Your floors stop feeling cold in winter. That musty smell disappears. Your HVAC system stops working overtime just to keep your home comfortable.
When moisture gets sealed out of your crawl space, you’re looking at 15-20% lower energy bills every year. For most homes in Guilford, that’s $300 to $400 staying in your account instead of going to the power company. The air coming up through your floors becomes cleaner because mold spores and allergens can’t grow in a dry, sealed environment.
Your home’s structure stays protected. Wood beams don’t rot. Floor joists don’t weaken. The foundation stays solid because water isn’t constantly attacking it from below.
You’re also keeping pests out. Termites, roaches, and rodents need damp, dark spaces to thrive. A properly encapsulated crawl space eliminates that habitat completely. No more surprise infestations or damage from unwanted visitors living under your home.
We’ve been handling indoor air quality and moisture problems in Guilford and the greater Greensboro area for over 30 years. We’re NADCA certified, BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and we’ve seen every type of crawl space problem North Carolina’s climate can throw at a home.
Rick Watson and our team understand what Guilford’s humid subtropical weather does to crawl spaces. When summer humidity regularly hits 70% and your crawl space cools that air down to 70 degrees, you’re sitting at 100% humidity under your house. That’s not a small problem you can ignore.
We don’t just install vapor barriers and leave. You get a complete moisture control system designed for how homes actually perform in this area, backed by people who’ve been doing this work since before most companies in town existed.
First, we inspect your crawl space to see what we’re dealing with. That means checking for existing moisture damage, measuring humidity levels, looking at your foundation vents, and identifying any mold or structural issues that need attention before encapsulation begins.
Next comes crawl space cleaning if needed. Debris, old insulation, and contaminated materials get removed. You can’t encapsulate over a mess and expect good results.
Then we install the vapor barrier. This is a heavy-duty liner that covers your crawl space floor and gets sealed to your foundation walls. It’s not just thrown down—it’s carefully fitted and secured to create an actual moisture barrier that lasts.
We seal your foundation vents and any gaps where outside air sneaks in. Open vents were the old way of thinking. Modern building science proves that sealing crawl spaces keeps them drier and healthier.
Finally, we install a dehumidifier designed specifically for crawl spaces. This keeps your relative humidity below 60% year-round, which prevents mold growth and wood rot even during Guilford’s wettest months. You get a complete system, not just a plastic sheet on the ground.
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You’re getting professional-grade vapor barrier installation using materials built to last 15-20 years, not the thin plastic some companies use that rips and fails within a few years. The barrier gets sealed at every seam and attachment point to create a continuous moisture shield.
Crawl space insulation gets addressed based on what your home needs. Sometimes that means removing old, moisture-damaged insulation. Other times it means adding new insulation in the right places to improve energy efficiency without trapping moisture.
Your dehumidifier installation includes a unit sized correctly for your crawl space square footage. Undersized dehumidifiers can’t keep up with Guilford’s humidity. Oversized ones cycle on and off too much and wear out faster. You need the right fit.
We handle vent sealing and any necessary repairs to foundation walls or access doors. Air leaks defeat the purpose of encapsulation, so every potential entry point for outside air and moisture gets addressed. This is especially important in Guilford where our summer air carries so much moisture that even small leaks can cause problems.
You also get a final walkthrough explaining how your system works and what to expect going forward. Most homeowners notice the difference within days—warmer floors, less humidity upstairs, and that musty smell gone for good.
Most crawl space encapsulation projects in Guilford run between $3,500 and $15,000 depending on your home’s square footage and what condition your crawl space is in when we start. A smaller home with a clean, dry crawl space costs less. A larger home with existing moisture damage, mold remediation needs, or structural repairs costs more.
The price includes vapor barrier installation, vent sealing, dehumidifier installation, and any necessary prep work like debris removal or minor repairs. If your crawl space needs mold treatment or significant structural work before encapsulation, that adds to the cost but it’s work that has to happen anyway.
You’re looking at this as a 15-20 year investment that cuts your energy bills by $300-$400 every year. Over time, the system pays for itself through lower HVAC costs and by preventing expensive moisture damage to your home’s structure. We’ll give you an exact price after inspecting your specific crawl space.
Yes, and the savings are measurable. Field studies consistently show 15-20% reductions in annual heating and cooling costs after crawl space encapsulation. For a typical 2,000 square foot home in Guilford, that translates to $300-$400 per year staying in your pocket instead of going to your utility company.
Here’s why it works. Right now, your HVAC system is fighting against whatever temperature and humidity is coming up from your crawl space. In summer, that’s hot, humid air making your air conditioner run constantly. In winter, it’s cold air making your heater work overtime. When you seal and condition your crawl space, your HVAC only has to maintain the temperature you actually want—not constantly battle against uncontrolled air from below.
Your floors also feel warmer in winter because you’re not losing heat to a freezing crawl space. That means you’re more comfortable at lower thermostat settings, which saves even more energy. The dehumidifier uses some electricity, but it’s minimal compared to what you save on heating and cooling.
Most crawl space encapsulation projects in Guilford take 1-3 days depending on the size of your crawl space and what prep work is needed. A straightforward installation on a clean, accessible crawl space might be done in a day. Larger homes or crawl spaces that need cleaning, mold treatment, or repairs take longer.
We’re not rushing through your job to get to the next one. Proper vapor barrier installation means carefully fitting and sealing every seam. Dehumidifier installation needs to be done right so the unit actually works efficiently for years. Vent sealing and insulation work takes time to do correctly.
You’ll have people working under your house, but the disruption to your daily life is minimal. We’re not tearing up your floors or making your home unlivable. Most homeowners go about their normal routine while we work. We’ll give you a specific timeline after we inspect your crawl space and know exactly what needs to happen.
Yes, especially in Guilford’s climate. Vapor barrier installation stops ground moisture from coming up through your crawl space floor, but it doesn’t control humidity that’s already in the air or that comes from small leaks and temperature changes. A dehumidifier keeps your relative humidity below 60% year-round, which is the threshold where mold starts growing and wood begins to rot.
North Carolina’s humid subtropical climate means we regularly see outdoor humidity levels above 70% in summer. Even with a sealed crawl space, some of that moisture finds its way in through tiny gaps or through the foundation itself. Without a dehumidifier actively removing that moisture, you’re still at risk for mold growth and the musty odors that come with it.
The dehumidifier also protects your investment. A properly installed vapor barrier can last 15-20 years, but only if the environment stays dry. High humidity can still cause problems even with encapsulation. The dehumidifier is what makes the whole system work long-term, keeping your crawl space dry through every season and weather pattern Guilford throws at it.
We seal them permanently. This goes against what older building codes recommended, but modern building science has proven that sealed crawl spaces stay drier and healthier than vented ones. Open vents let in humid outside air that condenses when it hits your cooler crawl space, creating exactly the moisture problem you’re trying to solve.
In Guilford’s summer climate, vented crawl spaces are constantly pulling in 70-90 degree air at high humidity. When that air cools down to your crawl space temperature, the relative humidity shoots up to 100%, condensation forms, and you’ve got standing water and mold growth. Sealing the vents and conditioning the space with a dehumidifier keeps humidity controlled year-round.
Your crawl space becomes part of your home’s conditioned envelope instead of an outdoor space that happens to be under your house. This is the current building code approach for new construction and the proven method for fixing moisture problems in existing homes. Sealed crawl spaces with dehumidification outperform vented crawl spaces in every measurable way.
You’ll usually notice signs before the problem becomes severe. Musty odors coming from your floors are the most common indicator—that smell is mold and mildew growing in your crawl space and spreading through your home’s air. Cold floors in winter, high humidity inside your house, or visible condensation on windows can all point to crawl space moisture issues.
Higher than normal energy bills are another red flag. If your HVAC system seems to run constantly without keeping your home comfortable, your crawl space might be working against it. Some homeowners notice allergy symptoms or respiratory issues that improve when they’re away from home—that’s often related to mold spores coming up from the crawl space.
If you go down and look, you might see standing water, wet insulation, wood that looks dark or feels soft, or actual mold growth on floor joists and beams. You might also notice pests like roaches or see evidence of rodents. All of these are signs that moisture is out of control and encapsulation would solve the problem. We can inspect your crawl space and tell you exactly what’s happening and whether encapsulation makes sense for your situation.
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