Hey guys, I'm new to this forum.

My question is, I just bought i home over the summer in south Louisiana. The home was recently elevated 12ft. Also, the entire outside perimeter was enclosed with center blocks, and then stucko on the outside. The is 2 big openings (big enough for my truck to fit under the house) on either corner. My issue is, while i was moving in over the summer, I used the area as a storage space, (concrete floor). so I guess other than the openings, it's basically a basement. I noticed on the stuff that I stored down there, that mold had developed. I'm not too upset has a caught it and nothing major got ruined, however, it's a nice area, and I plan on building a good size wooden work bench in there, along with some other stuff.

So, my question is... how do I control all the moisture below the house? I did some research and saw that they make sealers that would potentially work, but if it's doesn't, then I"m out atleast $150 bucks... IF i did do this, would I absolutely have to close off the opening? I would think that fresh air would keep it ventilated, but also, it would bring in more humid air, so I"m not sure what to do. Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

 

Welcome to the forums!

When a slab is intended to be the floor of a living space gravel and a plastic barrier are put down prior to the concrete being poured so the floor has a fighting chance of staying dry. I suspect you have a two fold problem; moisture wicking up thru the slab and humidity. Taping plastic over a couple square foot of the floor and then going back to see if moisture has accumulated under the plastic is a cheap easy way to determine if moisture is coming thru the slab.

 

I agree and don't believe that the issue is being caused by moisture coming up from the floor. during long rainy days I can see in some spots that the centerblock walls looked darker or more wet then other parts that aren't directly expose to the weather. I could be wrong, but I"m pretty sure the moisture issue is being cause mostly from the centerblocks. There is stucko on the outside, but I'm assuming that it doesn't work well as a moisture barrier. Also, I forgot to mention, although I do have openings to the space, there is not much airflow thru unless it's a very windy day, which is rare for my area and surroundings.

 

If it's going to be enclosed, would a dehumidifier be too expensive to run ?

What are the neighbors doing in that area . . . . can you tell by doing a drive-by to identify the others that have been elevated and ask them what they're doing ?

 

there are only a few homes in my neighborhood that were elevated after Hurricane Katrina, they are all enclosed from the front side of the home, not sure on the rear... Most of the other homes that are elevated are near the water, so the area below the house stays open, and the house is on pilings rather than center blocks. I"m not planning on closing off the entire area below, I'm going to close out the front around the "parking spot" under the front of the house, but on the back side I'm going to leave it open to my back yard, also, that is where I"m planning on building my work bench.

 

I think the ultimate fix, after doing a LOT of research, is, rather than trying to create a moisture barrier, which I don't think think will work unless I completely close off the area, which I'm not going to do. Anyways, instead of doing a moisture barrier, what ever it is I build out of would, I will just have to seal it, I"m sure that mold will grow, but atleast it will be protected. It's basically only going to be the work bench and things associated with that, so I'll just deal with the outcome. 2x4's are cheap...

 

You can add extra mildewcide to most coatings so that might help. It sounds like not enough air flow thru the areas is the biggest thing. Unpainted stucco will absorb moisture although not as readily as bare block.

 

The stucco is painted to match the house, it only seeps then the brick when there's a heavy rain, maybe the paint is keeping it from breathing? .. Mildewcide is a good idea though... And I agree with the airflow, which is why I am not going to do the sealer.. Thanks

 

Latex paints will allow the masonry to breathe somewhat, just not like if it was uncoated. An elastomeric coating would seal the exterior side of the wall so water wouldn't penetrate although it could slow down moisture dissipation on the interior side of the wall ... if blowing rain gets the inside wet. Assuming there is no way for the wall to get wet other than thru the face of the blocks, elastomeric on the exterior and block fill [or drylok] on the inside would keep the block from absorbing moisture. Not sure it's worth that much effort/expense.