You stop smelling that musty odor coming through your vents. Your floors feel warmer in winter because cold, damp air isn’t seeping up through the boards. Your energy bills drop because your HVAC system isn’t fighting humidity all day long.
Mold stops growing. Wood stops rotting. Pests stop finding ways in.
That’s what proper crawl space encapsulation does. It’s not just about sealing off a dark space under your house. It’s about controlling the moisture that’s quietly damaging your home and affecting the air your family breathes. In Greensboro’s humid climate, with our clay soil and heavy rainfall, crawl spaces are constantly battling water intrusion. Most homes lose that battle without even knowing it until the damage shows up in sagging floors or a failed home inspection.
When you encapsulate your crawl space with a quality vapor barrier installation and pair it with dehumidifier installation, you’re creating a controlled environment. Humidity stays between 30-60%, which is exactly where it needs to be to keep wood dry, air clean, and energy costs down. Homeowners typically see around 20% lower energy bills after encapsulation because their HVAC systems aren’t working overtime to condition humid air anymore.
We’ve been serving Greensboro and the surrounding North Carolina communities for over 14 years. We’re BBB A+ rated, and we’ve built our reputation on doing crawl space work the right way – not the fast way, not the cheap way, but the way that actually solves the problem.
Rick Watson and our team know what Greensboro homes are up against. The humidity here isn’t a seasonal issue – it’s year-round. The clay soil holds water. The rainfall is considerable. Those conditions create the perfect storm for crawl space moisture problems, and we’ve seen every version of it.
We don’t just sell you encapsulation and disappear. We inspect thoroughly, explain what’s happening under your house, and show you exactly what needs to happen to fix it. Then we do the work with professional-grade materials and equipment that’s built to last. Our customers call us “Johnny on the spot” and “utmost professionals” because we show up, do what we say we’ll do, and make sure you understand the whole process.
First, we inspect your crawl space completely. We’re looking for existing moisture damage, mold growth, pest entry points, and structural issues. You need to know what you’re dealing with before we seal anything up.
Next, we clean out the space. That means removing debris, old insulation that’s fallen or gotten wet, and any contaminants. If there’s mold, we address it properly. If there’s standing water, we figure out where it’s coming from and stop it at the source.
Then comes the vapor barrier installation. We use a 20-mil reinforced polymer liner that covers your crawl space floor and walls. This isn’t the thin plastic you see in hardware stores – it’s CleanSpace material with a 25-year warranty against rips and tears. We seal every seam, every pier, every penetration. No gaps.
After that, we install a dehumidifier if your crawl space needs it. In Greensboro’s climate, most do. The dehumidifier keeps humidity levels controlled year-round, even when it’s 90 degrees and humid outside. We also seal vents and address any insulation needs so your crawl space becomes a conditioned part of your home instead of an open door to outside air.
The whole process usually takes a few days depending on your crawl space size and condition. When we’re done, you have a dry, clean, sealed space that protects your home instead of threatening it.
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You get a complete moisture control system, not just a plastic sheet thrown on the ground. That means a heavy-duty vapor barrier that actually blocks moisture from the soil, sealed properly at every edge and penetration. It means a dehumidifier sized correctly for your space, not an undersized unit that can’t keep up with Greensboro’s humidity.
You get crawl space insulation that stays dry and effective because it’s protected from moisture. You get sealed vents so outside air stops flooding your crawl space with humidity every summer and cold every winter. You get pest prevention because we’re sealing the entry points that let insects, rodents, and snakes find their way in.
In Greensboro specifically, you’re dealing with conditions that make crawl space problems worse than in drier climates. The clay soil here doesn’t drain well, so water sits near your foundation. The humidity averages over 70% in summer months. That combination means your crawl space is constantly under attack from moisture, and without proper encapsulation, it’s only a matter of time before you’re dealing with mold, wood rot, or structural damage.
What you’re really getting is protection for your biggest investment. Encapsulation stops the cascade of problems before they start. Wood doesn’t rot when it stays dry. Mold doesn’t grow in sealed, dehumidified spaces. Energy costs don’t spiral when your HVAC system isn’t fighting moisture. The few thousand you spend now saves you from the tens of thousands you’d spend later on structural repairs, mold remediation, and years of inflated energy bills.
Most crawl space encapsulation projects in Greensboro run between $5,000 and $15,000, but your actual cost depends on your crawl space size, current condition, and what needs to happen before we can encapsulate. A small, relatively dry crawl space with easy access costs less than a large space with standing water, mold damage, and structural issues.
Here’s what affects the price: square footage of your crawl space, whether we need to do mold remediation first, if there’s drainage work required to stop water intrusion, the type and thickness of vapor barrier you choose, whether you need a dehumidifier (most Greensboro homes do), and if there’s damaged insulation we need to remove and replace.
We give you an exact quote after we inspect your crawl space. No ballpark numbers, no surprises later. The investment makes sense when you consider that homeowners typically save 15-20% on energy costs after encapsulation, and you’re avoiding major repair bills down the road. Fixing moisture damage after it’s destroyed your floor joists costs a lot more than preventing it in the first place.
A properly installed crawl space encapsulation system lasts 15-20 years, and the vapor barrier itself comes with a 25-year warranty against rips and tears. You’re not looking at something you’ll need to redo in a few years if it’s done right from the start.
The longevity depends on the quality of materials and installation. Cheap plastic sheeting breaks down quickly, especially in humid environments like Greensboro. Professional-grade vapor barriers like CleanSpace are built to last decades. The dehumidifier will need regular filter changes and might need replacement after 10-15 years, but that’s normal maintenance for any mechanical equipment.
What really makes encapsulation last is doing the prep work correctly. If we don’t address the source of water intrusion before we seal your crawl space, you’ll have problems. If we don’t seal every seam and penetration properly, moisture finds its way in. That’s why the installation process matters as much as the materials. When it’s done right, you’re looking at a long-term solution that protects your home for decades, not a temporary fix that fails in a few years.
Yes, if that musty smell is coming from your crawl space – and it usually is. That odor is caused by mold, mildew, and decomposing organic matter in a damp environment. When you encapsulate your crawl space and control the moisture, you eliminate the conditions that create the smell.
Here’s why it works: up to 50% of the air in your home comes from your crawl space through a process called the stack effect. Warm air rises, pulling air up from below. If your crawl space is damp and moldy, that’s what you’re breathing. When you seal the space with a vapor barrier and run a dehumidifier, you stop the moisture that feeds mold growth. No moisture, no mold, no smell.
You might notice the difference within days of encapsulation, especially if we’ve also cleaned out existing mold and debris. Some homeowners tell us they didn’t realize how bad the air quality was until it improved. The smell goes away because the source is gone, not just covered up. That’s the difference between actually fixing the problem and just masking it with air fresheners.
In Greensboro, yes. The vapor barrier stops moisture from coming up through the soil, but it doesn’t control humidity that’s already in the air or that enters through small gaps. A dehumidifier keeps humidity levels consistently between 30-60%, which is the range you need to prevent mold growth and wood rot.
Greensboro’s climate makes dehumidifiers essential, not optional. Summer humidity regularly hits 70-80%, and even in winter, humidity stays high compared to drier regions. Without a dehumidifier, your encapsulated crawl space will still have moisture problems – just less severe than before. The dehumidifier is what takes your crawl space from “better” to “actually controlled.”
We size the dehumidifier based on your crawl space volume and local climate conditions. An undersized unit runs constantly and can’t keep up. An oversized unit cycles on and off too frequently and doesn’t remove moisture efficiently. The right size runs efficiently, keeps humidity stable, and typically costs $3-5 per month in electricity. That’s a small price for protecting your home’s structure and air quality year-round.
Musty odors in your home, especially near floors or HVAC vents, are usually the first sign. You might also notice your floors feel damp or cold, or you’re seeing higher energy bills without explanation. Those are all indicators that moisture is affecting your crawl space and, by extension, your entire home.
Other signs include visible mold on floor joists or insulation when you look in your crawl space, sagging or uneven floors, increased allergy or respiratory symptoms that seem worse at home, condensation or water stains on crawl space walls, and pest problems like termites or carpenter ants. If your home inspector mentioned crawl space moisture during a home sale, that’s a clear sign you need to address it.
In Greensboro specifically, almost every home with a vented crawl space has some level of moisture problem. It’s not a matter of if, but when. The humid climate and clay soil create perfect conditions for crawl space issues. Even if you’re not seeing obvious signs yet, a crawl space inspection can catch problems early when they’re cheaper and easier to fix. Waiting until you see sagging floors or smell mold means you’re already dealing with damage that could have been prevented.
You can, but most homeowners who try end up calling us to fix it afterward. Crawl space encapsulation looks straightforward until you’re actually under there dealing with tight spaces, uneven ground, piers, pipes, and trying to seal everything properly. The difference between a DIY job and professional installation is the difference between “covered” and “sealed.”
The biggest issues we see with DIY encapsulation are inadequate vapor barriers that tear easily, seams that aren’t sealed properly so moisture still gets through, vents that aren’t sealed completely, no drainage system to handle water intrusion, and dehumidifiers that are the wrong size or poorly positioned. Those mistakes mean you’ve spent money and time without actually solving the moisture problem.
Professional installation means we’re using commercial-grade materials you can’t get at hardware stores, we know how to prep the space correctly before installing anything, we seal every penetration and seam so moisture can’t find gaps, and we size and install dehumidifiers based on actual crawl space volume and local climate data. We also catch problems during inspection that you might miss – like water intrusion sources that need to be fixed before encapsulation, or structural damage that needs repair. The cost difference between DIY and professional installation is smaller than you think, especially when you factor in the cost of materials, equipment rental, and your time. And if it’s not done right the first time, you’re paying twice.
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