I have lived in this house for a little over a year as a renter, but have recently been approached with an option to purchase. It is something I am interested in, but would like to address a few issues I have with what is a very charming, yet aged homestead. My basement has water that will show up at a few different places on the floor. Its a house from the 50's, with an old chimney with no visible wet spots from or around the chimney at any time. The chimney is no longer functioning, nor is it attached to anything, and is not visible from main 2 floors of the house. My best investigative measures have revealed little, but the moisture seems to be coming from the concrete walls in various locations. Along with the moisture, I have also had a white, fluffy, moldy-looking substance show up on the floor that I have treated with bleach/water solution several times. I was becoming slightly concerned because it would keep showing back up. I have recently learned that this could most likely be "effervescence" and not actually mold at all. I do have an old dehumidifier running at all times and have to empty a two gallon reservoir every day during the summer/humid months. This obviously is NOT energy efficient, and I can prove that with my monthly electric bills. The basement is full, has a couple of finished walls sectioning it off into different areas, and was once lived in. None of the concrete foundation walls are finished. It has a sink and a toilet with 2 small walls making it a "half-bath" but is open behind the toilet with only the sump pump behind it. The only thing I use the basement for at this time is laundry and storage, but if I am able to purchase, I would like to finish it and convert part of it into a "man-cave" with the necessary fixtures, (television, surround sound, gaming device, refrigerator, furniture, instruments, etc.) but of course with the current moisture problem obviously I'm concerned. Can anyone point me in a direction of at least where to start diagnosing the problem, and then inherently fixing the problem? I am, as most people are lately, on a very tight budget with limited finances available, so of course I am looking to try to do this myself or with a few friends. Thanks in advance for any and all assistance, and if I can help paint a better picture for anyone, please let me know. Sincerely, Soggy-Socks!

In the process of encapsulating my crawl space. Currently I have insulation between the above floor joist. My question is, when I finally have the vapor barrier sealed and the rigid foam put on the walls and vents sealed, should I remove the insulation in the floor joist or is it ok to leave it? As always, thanks.