u/Gloomy_Risk6233

I recently purchased a home and the crawlspace has some light mold buildup on a few joists. There is already a vapor barrier on the ground, but after doing research online I keep seeing people recommend fully encapsulating the crawlspace by sealing all the vents and removing the insulation between the joists. The house also has a slight musty smell.

I am trying to figure out whether it makes sense to spend around $15,000 on a full encapsulation system or if a simpler approach could still work well. My thought was to remove all the old insulation between the joists, run a dehumidifier in the crawlspace continuously, and seal the vents myself using covers and caulk.

Would that be a reasonable approach or would removing the insulation without fully encapsulating the crawlspace create problems? Also, would simply removing the insulation and keeping humidity controlled with a dehumidifier be a bad idea long term?

Thanks for any advice.