Keeping crawlspace moisture down in the southeast

[Jordan L.]

Hi everyone, I am working on a rehab-to-rent in North Carolina that has some crawlspace moisture and wood rot issues. I'm going to end up replacing 30+ floor joists in this property. Having a repair of this magnitude done is a first for me-- this will be my second rental. This being said, I've done some research online to determine how I can protect myself from having to repeat this repair in the future. My first question is: Are there any other resources I can utilize to educate myself other than browsing the Internet? Here is what I have been told by another investor as to what I need to do after I make the repair to keep moisture levels down. Is this accurate? As of right now, my contractor is going to install a vapor area and call it a day after making the repairs. Would just a vapor barrier suffice or should I do all of this? My only hang up is that... lesson learned... I under estimated repair costs and overpaid a little bit for the property. Of course, I am trying to keep rehab costs down but I will keep the property indefinitely as a rental and don't want to continue to have moisture problems in the crawl. • install a vapor barrier with a minimum of 12 mm thickness • paint the inside of the crawl brick with dry lock paint •install a dehumidifier and sump pump • insulate the floor as there is no floor insulation currently in the crawlspace (how necessary is this?) Finally, should I permit this work? I didn't have to get any permits for my other rehab property... do they slow things down a great deal? Thank you all in advance! Jordan