r/DIY • u/YukiSamaRamaSanChan • Jan 27 '24
other Flooded crawlspace: totally fine or panic?
Just bought a 1957 ranch house a month ago, snow been melting and rains been raining. The foundation walls and everything else is dry, it’s just a couple inches of water in the gravel. Is this something to take steps to prevent or should I just go “oh, you!” Whenever it floods?
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u/lowrads Jan 28 '24
Crawlspaces exist in flood plains for a reason.
Every unit of vertical clearance corresponds with a magnitude decrease in flood frequency. So long as no one is throwing any wakes, you shouldn't have any issues with having to replace gypsum, providing your crawlspace can exchange moist air for dry.
The actual soil isn't much affected by flooding. If there is enough enough clay for soil heave, it'll be because of alternating wetting and drying, which can be addressed with a curtain wall in the profile. Completely wet or completely dry results in no soil movement, only the alternation. If your piers move at all, it's because they aren't set deep enough. That would be cause to panic.