The House Built over a Crawl Space

© 2008 Jeffrey C. May

Sam and Laura were worried that their house was contaminated with mold, because it was built in a wetland. Recent allergy testing had revealed that Laura was allergic to mites and mold, and Sam to pollen. They had a two year old son, and they wanted to be sure that their house was as allergen-free as possible, not only for their own comfort, but in case he, too, developed sensitivities. 

When we spoke on the phone prior to my visit, they talked about a high water table on their property. I didn't realize exactly how high until I approached their house and had to avoid the pond on either side of the causeway they called the driveway to their property.  Geese wandered freely as they waddled from one pond to another, and when I stepped out of the car, I saw a muskrat disappear in a swirl at the pond's edge, inches from my feet. I immediately realized why all the houses in their neighborhood had been built on crawl spaces rather than full foundations with basements. Had there been basements, they would have been not wet, but flooded on a pretty permanent basis.

Sam and Laura had already done a lot to make their home allergen free. They had removed all the wall-to-wall carpeting and installed hardwood floors. They had replaced wool area rugs with synthetic. Their mattresses and pillows were encased in mite-covers, and they had had the ducts in their hot air/central air conditioning system cleaned twice. Since in my experience fragrances and fabric softeners can also be a problem for some people, I also recommended that the family stop burning fragranced candles and cease using fragranced laundry detergent and dryer sheets with softeners.

There were other steps to take, however, as a result of poor control of roof water on the outside of their home. Their gutters were clogged, and there was improper grading around the foundation. Consequently, water was pooling along the edges of the floor of their cement crawl space. In one of these puddles sat moldy carpet and wood scraps. The smell of mold permeated the ductwork and drifted up into the house through the heat registers. I recommended that they improve the drainage and maintain their gutters. I suggested that they hire a professional to remove the debris from the crawl space and clean the area.

This work would take some time and involve hiring other people, and would certainly remove the smell of mold from the inside of the house. The most serious problem in the house, though, was easier to fix. Sam had an old desk chair in his home office that had belonged to Laura before they were married.  It was about 15 years old, and the fabric thin and worn from frequent use. Laura told us that Sam loved that chair, and on weekends, he sometimes spent four or five hours sitting in it as he did deskwork at home.

The chair was infested with dust mites. They got rid of the chair and bought a leather one instead: probably one of the best investments they made to improve the air quality in their house!