. Here are just a few of the reasons you might want to consider covering your dirt crawl space. 

• Moisture from the Ground 

When you have a dirt crawl space, you’re always going to be fighting against moisture coming from the ground. It doesn’t matter how good you are at drying out the top layer of dirt; there’s always going to be moisture of some kind far underground. Of course, the actual level of dampness you need to deal with can vary depending on the soil under your home. 

Very moisture reactive soils, for example, like clay and peat, will become saturated during heavy rainfall or storms. This could lead to very severe dampness or even flooding inside your crawl space if you do not have drainage and moisture control measures in place. Installing a vapor barrier is one of the best things you can do to control moisture in your crawl space. 

• Pests and Ants 

All sorts of pests can dig into the dirt and come up through a dirt crawl space. This is especially true when it comes to ants, as ants are incredible at digging up into wherever they’re trying to go. Of course, other pests like cockroaches and spiders can be attracted to a dirt crawl space because it is a perfect environment for some kinds of mold. 

If you want to give pests less reasons to be interested in you space, you need to make sure you’ve covered your dirt crawl space with a crawl space vapor barrier that works. Of course, they should also be paired with other moisture and dampness management solutions (for example a sump pump and dehumidifier). If you do not take additional steps to control moisture, you could end up trapping dampness in and exacerbating the issue.