It will be a massive learning experience, some of which will be very unpleasant and/or extremely expensive.

And theres one aspect of some houses that confounds and alarms just about everybody: the crawl space.

What isa crawl space?

First of all: Whatisthat hellgate under your house?

Its not just a short basement.

If the space under your house is heated and insulated, its a basement.

If not, its a crawl space.

If yes, its a basement.

They often have dirt floors, and typically water and sewer lines and electrical wiring will run through them.

Unfortunately, if you own that house you shouldabsolutelyworry about your crawl space.

Here are a few things to consider.

Not all crawl spaces have a trap doorsometimes you literally have tocrawl under your housefrom the outside.

Which will definitely make you regret all those chili cheeseburgers.

And if the air is damp all the time, mold is going to start to grow down there.

So youre going to want to take steps.

Step one is to find out if your crawl space is ventilated or unventilated.

A ventilated crawl space will literally have some openings to the outside that let in air.

The idea is that moisture will evaporate instead of being trapped.

An unventilated crawlspace will typically be insulated to some extent.

If its not a plumbing problem but seems like groundwater, call a plumber and install a sump pump.

Look at your foundationcracks should have you running to a foundation repair expert immediately.

Visible mold (black speckles or white and fibrous) should be dealt with, as well.

And if you see tiny piles of sawdust, you might have termites.

Are we enjoying our crawl space experience yet?

Vapor barriers

If the floor of the crawl space is dirt, youll want a vapor barrier.

Flooding

Your crawl space is, of course, the lowest part of your house.

you’re free to oftentransform your crawl space into a usable basement.

Think of it like the storage boxes you have under your bed or sofa, except under your house.

Every house is a system of interconnected spaces, and your crawl space is an essential component.

Better to get familiar with it now rather than during an emergency.