Crawl space access device

A crawl space access device for facilitating a user's ingress into and egress from a crawl space, the device being placeable in a below grade level crawl space entry pit, and mateable with a below grade ingress opening in a building wall, the crawl space access device comprising a tub shaped body member having a floor portion and a sidewall disposed generally perpendicular to the floor portion and including a first side panel member, a second side panel member, a first end panel and a side wall opening mateable with the below grade ingress opening, the first side panel member having a first end portion and a second end portion, the second side panel member having a first end portion and second end portion, the floor portion being sized to permit a user to sit on the upper surface of the floor portion prior to entering a crawl space, the side wall and floor portion defining a body member interior, the body member including an edge defining a upwardly facing upper opening disposed in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the side wall opening, a first flange member disposed between the first and second end portions of the first side panel member and extending in a plane generally perpendicular to the first side panel member, the first flange member including a surface placeable against a surface of the building wall adjacent to the below grade opening when the device is attached to a building, wherein a user standing at or above grade can move generally vertically through the upper opening into the tub interior and generally horizontally through the side wall opening into a crawl space.

A crawl space system for a building comprising:

• a crawl space including a crawl space wall wherein at least a portion of the wall is below ground level, the wall including a below grade ingress opening defined by horizontally disposed lower and upper surfaces and vertically disposed first and second side surfaces,
• a below grade level crawl space entry pit disposed adjacent to the below grade ingress opening, and
• a crawl space access device for facilitating a user's ingress into and egress from the crawl space through the below grade ingress opening, the access device being disposed in the below grade level crawl space entry pit, and coupled to the building wall, the crawl space access device comprising a tub shaped body member having a floor portion disposed on a horizontal surface of the pit, the floor portion having a lower surface and an upper surface, the upper surface being disposed at a level at least as high as the lower surface of the ingress opening, the floor portion being sized to permit a user to sit on the upper surface of the floor portion prior to entering the crawl space, and a side wall portion extending generally perpendicular to the floor portion, the side wall portion including a side wall opening mated with the below grade ingress opening, the sidewall and floor defining a body member interior, the body member including an edge defining a upwardly facing upper opening disposed in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the side wall opening, wherein a user standing at or above grade can move generally vertically through the upper opening into the tub interior and generally horizontally through the side wall opening and below grade ingress opening, and into the crawl space.