09-29-2006, 05:13 PM
Four steps:
1. If there is any standing water or muddy spots, you need to eliminate the source of water first (downspouts emptying right next to foundation?...bad grading around foundation?, etc)
2. Insulate the floor of the kitchen (i.e. the ceiling of the crawlspace). I suggest using the thickest rigid (i.e. styrofoam) insulation you can find, since it is highly effective and much more pleasant to deal with in a confined space than fiberglass. Just cut to fit between the joists with a drywall saw and jam it up against the floorboards...use a few nails driven sideways into the joists or perhaps some of those spring steel rods used for fiberglass insulation to hold it in place.
3. Vent the crawlspace to the outside somehow. You need at least two vents to get some airflow through there.
4. Place a vapor barrier (heavy polyethylene sheeting) on the crawlspace floor.
1. If there is any standing water or muddy spots, you need to eliminate the source of water first (downspouts emptying right next to foundation?...bad grading around foundation?, etc)
2. Insulate the floor of the kitchen (i.e. the ceiling of the crawlspace). I suggest using the thickest rigid (i.e. styrofoam) insulation you can find, since it is highly effective and much more pleasant to deal with in a confined space than fiberglass. Just cut to fit between the joists with a drywall saw and jam it up against the floorboards...use a few nails driven sideways into the joists or perhaps some of those spring steel rods used for fiberglass insulation to hold it in place.
3. Vent the crawlspace to the outside somehow. You need at least two vents to get some airflow through there.
4. Place a vapor barrier (heavy polyethylene sheeting) on the crawlspace floor.