Most of the homes in Bluff Park are on crawl spaces, has anyone had problems with water or mold?  
Anyone had there crawl space encapsulated?

Thanks,
 
we know where the water is from (not much of it) just dont know the best way to deal with the problem.. got like 4 different options.
 
thanks for the reply

sure, we have not made a choice yet.
We called the EPA (environmental protection agency) to get a non-biases opinion (they have no money at stake) they said that encapsulation is an extreme fix to the problem. but a fix it is.. got to be done right and it could cause problems with termite bonds (inspectors cant inspect the wood if it is covered).  
Also would have to pass Alabama code is you were to sell your house.
 
We have got a lot of opinions from people we have called.
we are looking at running a french drain under the house to move the water out when it rains IF any gets in. Putting in newer 50 mill plastic with a vapor barrier. Installation of a dehumidifier (still researching that one) the problem with dehumidifiers is that they only take the water out of the air not dust or mites etc. So your just blowing that stuff back out in the air. Also they have to be cleaned and sanitized at least once a month, mold will grow inside them. (this does run in the 1000's) and non of this takes care of the mold already there.....  
 
There is a product called Mold Shield (you can order it on the Internet) that is good. To Kill mold you must change the dna of it (block and smother) This product says that it does that. We are testing it in the shower right now.. no mold so far.. I am not sure how it works on wood, we have not used it on wood yet.
 
I would call your insurance agent that you have your homeowner insurance with, ask them also. Its not covered by most policies but they might have some names for you to call to clean any mold. Our agent said that there is a lot of controversy about mold.. if you are not in the 15% that is really sensitive to it, spending 1000's of dollars on it is not going to improve the value of your house or anything really.  
 
If you are looking in the phone book or the BBB web site, look under mold remediation or foundation specialists.

Actually the 50 mil plastic is what the encapsulate material is equal to.  The vapor barrier plastic you put on the ground under a crawl space is normally 6 mil.
 
Also, the encapsulate would not cover any wood.  It would only cover the ground and the sides (cement blocks) of your foundation.  So it won't be a problem for your termite inspector.  There is a form of encapsulate that is sprayed on like insulation.  This does cover the wood of the crawlspace and may cause issues with your termite inspector.  (they would want to see the wood, of course)  But this system does deal with the mold that's already there (should there be any).  So it does have the advantage of a two for one.  (The 50 mil encapsulate doesn't kill the mold, just stops it from growing worse.)
 
Google "mold" and you'll find tons of links.  Some are informative, most are selling you something.  Read carefully.
 
Lastly, don't hesitate to use the Better Business Bureau to find contractors.  Go to bbb.org and start searching.  This is a pretty good way to go if you don't have references.  References are the best way to find good people, of course.

we have had Olshan come out to take a look and like there crawl space system the best, they deal with foundations and water issues/ underground spring. They call it water-lock. It keeps moisture from any direction (rain, up through dirt/ underground spring) away from the footers (base of the house) and takes it out... does not matter how much water it is, might be a little might be a lot. They are also the only company that offers a lifetime warranty.
 
just another option to crawl spaces.