Buckner

My clients had already purchased the home, (without an inspection prior to purchase....don't ask me why) They wanted an inspection for their homeowners insurance so I was contacted. Kind of backwards if you ask me. Yeah I noted that all the junk down there should be removed including the carpet, home owner fixed the duct work on the spot, minus taping the connection. I mentioned that a vapor barrier should be put down, and it seemed that the crawlspace vents were too small. So I mentioned that they should look into adding more ventilation. I hope this doesn't come back to bite them in the butt. (no pre-purchase inspection)

What could cause the asphyxiating odor? It almost irritates the throat.

I completed an inspection the other day on a house that was built in the mid 50s. The home had a very old even odd smell to it. I got into the crawl space and found that is was very musty smelling, almost asphyxiating. The dirt floor was covered in spots by a crystalline substance that looked fuzzy, yet sparkled in my light. About half of the crawlspace dirt was wet. It didn't appear to be on any of the structure or any where but the dirt. Is this mold or something else? There was plenty of obvious moisture signs, that is why I am leaning towards mold. I haven't seen this before though. Yes that is a damp carpet that the PO had rolled out in the crawlspace[:-crazy] Click to Enlarge 45.59 KB Click to Enlarge 39.39 KB Click to Enlarge 43.5 KB