Holes in crawl space

Anyone have an idea why these 4 large holes would have been made?
Inspection yesterday on a 1949 home with crawl. The holes are all along the same rear wall of the crawl pretty evenly spaced. They don’t go anywhere, they just end a couple feet beyond the wall slightly slanted upwards. The only thing beyond that point of the home is a poured slab for a patio made several years back.

Thanks,

Bert

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Only thing that comes to mind is in order for the termite man to give a clear letter on the house they had to have access to this area and this is someones attempt to do that.

I wonder could they at one time if they where getting ready to build an home extension???

If it were here I would consider it to be removed return air duct work and supply. Since the floor joists have blackened it is best to document that plus have it tested for Mold. As for access it is not big enough for a proper access so that should be documented. If the area has levels of Radon then a mitigation system will be the reason to open the lower area and vapor barrier the crawl with poly.

Thank for your replies.
As for an addition to the home, I wouldn’t be able to know. The realtor for the sellers was there and he was going to speak to the sellers which have owned the home since 1963. Maybe they could shed light.

As for the duct removal, the home has central air. Nothing before that except for a central ventilation inside the attic since removed.

Termite-wise, the home is currently under warranty and was treated for drywood termites a couple years ago. I’ll ask the realtor to ask the pest control company just in case.

Does anyone see an issue with the holes themselves?

Thanks,

Bert

Actually, the more I look at them and how evenly spaced they are. They seem to mostly likely have been the vents along the rear of the home before the back patio slab was poured. Just odd to think of why they were widened? Because there is still some debris under the home from the widening.

Thanks,

Bert

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Penetrations through a foundation wall are viewed with how the penetration affects the structural integrity of the wall as well as any moisture issues which may arise out of same. From my experience the size of this hole in relation to the direction of the bandjoist, I would not be that concerned with it…I would document all my findings in the report though.

What did the subfloor look like above it?

It appears to me someone may have been looking for Jimmy Hoffas body;-)

Bert,
I would guess that someone widened the original holes. Most of the homes I have seen where there were holes in between each support wall, they were maximum, two blocks wide. Back in the day, people were skinnier! I would guess that someone widened them, possibly for Subterranean termite treatment. Almost all of those homes had subs as well as dwt. As long as the floor was OK, I would just mention it on the report as a notation.

The other option, a large snake!

LOL. Thanks folks. Nice. I especially like the one about Hoffa!.

The Sub-floor looked good. It does appear to be the old vents having been widened. I made mention in my report of the large openings and advised the buyer to seek the opinion of a structural expert if he’d like. But definitely no damage to subfloor noted.

I always go down there expecting one of those large pythons to be there. Infact, I have one in the Gables area tomorrow morning bright and early. I’ll post back if I’m not taken in by the python! (at 230…Me) he better well be big…lol.

Thanks,

Bert