A crawl space foundation is a type of pier and beam foundation that raises the home anywhere from 1.5 to 3 feet off the ground creating a walled space underneath the house that’s just big enough to crawl around in.
Crawl space foundations are less expensive to build than basement foundations and provide easy access to the home’s plumbing and electrical wiring. Because they lift the structure off the ground, crawl space foundations also protect homes against floods.
While the area under the crawl space provides easy access to utilities, it also tends to be damp, making it the perfect “petri dish” for pests and mold. Mold in a crawl space is a serious problem because a certain percentage of air from the crawl space flows up and into your home’s living area via the stack effect (see below graphic). If the air in the crawl space is full of mold spores, the air inside your home will be as well. This can cause allergies and respiratory problems for anyone living in the house.