Duplex wet crawl space - need opinions/feedback

[Jeremy Rusnak]

Hey folks,

Just closed on my second duplex last week!  This one needs some work but the numbers look good.   My particular question today is regarding a wet crawl space.

I'm north of Seattle so this is a wet climate, but the summers are dry.  The inspector noted some standing water in spots and mud in the crawl space on top of the existing vapor barrier.  In tandem with this, the existing gutter system is completely clogged and the ones that are not drain straight next to the foundation.  The lot is completely flat as is the surrounding area, and the yard in general is saturated (not uncommon at this time of year).

My initial reaction is that I should fix the gutters and get them draining away from the foundation, let things dry out and then evaluate the situation further next rainy season.  At present there is no damage to the joists or any really visible mold growth, so my gut is telling this is a "wettest time of the year combined with no working gutters" situation.

A contributing element to this is that one side is vacant currently.  I'm doing work in that unit over the next 2-3 weeks.   Access to the crawl spaces is through a small hatch in the coat closet, so doing crawl space remediation without a tenant to deal with might make sense.

I'm wondering how others might proceed.    I don't like the idea of moisture down there at all, but I don't want to overspend under the house when the gutter situation may resolve it.