Found this in a 1968 home I inspected this morning. Not sure how long they’ve been there or who put them in. They are directly on the dirt. They’re being used permanently. Is this allowed or common practice? Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks,
Bert
You’re going to be up late tonight!
Yes, I get that feeling. I’m googling as I reply to this.
Humberto, you’ve been a member here since 2005 and you have to ask that question? Sorry to be so blunt. Yes, there is a problem. That is not acceptable, on many levels.
Yes, but, this is the reason I asked the question…
Seems by what they are claiming here it’s acceptable?
“Standing water and wet soil were observed in the crawl space. The exact entry point of the water could not be determined. Moisture can facilitate the growth of a variety of molds that can promote unhealthy conditions and excess humidity can cause decay to wood structures over time. Additionally, chronically moist conditions can cause foundation settlement or deterioration over time. Therefore, you should consult a grading and drainage contractor or a licensed general contractor with experience in crawl space drainage and moisture to determine the extent of the concerns and necessary repairs. Observation of the crawl space during a period of heavy and prolonged rain is also recommended.”
“The crawlspace is not adequately ventilated at the LOCATION(exterior). Limited crawl space ventilation results. We can elaborate, but a licensed general contractor or crawl space specialist should evaluate the ventilation. At a minimum, you should have the crawl space ventilation and wood moisture levels evaluated during humid summer months by a pest control company or other specialist.”
or
“The crawl space is considered to have inadequate ventilation. We counted IDENTIFY(numbers-S) vents for the entire crawl space. Today’s commonly accepted standards require ventilation openings of not less than 1 square foot for each 150 square feet of crawl space and 1 vent within 3 feet of each corner of the building. A 1500 sq. ft. crawl space, for example, would require 10 sq. ft. of ventilation. The size of the average vent is 16 x 8 inches. Therefore, a 1500 sq. ft. home would require approximately 11 average size vents. We did not conduct sizing calculations on this home, but an increase in crawl space ventilation or encapsulation of the crawl space is recommended and you should consult with a crawl space specialist or licensed general contractor about this issue. Inadequate ventilation can lead to high moisture content in the wood floor structure, which can contribute to the fungi growth and decay in the long term.”
“The floor system is improperly supported. While we did not take measurements, we believe the span of the floor joists exceeds commonly accepted construction standards without a a girder or center support. The girder provided is likely considered too small and is improperly supported by tubular steel columns. We recommend an evaluation of the entire floor structure by a licensed GC or structural engineer and repair as deemed necessary.”
Something like that. Now, go to bed.
Thanks Joe. I’ll sleep much better now.
Bert
I don’t see any pins in those jacks (in your link). The one’s you inspected clearly are pinned and are not designed for long term structural use.
Those are one piece adjustable not telescoping columns.
See: http://www.octoberhome.com/articles/adjustcolumn/adjustcolumn.html
FYI. Under any circumstances, the farthest you can span a double 2x10 girder is approx. 7’. That’s not a double 2x10 and it’s spanned entirely too far using the wrong supports.
You write all that up and you don’t need to say anything about the lack of footings because footings under those columns would still be wrong.
Yes, they are clearly different. Thanks.
Yes, thank you Larry.
Bert
Nice moisture barrier!
It’s the new invisibarrier model!..lol
Bert
Dade County? It’s fine…“when do we close”? 
Is it my imagination or, are all the sill plates missing?
Wood tends to start sagging when it gets full of moisture. Why fix the issue when you can just jack it up.
I write those up as temporary supports and recommend they be installed in a permanant manner. If the last guy thought they should be there, then fine, now they get to make them permanant.
Then i write up the other stuff for them to fix.