venting a crawl space

[C & E]

The crawl space is only under the family room of our home and I'm beginning to have a dampness problem. I have corrected the downspout which exited too close to the house. The lawn has no grade away from the house and short of having a swale cut (I'm considering it) there is no way to achieve a gradient. So anyway, I've thought that I'd lay 6 mil poly in the crawl space but I think that vents will be a good idea. The problem here is that the ground level is just a couple of inches from ground level. The siding is only 2" of the ground. Should I dig wells and install vents or is covering the dirt enough? TIA, Chuck

[tbasc]

If you are 'begining to have a dampness problem', something has changed. What changed? What kind of 'dampness problem' is there?

Installing a vapor barrier will reduce the amount of moisture rising from the earth. It will not solve a high water table or surface run-off. Siding within 2" of grade with a flat yard is not a good idea. T

[Jack]

Why did you ever buy in the first place? Remember to always look at drainage and tree root growth is two important actors in buying. Having crawl space beneath floors is a good idea also. Which means stay away from slab floors. They are100% sure to let in termites sooner or later.

[C & E]

I can't be sure but there is a growing mold problem as well. Not too bad but increasing very slowly over the 20 years that we've been here. The downspouts have been in the same location since day one. Something in the subsoil perhaps.

[Tony Sivori]

In my experience, crawlspaces are termite magnets. I've seen many houses with sistered floor joists.

I'd much prefer a slab to a crawlspace. But a basement is better than either of them.