Okay, so before I get into whether leveling the dirt in your crawl space is necessary, we got this great guide that we’re giving away, and it’s about the three asthma triggers that most homes have and what you can do about it. So, make sure you check it out by clicking on this link.
Hey, are you going to level out the crawl space before you encapsulate?
Well, no. I’m not going to level out the crawl space floor, and here’s why. Did you know that if you go in there and start digging around and leveling out dirt and taking this low side and moving it to the high side or vice versa you can encourage water intrusion? That’s right! We’ve had homeowners tell us that’s what happened when they leveled the dirt floor of the crawl space.
How Does Leveling Crawl Space Floor Cause Water Intrusion?
This happens because that hard packed soil they loosened it all up, and now they got water intrusion problems because of their grading issues that they created inside the crawl space. So, if you are not having water intrusion problems and there’s no reason to level it out, don’t level it out. Just put the vapor barrier down, and if you have to dig a trench and put in a sump pump, do all that sort of stuff, but we just don’t see any benefit to leveling out the floor, unless you’re just trying to create a level storage area. But is creating a level storage area in the crawl space with the potential of causing water intrusion a good idea? So, we don’t recommend that you try to level out the floor.
Exceptions to Crawl Space Dirt Leveling
If you have large mounds of dirt in the middle of the crawl space that is heaping over the main dirt floor, spreading out that dirt is probably a good idea. This will help you lose less vapor barrier when performing crawl space encapsulation. Many companies will heap up the dirt when digging a trench and sump pump and leave it. This is obviously very lazy and not encouraged but that dirt can be spread out too.
In Closing About Crawl Space Floor Leveling
Anyway, that was a great question, and I’ve struggled with that for years because to me it makes logical sense to try to level the floor out so that everything is level. But you could be causing some major issues with water intrusion if you do something like that.
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34 thoughts on “Should I Level the Dirt in My Crawl Space”
What about adding additional dirt to a few low spots. I get little pounds in these areas after unusual heavy rains.
You can try dirt or gravel and see if that helps but water may still need an exit strategy like sump pump or french drain. Thanks for the question.
Hi, I live in Miami, FL and my house is a 1950s house. the Crawl space under my house is full of water. They have pump out the water 3 times with a sump pump, but the water keep coming. I don’t have a leak. I don’t know where the water is coming from. I do see around my house that the city is fixing the pipes tearing the street. The only scenario I could think is that being that my house is older than the around houses (are elevated) my house is keep getting water. I am desperate don’t know or who to call in Miami that knows how to deal with this. Can I fill my crawl space with sand? and which sand to use they are so many types. Thank you.
I am sorry we don’t know anyone in your area and not sure filling in with sand is a good option. Is there a possibility to install a french drain with sump pumps on both the interior and exterior of the foundation?
Yes what type of sand is used in a crawl space? I can not find the answer to this.
Normally I have seen playground sand or beach sand in crawl spaces. Hope that helps.
I have a crawlspace-like area in the side wall of our basement. We are going to build out our basement and want to use this area for storage so I’ll encapsulate this small area (6×18) with your products. The area has two levels of dirt though, about 12 feet in length, 3 feet from the flooring, and about 6 feet in length, 5 feet from the flooring. We would like to dig out some of the dirt to get more space and level it if possible before encapsulation. Although very dry in the crawlspace, could this present an issue lowering this higher level of dirt?
Hi Chris, we have seen homeowners dig out areas that were dry prior to digging that developed moisture problems after the dirt was removed. I am not saying the will happen in your case but it could happen. If you decide to dig it out, what after a few heavy rains to see if you take on water. If you do, you can remedy that in most cases with a trench and sump pump (https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/waterproofing/) if you feel the dig out is necessary for the added space. Thanks and hope that helps.
Hi, enjoy watching your videos they are very informative. Have a question for you. The dirt in my crawlspace is uneven do to the grade that my house sits on.. I plane to trench out around the interior of my crawlspace, along the footer, in order to install footer tile. On my low spots the footer is just 6-12inch below soil on my high spots its about 5ft.. should i backfill trench once my corrugated pipe it installed with gravel the whole 5ft on my nightspot?
Hi Mike, we have done it both ways. Backfilling gravel looks way better but there is a lot of hydrostatic pressure that can build up in the gravel if that is the lowest part of the crawl space. If that is not a concern and your walls can handle the pressure and you’d like a level floor and don’t mind the heavy lifting, I’d go that route. The less labor intense option would be to use the low part as a catch basin for the water to run to and install your sump pump there. Hope that helps and thanks for writing us.
Hello and great videos.
In my Crawlspace where the ac package unit big ductwork comes into the Crawlspace it’s very low with respect to the ground. Water marks show the height of water sometimes before it slopes to the other side of this ductwork and into the sump pump bucket where it’s pumped outside.
What is the correct method for wrapping, draping or vapor barriering this big opening?
Try to fill the big gaps with foamboard/spray foam then see if you can attach the vapor barrier directly to the foundation wall. Sometimes the seam tape is needed to tape the plastic to the trunk lines as well. Hope that helps.
I have a fairly level crawlspace but one low corner that is lower than outside dirt. Should I fill in some to bring it back above atleast. Already have vapor barrier and dehumidifier working to walls in next few months.
I think that is a great idea.
Hi Michael
In the crawl space under my house is very lose, fine, dirt and we have noticed that dirt on one side of the house has began to move in mounds up by the wall. We dont know why but we want to get someone to level the dirt back on the ground so that area can be accessible. Should we do this and do you know why this is happening.
Mounds of dirt forming is very odd, the only information I see on this is animal activity. Here is a link. Leveling loose dirt can be ok as long as you do not mess up the integrity of your foundation. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/could-cause-mounds-dirt-yard-obvious-hole-92107.html Hope that helps
We have installed a French drain around the outside of our newly built home hoping that would stop water from coming up in the crawl space. No luck. Every time it rains water pools up in one section of the home. Someone told us it may be an underground spring. Would a interior French drain help?
If it is a spring with minimal ground seepage an interior french drain and sump pump should help. A heavy spring may require a double pump system. I would install the sump pump(s) as close to the spring area as possible. Thank you and hope that helps. Also, here is a link to our DIY sump pump products page https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/waterproofing/
Hello so I just bought a house with an addition that has a crawl space. When it rains bad the crawl space filled up with water and I have to pump it out. Last week we decided to install a sump pump for now and when we started digging i thought the floor was dirt but its a thin layer of dirt then 2inches of concrete then a vapor barrier then stone then dirt. Which to me seems weird. After I dug the hole I went in to fix some hanging insulation and of course the back left corner its lower than every where else and theres a pool of water back there. Not really sure what my options are since The crawl space is only 20″ tall so not many companies will work on it.
Wow that is a lot of layers. If the pit and holes of basin of the sump pump is lower than the concrete, plastic layer, that may force water under that layer to the sump pump. Doesn’t sound like a perimeter trench is an easy option so if your crawl space is large or taking on water in multiple areas, multiple sump pumps inside basins buried beneath plastic, concrete layer may be needed. Hope that helps.
I have a walk in crawl space that is only accessible by our basement. Our heating unit is in this space, it is a sloped space that is surrounded by cinder block. In our basement we are pumping out 22pints in 12hrs during September and 22 pints in 24 hours in January. I have not seen any standing water ever in the crawl space but the smell is terrible. There is a generic plastic covering with soil exposed. Ideally I would love to seal up this area, but I don’t know where to go to get the soil tested. Part of the same wall of the house is cemented and we have not had any water issues. Should we consider digging out since the other half was already done that way? There is some coating that was put over the dirt on the cemented side that seems to do a great job on keeping moisture out. I could send pictures as well.
We do not dig out soil except to install water management systems. If you are wanting to dig out I recommend consulting a structural engineer for guidance. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
Good info to read but my problem is a bit different. I live toward bottom of small mountain like hill. There are houses behind me. My yard was filling up(especially back yard)with water from rains. I’ve just had French drain put in backyard where my property slopes badly from neighbors behind me leveled off their property leaving me with steep run off. All my property seems to b nothing but muck/mud but it’s an older home of concrete that has a good sized crawlspace under this entire small house. There are concrete footer beams to hold the house up but around that concrete the dirt outlining the space is eroding away severely around that concrete up beam footers. Do I need to fill that area in with more dirt, concrete or what? It’s confusing & I appreciate any suggestions. Thank you
Hi Kimberly, you may want to get a local engineer to take a look for more accurate advice but if the soil is eroding from the pillars, adding soil and a retaining wall or concrete over the soil to stop future eroding may be necessary but as I mentioned, please contact a structural engineer before doing anything. Hope that helps.
After reading this article regarding leveling the dirt. I was curious how installing the encapsulation can be done. All the pic I see of companies selling encapsulation systems show a nice level space. I suppose this is only possible if a drainage system is installed prior to installing the encapsulation?
Also the title of this article is “Should I level the dirt…”. When referring to dirt do you mean the earth below the top layer of dirt/gravel? Can I level the dirt/gravel if I leave the earth alone?
If dirt/gravel primarily is meant to prevent ponding. the moisture is in the crawl space either way. Why does it matter if the moisture is buried or ponding? wont the amount of moisture evaporating be the same?
You can add dirt to level if you have the headroom but I would caution removing dirt without structural engineer guidance. The water is there regardless of ponding, dirt level etc. This is why a vapor barrier and dehumidifier is recommended. HUD.org recommends a waterproofing system if crawl space dirt is lower than outside dirt. Hope that helps. https://crawlspaceninja.com/faq/crawl-space-floor-level-is-below-outside-ground-level/
Hello. I’m in the Chicago area. Since buying my home with a crawl space 2 years ago, you’ve answered a lot of questions. I immediately installed a Aprilaire 1850 with condensation pump. (I just did the yearly maintenance)
I want to have a vapor barrier installed but there is a big mound in the middle. Does it have to be brought down? I’d rather pay for extra barrier than pay to lower the mound and kick up all the dust and fine dirt. I did notice wet dirt in low spots but no ponding.
Hi Sean, if it is not causing drainage or standing water issues I would leave it in place. Hope that helps.
Hi, my basement is partially crawl space & partial basement. When we bought the house we found that crawl space has some area has soil excavated. It looks like someone was trying to make it full basement of something like that but later dropped the idea. Is it dangerous for the structure? Also, what I should do next, I mean should I fill it? if yes then how?
Hi Rajesh, great question. It is possible that digging random holes or changing the dirt of the crawl space can affect the foundation. Not saying it is unstable or unsafe but it is possible. I would recommend consulting a structural engineer if you are concerned about it and follow their guidelines if any. I’d caution you about throwing soil back in the holes without the engineer guidance because the soil would not be as compact as the soil left behind and may not help IF there is a structural issue. Hope that helps.
I live in very sandy soil in a very dry environment. I had a crawl space dug. They have not backfilled the crawl area.. I figure that normally the dirt is back filled to at least footer depth.. Is that required? or can I leave it that extra 8 in deep .
Sometimes footers can shift in your type of soil. You may want to consult an engineer to be sure.
Crawl Space Ninja,
Bought a “fixer” 1950’s house a year ago. The crawl space has 2 8inx16in block vents on the front/rear of the house to accommodate roughly 1100 square foot of crawl space which is obviously not enough along with with no vapor barrier and no outside/inside drain tile/sump pump. The general land in the area is flat and drainage goes from the left side of the house towards the right. The property is also on a sand ridge so there is sandy soil and little to no clay with sandstone bedrock roughly 3-5ft down. The crawl space is about 12 inches below grade and we had near record rains the past year and the crawl space had water intrusion/flooding 3 times. 2 times there was roughly 1 inch of standing water and the worst was about 3 inches when we had 7 inches of rain within a 6 hour period. Footers are in tact and the block walls have just a few minor cracks I am planning to patch in the spring/summer. I am getting some mold forming from the humidity caused by the saturated soil that I have managed by treating with Concrobium Mold Control. I am near complete with the first step of cleaning the space the past week hauling roughly 1000lbs of wood/metal debris that were piled on the ground.
I am wondering if what I have below is suitable for the situation I described.
Since this is already a poorly vented crawl space I want to encapsulate. Watching your videos looks like I need to do the following in this order:
1) Add a sump pit and perimeter drain roughly 6-12″ away from the footer to not “excavate the soil by the footer”
2) Add dimpled drain mat and grade to aim towards the sump pit since this crawl has history of standing water.
3) Add 20 mil vapor barrier.
4) Add a dehumidifier, seal vents, stabilize humidity to optimal levels.
5) Mold remediation and repair (surface mold is all I found so far other than one board with evidence of rot on the bottom of the joist that I will add wood hardener or cut out and replace).
6) Remove pink insulation from ceiling and add 2 layers of R13.1(R26) as I am in region 5.
7) Remove the dead mold by soda blasting using HEPA vacuum to collect the dust.
Am I missing something here?
Thanks,
-Mike
Looks like a great plan Mike. If you are doing the mold yourself, this product will help remove visible mold without scrubbing and is designed for DIYers. I would install our 12-mil plastic vs a 20-mil but that’s just me :). Hope that helps and thanks for watching our YouTube channel. Mold cleaner: https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/ycs-diy-mold-mildew-cleaner/ Vapor barrier: https://diy.crawlspaceninja.com/crawl-space-ninja-12-mil-crawl-space-vapor-barrier-1000-sqf/