Absolutely zero structural posts should be removed. Only non structural should be removed.

What you want to do is google info on proper methods for basement encapsulating. It will give you the info to properly close off the crawlspace to the exterior elements while keeping it safe. You’ll need a dehumidifier.

We have a 1927 home. It has a daylight basement that covers not quite half of the house, so there’s an L shape to the rest of the basement area and it’s just crawl space but with decent head space when the ground is level. So I excavated dirt out by the bucket and raised my front yard for drainage. I got more than half the crawlspace levelled out.

I then encapsulated it. This cut down the draft and cold inside the house so much you can not even believe it. I even insulated the floors prior!

So now my crawlspace is about half way levelled, so I set out to find free file cabinets, the wide kind. I got a bunch free from an office closing. I lined the crawlspace walls with them. They’re something like 50ish inches tall and 4 drawer. So now I have a massive amount of storage space for totes and stuff but also I have tons if metal drawers that close tight to keep critters and dust out.

It was a lot of work but our area is ridiculously expensive, and our house is small. So I have to utilise all the space I can.

My next big project after our kitchen/living room/dining room remodel is done is to build a bookshelf in our hallway that will be a secret door to a ladder. I’m going to build a secret media room in our attic space and it will be 100% hidden.