The cottage basement is about 20 feet by 25 feet and 7 feet tall. It is musty, wet, completely unfinished and to us serves no purpose. We are enquiring if turning the basement into a crawl space is a viable option and at what cost? The last thing we want is to make a bad situation worse.
The cottage is located near Lanark.
Hi,
It sounds like your basement is already a crawl space, just with 7 ft. ceilings. If you just use it in the summer, put in some ventilation to keep air circulating - that is the cheapest and easiest solution. Just make sure to screen it and put some heavier wire over the screen to keep out the critters. If you use it year round and have heating to think about, you are going to have to cover the floor with at least 6 mil poly, insulate and air seal the walls, and get a source of "conditioned" air down there. This will dry the area out and keep the floor above warm. These are just the basics. You may also have grading and drainage issues that are causing leaks and need to be addressed.
If you want to do it, post your requirements in the "projects" section so some local contractors can get in touch with you.
Good Luck with it!
Jim Kuzma
Kettleby Handyman Services
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